Christmastide

We're in the midst of Christmastide. Christmastide is what we can call the period of time from Christmas Eve to the 5th of January. Some know it as the Twelve Days of Christmas or Yuletide.

My boys walking to the "star of Bethlehem, PA"

During this week the studio is relatively quiet. Activity that fills me instead tends to be eating an unusual amount of cookies, savoring the Christmas cards that have come in the mail from friends far away, and keeping the coffee pot filled for unexpected visitors. My family also takes a few days to travel to to see my husband's family in Bethlehem ....Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that is! As we approach Bethlehem, PA we see a star hovering above the mountainside (I kid you not!). Even though this star is a man made out of steel and lightbulbs I always marvel at how far away we can see it as we drive into town and wonder if this feeling of amazement is what it was like for the magi.

Of course we don't really know what it was like that first Christmas therefore we've been artistically interpreting it for many years. Here is a unique painting called The Star of Bethlehem by Sir Edward Burne-Jones depicting the Adoration of the Magi  with an angel holding the star of Bethlehem. 

This painting is the largest watercolor of the 19th century and was created as a design for a William Morris tapestry. There are many theories about the star that led the magi. Regardless of what you believe the star is or was on that first Christmas it is a sign of God's presence in the miraculous and mysterious story of Christ's birth. As Matthew told us in 2:9, And there, ahead of them, went the star...it stopped over the place where the child was.

May the Love of Christ

shine brightly on you during Christmastide 

and throughout the New Year

Preparing for Christmas

As I was fretting about my "task list" in preparation of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I stumbled upon Psalm 97. This scripture has helped me be more settled. Therefore I'm sharing this video interpretation while bidding you a blessed Christmas filled with hope and joy! Merry Christmas...

Christmas Bells

In the Book of Exodus (39:1-31), it is explained that the high priest in the temple was to wear a gown that had a bottom trim of pomegranates--a symbol of seeds and new life--and bells. It is explained quite clearly that the bells will allow those in the Temple to know when the high priest is coming, and when he departs. Today our Christmas bells are not necessarily a warning to any dark force...but they are a joyous announcement of the fact that the Holy One is coming. And today the pomegranate can be a reference to the church the crown on the top en-robing the seeds or the people.


The priests' garments were reportedly rich and splendid. The church in its infancy was thus taught by shadows of good things to come; but today the substance is Christ, and the grace of the gospel. Christ is our great High Priest. May the pomegranates and bell trim on this new prototype design stole be a reminder of the good news! We're testing the waters with this design by offering them here for pastors and here for deacons on eBay this week. We'd love your feedback even if these two stoles are not destined to your mailbox.

A Recipe for the Season

We're always looking for and thinking about how the visual can connect us with God's Word. Here's a recipe that would be fun to do with children while you talk about the Christmas story. I can visualize using some of those "I wonder" kind of questions to generate a stimulating conversation--I wonder what swaddling clothes are?, I wonder what Mary was thinking when baby Jesus was born?, I wonder if baby Jesus cried?, etc. We're sharing this from The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas by Jeff Smith.

It's hard for us to resist a good cookie!

Babes Wrapped in Swaddling Clothes

Makes 4 1/2 dozen

The dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 8 oz. container sour cream
• 2 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue filling below)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• confectioner's sugar

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until grainy. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream egg yolks, and lemon juice. Blend the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture. Knead together to form a smooth dough. Place the dough on plastic wrap and pat it into a 6 x 8-inch rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight.

The filling

• 2 egg whites, reserved from the making the dough
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped fine
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually whip in the sugar to form a meringue. Whip until the meringue holds soft peaks. Fold in the remaining ingredients. Dust a rolling pin and the counter with flour. Roll the chilled dough out into a thin (1/8 inch maximum) rectangle on the floured counter. Trim the edges so the rectangle measures 24 x 15 inches. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares and dust with confectioner's sugar. Place a rounded teaspoon of the filling in the center of each dough square. With a tiny bit of water, dampen two opposite corners. Fold the two opposite corners over each other and press the center together lightly. Place the cookies on a nonstick baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Of course, if you prefer to stick to "non caloric" visual images on fabric you can see our selection of Christmas stoles here. It's not too late to place an order....shipping is always 2-3 business days USPS priority service.