"The pause that refreshes..."

The above quote is from the "Mitford" book series written by Jan Karon. Upon listening to a favorite Christian speaker, he was talking about Christmas being a universal 'pause' each year for humanity, & instantly this quote from a Mitford book came to my mind.

Ah yes, Christmas is the pause that refreshes...

I look forward to all of the little celebrations of Christmas that start the last of November (after Thanksgiving usually). The kickstart is the fireworks display which always gets my perk-o-later going!

Then comes the fun (& hard work. Oh my aching' back. My son's back too! 😬) of Christmas decorating. I love to have a seasonally fragranced candle burning, & of course Christmas music playing for inspiration, joy & even dancing to! Maybe even an old Lawrence Welk Christmas show to watch off & on.  (I especially loved 'The Lennon Sisters', but my all time favorite was the duo, 'Guy & Ralna'. It didn't get any better vocally than that!) 🎜 

Can you see the tiny mice? Aren't they adorable??

See the one on the running board? They make appearances in different places every year. 

🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭

I have added to my 'Mr. Lunt men' (from 'Veggie Tale' fame) Christmas collection as you can see! 

Klondike Olie & friend Rudy.

Olie's friend Olaf preparing for a great day of skiing!!

I love lights of all kinds, tree lights, garland lights, candlelight, faux lights, real lights, they all "make the season bright".

See the old-fashioned ribbon candy in the little jar on the left? It's so pretty & nostalgic but not for human consumption, unless you happen to be one of those rare persons who like it. Kind of like the joke about there being only one fruitcake in the world but it keeps getting passed on to someone else from year to year. (😁)

We got our Christmas snow this year while we were sleeping Christmas Eve. 

Not a lot, but we've gotten two more snows since (beautiful!) & arctic temperatures since. Brrrrr!

⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄

It has been a busier season than usual because I took two 'compact' vacations, one for my birthday & one for a grandson's birthday, in late November & early December. Both were wonderful & great fun! So I really have had to scurry to get all of the things done on my Christmas itinerary. I won't go into all of that, but suffice it to say, I exhausted all of my energy (even that in reserve!) multiple times over & having my back daily & even sometimes twice a day 'gun-massaged' as I call it, to even be able to function! But, I have to say I got everything on my to-do list done  (Speaking of lists, I probably was on Santa's naughty list a few times due to a less-than-patient attitude to those around me. Alright, crabbiness then 😈 due to self inflicted pain due to lack of 😴. But because of a patient & understanding family, I didn't get any lumps of coal! Of course they got their Christmas dinner too. 😇)

However, even though every last bit of my being was fatigued, debilitated, drained, wiped-out, knackered, stonkered, wabbit, (there really are such words!) or as the new expression I like to say to my kids, 'fractured', you women know what I mean, I have to say, there is a great fulfillment in knowing I have brought happiness, joy, mystery, laughter, happy-cries, a good night's sleep, peace, a full, satiated tummy as well as heart, even if it's for a heartbeat's pause of time. & it's this same pause that takes one out of the normal, sometimes mundane, sorrowing, overwhelming, even scary things that we have no control over  & changes our focus. 

It's called,  

CHRISTMAS...

the pause that refreshes. 

Even though, all that Christmas fosters, good will toward others, above & beyond kindnesses & generosity, above & beyond the calls of duty, bursting hearts of love that cause actions otherwise foreign to the giver,  forgivenesses that mend relationships, lasts only for a few days a year as the cynic would see it, it has already done its good work & cannot be undone. It has changed lives, changed history, changed hearts, changed circumstances, changed situations. So you see, it doesn't really last only for a few days. It really is eternal. Because we have linked arms with 'the Pause that refreshes' we have brought Christmas to our world. CHRIST-MAS. Or, Christ in mass form...wow...  & because of that, the Pause that refreshes is also refreshing us...the eternal Pause in time, that first Christmas, brought & still brings refreshing to the whole world. LIFE. 

JESUS, the Pause that still refreshes....

Raintree Perk of the Day:

"Oh come let us adore Him..."

..."

IMMANUEL, meaning, GOD WITH US."