Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
When our oldest granddaughter, Virginia Rose, spends this past weekend with us, she is eager to help us decorate the Christmas tree. She has been asking me since the beginning of November if we'll wait until she visits before we commence this activity, and of course, we are more than happy to include her.
This is the first year we let Virginia hang the breakable ornaments, and she is thrilled with that. We even provide a stepladder for her so she can place them on some of the higher boughs; these fragile beauties have to be hung out of reach of her younger sisters. "Ooh, shiny!" is their mantra!
We decorate a little on Friday evening, and finish up on Saturday. More than hanging the ornaments, Virginia is excited to finish of the job with "snow."
The Christmas tree is glorious!
But you and I know that Christmas isn't about trees and trimmings, stockings and Santa. And I want to make absolutely sure that Virginia understands the reason for the season, too. So on Sunday, I take her to see The Star, an animated movie about the first Christmas.
Virginia's enthusiasm for tree decorating pales in comparison to the sheer joy she exudes while watching the film. She is so enthralled, she hardly touches her popcorn!
And when we are walking back to the car, hand-in-hand, Virginia turns to me and says, "Gammie, now I understand why Jesus' birth is so important."
Mission accomplished!
O, come let us adore Him!
Alleluia and amen!
Wonderful idea for taking the Grands to see "The Star". Precious helper!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Martha!
Oh, yes, Lulu! If you take the grands, you'll enjoy the movie, too, guaranteed! I had tears in my eyes . . .
DeleteLove and blessings!
Great lessons!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Roy!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh that is so beautiful!!! "Now I understand why Jesus' birth is so important!" I hope Virginia Rose always remembers that and enjoys Christmas with so much joy always... This was delightful. And your tree is beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI hope she always remembers that, too, Pamela, and continues to grow in the knowledge of His great love for her. Yes, it was such a special, amazing weekend with our sweet Virginia!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh, my goodness! That last picture is just precious. I will be going to see The Star soon too. Let me know what you think.
ReplyDeleteBeckie, I loved the movie as much as Virginia did. Yes, they take some liberties, but the heart of the film is the Christmas message, that's for sure. As soon as it comes out on DVD, I'm going to buy it so the little grands can see it next year, too.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Thanks, Martha! I'm glad to hear that.
DeleteMay the Joy and Wonder of Christmas be with you and your family always.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you all.
May the same be true for you and yours, Victor!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Such a heart warming post and I absolutely adore the last picture. What a little angel - precious in His sight!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the post, Carol. Yes, Virginia is my little angel, and God's, too.
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a sweet story. You get a lot of blog material from that darling girl! What a light she is in your life. Thank you for sharing her with us.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd say Virginia gets her fair share of press here, Galen. She is always saying or doing something that gives me inspiration. So blessed to be able to share her with all of you.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Such a lovely heartwarming read! And I am so glad to be finally reading your blog after so long. It is a wonderful read, as always. Thank you so much for sharing such lovely insights and beautiful pictures. I loved the festival cheer associated with this post. Sending loads of love and joy your way for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI'm so elated to see you here again, Privy; you have been missed!!!
DeleteGlad the post warmed your heart with Christmas cheer. As you can tell, we have such great times with Virginia.
Love and blessings!
Thank you for visiting my Blog.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Of course, Victor! I look forward to your posts always.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, your post is beautiful and inspiring! I'm so thrilled that Virginia finally understands the true meaning of Christmas! Perhaps, I'll start decorating sometime this week. Virginia did a great job decorating, by the way. What did she use for "snow"?
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
The "snow" are bits of finely chopped plastic. We shake it off the tree every year and save it for the next. It's amazing how much this "fake" snow looks like the real thing!
DeleteAnd it is such a blessing that Virginia really understands that Christmas isn't just about what's under the tree or in her stocking. I could tell by the expressions on her face during the movie that she was truly getting the meaning of Jesus' coming into the world. This has opened so many doors for conversations between us in the future.
Love and blessings!
I love the intensity of her sweet face as she works to decorate the tree, love her love it. I watched as our son, wife and three children decorated their big tree. The two year old was beside himself with helping and he does not even know there will be presents soon under the tree. He was too little to know anything last year but this year we are all going to enjoy his two year old eyes and energy behind them as he gets into upwrapping. How sweet you wait for your grand daughter to do your tree, grand children are the best and I want to believe they bring the best out of us. Merry Christmas Martha..
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Betty!
DeleteOh, how wonderful it will be for you all to watch that precious two-year-old on Christmas morning! My youngest grand is two, also, and it will be her first understanding what those goodies are in her stocking and under the tree. It will be a joyous day, indeed.
Love and blessings!