Show -n-Tell...

How is your Christmas season coming along? Up until now, we're been focusing on preparations for the Advent season. But now it's truly Christmastime.

Would you share your Christmas with the readers of our little blog?

We are looking for photos of specific decorations for a special set of posts that we'll be doing in the coming days. Would you please consider snapping a shot of...

... your front door
... your entry hall
... your mantle
... your Christmas tree
... your special Christmas collection (snowmen, gingerbread men, stars, snowflakes, cardinals, whatever you collect!)

We would LOVE to see what wonderful ideas our readers have for decorating this special season!

You can email your photos to CelebratingChristmas@gmail.com. We'll include your first name only with your photo. And of course, we'll not even mention your location. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let us know and we'll just call you "A Friend." We need all submissions by December 7th.

Thanks for your help!

Get Ready, Get Set, Go!

Well, friends... We hope that you have found what we have found during this week of Thanksgiving: our blessings are without measure!!!

And now the turkey is almost gone and the scarecrows are back in the attic. So for those of us who have a hard time getting into Christmas before Thanksgiving...

It's time!

Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent. Is your wreath ready? Do you have candles to light? Have you selected the devotional you're going to read? If not... let's get going! Don't pressure yourself to make the perfect Advent wreath. There are wonderful Advent rings available in just about every Christian book store. And if you prefer a simplified, minimalist look, feel free to grab three purple, one pink and one white votive candles and place them on a glass plate. We did just that with items we purchased from the local dollar store. This Advent wreath cost only $4 to make.

Many Advent devotional readings are available online. You can Google "Advent devotionals" or some variation of that concept and select just the right set of readings for you. It's not too late.

Our family usually lights the Advent wreath on Sundays and opens the Advent calendar during daily family devotions every year. But we have always done both with just the people living under our roof. This year we are going to try something different. On the Sundays of Advent, we are having guests over for Sunday dinner. I know! Almost no one does that on a regular basis anymore. But we're going to give it a shot. Tomorrow... Gramma is coming, and we are so excited!

How are you doing Advent this year? Will you take a quick minute and leave a comment, sharing your ideas with others? We know you'll be a blessing...