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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why Is Christmas My Absolute Favorite Time of Year?

by Chautona Havig · 2 Comments

I wrote this back in 2006 on my old blog. While some of the traditions have changed as our children have grown and moved from home, most of them stay the same. But this post has always reflected best what I love about Christmas, and I thought I’d share it.  It was edited for typos, and I tried to update with better wording… and couldn’t.  The passive writing will have to do.  It says it best.

Why Is Christmas My Absolute Favorite Time of Year?

Note: links are possibly affiliates that provide a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Christmas… where to begin…?

It is six weeks of build-up to my very favorite part…

Thanksgiving is over, the turkey deboned, the puzzle pieced, and the Hungarian Coffee Cake is gone. Everyone is satisfied after an unusually varied meal. Someone puts on a Christmas CD. Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas.”

Silver Bells
Adeste Fideles
Silent Night
Christmas in Killarney
O, Holy Night

Someone pulls out the ads and we plan Black Friday…

After lunch and a freezing morning shopping, we brave the crowds again for a tree… The scent of a fresh-cut Douglas Fir. Heavenly.

Popcorn… hot cocoa… Peppermint and cranberries.

The voices of excited children singing “Away in a Manger” as they string popcorn and cranberries.

But that’s just the beginning.

Shopping in stores playing music to honor the Savior when usually I blush to hear the words sung. The Salvation Army, a presence at every stop. People smiling… just a little more patient with lines and excitable children than four months ago when shopping for back-to-school supplies and clothes.

Pretty wrapping paper, colorful ribbons, perky bows. Packages piled all over our tiny living room giving it the appearance of a treasure trove.

Baking smells. Hungarian Coffee Cake. Peppermint Bark. Sugar cookies.

Bundling in warm jackets to sing at the convalescent home.

O, holy night… the stars are brightly shining…

The sweet older lady rocking her baby doll to the tune of the music. She is never without her baby doll. The sight of tears in my son’s eyes when he realizes she thinks it is her real baby. (I wrote a short story about her–you’ll find it HERE.)

Fall… on your knees…

The toothless man’s grin as he tries to sing along.

We three kings…

Their thankful lonely faces as we turn to leave. My kids’ voices, thick with emotion as they realize we’re likely the only guests they’ve seen that day…

We wish you a Merry Christmas…

Mrs. Brown’s delight at our stopping. Her son’s devoted attention to her. Pastor Neipp’s grin as we sing under their window. The love they show each other the greatest gift they could give us.

Candlelight service. Gifts for our friends. Our children are so excited. They rush home and change into pajamas so we can go look at Christmas lights. The northwest development with luminarias.

The house on Vicki Lane.

Our friends’ parents who dress as Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They can’t this year. Mrs. Claus went home to be with Jesus.

It’s been one of those years.

(and 2017 wasn’t any easier than 2006!)

Home again, unwrapping presents from friends and neighbors. Hot chocolate. singing. Sleepy babies. The tree lights on and the house lights off.

It’s quiet now. Luke Chapter two… “And it came to pass… and He grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man…” read by a gentle masculine voice always with a trace of awe that God would come for such as he.

Oh, how I love this season.

One thing this post didn’t mention back then, probably because I hadn’t written any yet, was Christmas Fiction.  I love it.  I even wrote a BLOG POST about that.

Merry Christmas!

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Comments

  1. patty-anne Lea says

    November 24, 2017 at 12:58 am

    When you post a book to Amazon com. Please remember Amazon.ca And Love Joy and Peace from my house to yours.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 24, 2017 at 3:45 am

      It’s here, Patty-anne: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B077Q621KD/ Merry Christmas to you, too!

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 472: A Chat with Shelley Shepard Gray
byChautona Havig

 It may seem weird, but my favorite way to read Amish fiction is with mystery or suspense added. I think I like the juxtaposition of the “simple, quiet” life and the upheaval. Listen in to my chat with Shelley Shepard Gray about her newest book, Unshaken.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

There are so many questions about the Amish, their ways of life, and their differences from us and from each other. We talked about the differences between people, sure, but we also looked at how the Amish look for the ways people are similar to them etc.

Of course, we also talked about the Rumors in Ross County series and how her newest book connects.

 Unshaken  by Shelley Shepard Gray

He helps her hide until danger has passed. She hopes her cover lasts long enough. When Stephanie Miller planned her visit to a dollar store in southern Ohio, she was expecting to pick up a few items she couldn’t find in her Amish community. She was not expecting to find herself an innocent bystander as a drug deal went horribly wrong. The sole witness to a murder, now Stephanie is targeted by the gunman. Hardy Anderson is always ready to help his social worker sister, Bev–which now includes hiding an Amish woman until a killer can be brought to justice. Surely if they dress her in English clothing, Hardy can hide her at the sprawling ranch where he works. But the killer is desperate–and there’s no telling what lengths he will go.

You can learn more about Shelley on her WEBSITE.  Don’t forget to follow her on BookBub and GoodReads.

AND!!!  Don’t miss her Buggy Bunch group on Facebook, too! 

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 472: A Chat with Shelley Shepard Gray
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