"Merry Christmas time is here, 

Happiest time in all the year...."

This is where I live. Well, In my dreams anyway. In reality I live in pretty much "Normalsville, USA". & here, in this little hamlet of daily life, is my list of December things I have had to deal with thus far.

1. Both bathtubs in our mobile home (which we rent) cracked, but because of busy schedules, won't be fixed until sometime in February.  (!!!)

2. My husbands car & truck broke down in some area & are having to be repaired. (or resuscitated, whatever the case may be.)

3. My vacuum cleaner, Pretty Penny is her name, just up & quit & the waiting list of those to be doctored ahead of her is over one hundred. Seriously! & how does one live without a vacuum cleaner?!?

4. My wonderful faux fireplace just stopped working. Not only does it supply a very therapeutic ambience, it also helps heat our home.

5. My iron died....while ironing clothes to wear to church...that morning...& I'm on the worship team. (Thank goodness it wasn't my turn to lead & I could stand behind my congas!)

6. Several trips to the veterinarian for several different animals. 

7. My memory card is stuck in my camera which has all of the Christmas pictures that I was going to use for this blog post among other things.

8. My computer keeps acting up while doing this post so it's taking twice as long as it should. Or more.

9. Family can't make it for Christmas this year. 

10. My husband is out of a job. (Can anyone really live on Social Security? 😑 Well, actually, yes, trusting the Lord.)

11. Personal family heartbreaking crises that test my joy perk-o-later to its max.

12. Passing by my daughters bedroom & looking in. 😵 But that's not just at Christmas. (A little levity here. 😁)

How's that for a Christmas letter? Does it lift anyone's spirit? No. Of course not. So let's put on our 'He Arose' colored glasses & look at all of these unexpecteds in that focus instead. Let's also kick start our 'Joy Cycles'. We really can make our own joy simply by changing our perspective. Jesus said that "All things work together for good..." for us, His beloved. My twelve-year-old granddaughter, Gabby, left this on the refrigerator which my daughter sent to me.

"We walk with faith because we would be lost without it."

Wow. Out of the mouths of babes. We would be lost without it, wandering around in confused circles of darkness. & when we walk by faith & not by sight, like the Bible says, ( & these days there are many ways for those 'muscles' to be exercised!) it makes Jesus smile. Isn't it worth that? He just loves it when we trust Him. But I wouldn't want you to think that this season has gone without blessings. My daughter was given a saddle that she really wanted. Surprise! My husband had been praying for some elk meat, partly because it's healthy, tastes good, & provides food for the family. Surprise! None of the veterinarian trips ended up to be serious. Surprise! We are at least able to have showers in the cracked bathtubs. I made the best batch of fudge that I have ever made in my life! In fact, I had some for breakfast today. (Only at Christmas! 😊) & best of all, even amidst the unexpecteds & crises & loss, as I have determined to focus on "the reason for the season", JESUS, His coming & bringing us the gift of forever Christmas, my love & gratitude & humility that He did this miraculous incarnation so He could walk in our shoes, & I mean every single one of our shoes (He's a 'one size fits all'), has opened my heart to Him more than ever, to love Him more than ever. & I also find Him in the most unexpected places. In listening to different of my favorite Christmas songs this year, certain phrases stand out to me this time, like, "Some Children", how Jesus is seen through the heart of a child, & my heart is prompted to ask, how do I see Jesus? Does my 'vision' need some alterations so I can see Him as He is & not as I have defined Him? Then there's "Little Drummer Boy". Do I play my best for Him? Do I make Him smile because of how I live my life for Him? & what about "In the Bleak Midwinter", which describes the hardness & coldness of the heart. Jesus came in the bleak midwinter of the earths heart, "even when we were still sinners, He came..." & loved, loved, loved to show us the way back to God, our sweet, lovable Father God. That should really get our joy perk-o-laters going! & then, pass it on to others. DO something, or a lot of somethings for others this Christmas season. There's still time. If you need a little jump start, take a trip back, to the first Christmas. If you've lost that heart & joy for Christ-mas, "...she journeyed to that far off land, where magic ever lasts, & in a stable bare, she found Him there, in the land of Christmas Past." & in finding Him, we find the child again. & then, we can grasp again that it truly is the most wonderful time of the year, because of JESUS. So let's make our Christmas lists, or letters, to Him, the Creator of Christmas, our thank you letters, because of all of the Christmas blessings of this season. & now,  I believe that I will have another piece of breakfast. (Yum! 😋)            

"Merry Christmastime is here, happiest time in all the year...🎜🎝" 

Raintree Perk of the Day:

"I played my best for Him...then He smiled at me."