In Real Life, December 19

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It’s Christmas week!! The house is decorated and the gifts are wrapped, but my goodness, there are still so many things to do to get ready! I swear, I’m not a procrastinator, but time has just gotten away from me this year — it’s going to be a busy week indeed!

Isn’t that the way it always seems? We’re in a rush and forget to slow down and reflect on the real reason for the season — the birth of Jesus!

As you finish your preparations this week, I pray that you will find some peaceful moments to reflect and enjoy the most precious gift of all.

Christmas Eve soup supper

On Christmas Eve our family gathers in ugly Christmas sweaters at my Mom’s place for a casual soup supper, gift exchange, and games. With our passel of nieces and nephews, it’s pure chaotic fun!

We end the evening with a lively game of Left Right Center (we each bring $3 to use in lieu of the tokens) and one lucky person goes home with the jackpot!

If you’re planning a similar meal with your crew, here’s a delicious soup menu.

Mamaw B’s candy

One of my Mamaw B’s holiday traditions was making candy and cookies to give to neighbors and friends. She was well-known in our little community for her sweet treats — and every time I make one of her recipes, I can’t help but remember her sweet smile.

My gift to you — Free Christmas gift tag printable!

Cookies for Santa

We certainly can’t forget Santa’s milk and cookies! My cookie trays this year will feature these favorites — yum, yum! Better start baking now!

You will find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths…

I want to leave you today with a little inspiration from @AussieDave, an online digital pastor (who would have ever thought?!). Anyway, I follow his Instagram and love his thought provoking insight about swaddling cloths.

“According to some theologians, the shepherds knew exactly what swaddling cloths were, because Levitical law required the lambs that were born to be Passover sacrifices to be wrapped in linen strips as soon as they were born in order to keep them blemish-free. The idea was that the sacrificial lamb would be wrapped up to protect them from bruises.

As we know, Jesus would eventually be crucified on the Jewish Passover as the “Lamb of God”.

It’s interesting that the Hebrew word for “wrapped” in the Bible is “chathal” (חתל, pronounced “khaw-thal”), which means “to tie down” or “to wrap up”. When Jesus was sacrificed as the Lamb of God, he was tied down, and then his body was once again wrapped up in cloths at his burial.

All this comes from the little detail of Jesus being wrapped in swaddling cloths!”

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