An Authentic Christmas? (aka My Silver Tree)

My fondest memories of Christmas as a child are those of a silver Christmas tree that my grandparents would display each year. At night, while they slept, I would creep around the corner and into the living room, and sit, warmed by the fireplace watching the tree for the longest time as it changed colors thanks to a little color wheel. It was magical!

I have had a number of Christmas trees over the years, but none of them were as special as that little, worn silver tree. So I began looking for one – and apparently, I am not the only one with fond memories of them, because they are pricey on Ebay and in flea markets when you can find them! But finally, I had the opportunity this year to buy one, and I did. I have just been waiting for Christmas so I could put it up. The decorations were all purchased thanks to an after-Christmas sale at Target, and now with the tree, I was all set.

I already knew it would be going up in my office at work. It would be too much temptation for my two little pet dogs to be at home alone with my little silver tree….unsupervised….and with what would have to appear to them as a lot of shiny little toys just waiting to be plucked and used for play when I wasn’t looking.

Now, the Christmas decorating “bug” doesn’t always hit me in time for Christmas, but this year, it hit early – not long after Thanksgiving and in no time, my tree was up and sparkling in my office. And I couldn’t help but smile. Just looking at it brought back that sweet anticipation for the holidays.

I proudly showed a photo of my “new, old” tree to my neice, who shared that as a child, she had always felt sorry for me because I didn’t have a “real” tree like she did. I was shocked. I had a real Christmas tree – sure, it might not have been alive, shedding needles in the carpet and smelling woodsy, but my little silver tree was as real for Christmas as any green one would have been. It symbolized the love of my grandparents and all the bright, colorful parts of the season.

So whether your tree is a live one or a battered silver heirloom, Christmas as always is authentic not because of the trappings, but because of the Christ-centered messages of hope, love, and peace at its heart. And in case you are missing your old silver tree, let me share a photo of mine with you on this special holiday.

Merry Christmas to you! May you and your family be richly blessed this holiday season!

Old Books That Stay In Style

I have loved books since I was a child. My favorite thing about school was always the library, even up through college. There is something about knowing there are all those wonderful books just waiting on a shelf for you to experience that is so exciting! You could travel the world, go back in time, and join wonderful adventures…all from the comfort of your chair!

As I got older, I began to appreciate old books - as in really, really old books from before the 1900s. Often very formal in style, they were not only uniquely beautiful on the outside, but contained such wonderful information on the inside. I began collecting them when I came across rare and unusual ones, and continue that passion to this day.

So I am very excited about our newest imprint here at New Leaf Publishing Group which we call Attic Books. The projects from this imprint will be faithfully reproduced from the vintage originals that we discover in used bookstores, auctions and flea markets, on sites like eBay or Abebooks. com and yes, maybe even some found in attics!

We have enjoyed making some incredible, vintage titles available before this new imprint was developed that our readers have really enjoyed. They include:

• Adams’ Chart of History – a remarkable, oversized visual history of the world from creation to 1878, which unfolds 25 feet in length and stands over 28 inches tall.
• The Pilgrim’s Progress – a beautiful collection of nine complete works of by and about John Bunyan.
• The Slaves’ Champion – a vintage biography of William Wilberforce.

The first project to be released under the Attic Books imprint is an incredible collection of the works of Flavius Josephus, originally published circa 1850. Filled with exquisite steel engravings and fascinating details of history, I believe the book represents the very best of publishing, both then and now. It has the look and feel of a book that has been part of your family for generations – designed with quality and constructed to last!

Click this link to enjoy a great preview of the book!

And if you have any great books in your attic, just let me know – I am on the hunt for our next Attic Books project!

And in the Morning…

 

And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? (Exodus 16:7)

 

How often the connections of our own life experiences can unexpectedly tie into the timeless Word of God!

 

The scripture reference above is about the Israelites wandering about the desert with Moses and Aaron. And despite basically receiving a “free lunch” every morning and night, they still weren’t happy. Instead of them seeing it as a marvelous demonstration of God’s resourcefulness and concern for them, it was as usual “all about them” – what they wanted, “me me me”, more, better, faster, and on their own schedule, not God’s. Sound familiar?

 

Here they are in the midst of unprecedented adventure, and essentially wanted what they wanted, and grumbled about not getting it. Their focus was so tiny – on their own desires and preferences – they couldn’t see or enjoy the immense blessings they were receiving daily in tangible ways.

 

A lot of people can find a lot of wisdom in this little biblical snippet, but I admit to being truly fascinated at the moment with just one aspect of this – the marvelous turned mundane and therefore no one noticed or cared or wanted it. God was creating miracles daily that they could see, feel, and eat. And the wonder of it was basically gone. It was “old hat”, “same old same old”.

 

But it didn’t have to be for them, or for us today. God creates miracles daily – and sadly, to a world consumed with things so meaningless they miss the blessings – large and small – all around them that God creates on a living canvas that is ever-changing. Whether we miss it because we are busy, have too much on our mind, or just don’t bother to think of it, at the end of the day, we have lost the opportunity to be enriched.

 

I often miss it because I don’t expect it. I am in my routine – do this, expect that result – move on to the next thing. And never notice the little details on the edges of my day. One of the funniest office jokes here is someone changing something in my office and seeing how long it takes me to notice it. The picture of the goat in place of one of my dogs less than two feet from me took weeks for me to notice. (and that is one of my better performances!) I tend to stay on task, driven by deadlines, procedures, intensely focused on words, reports, and meeting notes.

 

So I suppose I shouldn’t have been so surprised when I walked out to get the mail a week or so ago, and on the way back into the house, found the most delightful surprise. My Heavenly Blue morning glories that I have been planting since I was a child anywhere I lived (with the exception of college because they frowned on us doing our own landscaping) were finally in full bloom. But they weren’t like they usually are. In fact, they were so amazingly different, I was truly shocked. My normally very uniform, incredible, solid-colored morning glories were an amazing mix of blue and white, stripes, stippling, in wondrous variation.

 

Because I shared some seeds with one of my nieces, I had to take photos and show them to her. Imagine my surprise when she said “oh, mine did that too – it happened a week ago, but I forgot to tell you!” So I had been walking in and out my front door, right by the blooming morning glories, and never noticed it. And while it was a delight for her, she had other stuff going on, and never bothered to mention this little unexpected surprise either.

 

All of which made me wonder what I have been missing – and what I have been forgetting to share with others. So this little blog is born. A routine to add to the others but also an opportunity to take time to explore the world around me, and report on what I hope you will find interesting as well. Thanks – and may you receive an unexpected blessing today!