Today is the second Sunday of Advent! We light the second candle, the candle of PEACE. Even when all around us is messy, the hope we have in Jesus gives us peace.
How are your Christmas preparations coming along? Do you decorate multiple themed trees? Have a Dickens village? Collect angels, like I do? Also, I made/decorated a large felt stocking for each of our children many years ago. Then I did the same for their spouses when they joined our family. This December I have the honor of making the fourth stocking for a little grandgirl. It’s partway done, but I need to get going on it!
In comments, tell us about a special decorating tradition in your household.
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Specials this Week
True to You by Liwen Ho is on sale for 99 cents through Dec 11. Click here.
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Last Week on Inspy Romance
On Monday, Marion Ueckermann presented Snowflakes & Snuggles… and giveaway!
On Tuesday, Heather Gray shared the Heart of Christmas!
On Wednesday, Liwen Ho talked about when hearts change… and #giveaway!
On Thursday, Cecelia Dowdy chatted about hair and a book recommendation!
On Friday, Valerie Comer presented a Christmas Romance Roundup… and #giveaway!
On Saturday, Autumn Macarthur confessed Why I already know my One Word for 2018… and #giveaway!
Next Week on Inspy Romance
Monday: Janet Ferguson — Fan-Girling with Lisa Wingate
Tuesday: Alexa Verde — Fun, Family, and a Lot of Turkey
Wednesday: Deb Kastner — Getting into the Christmas Spirit
Thursday: Carol Moncado
Friday: Sally Bradley
Saturday: Jackie Castle — Something to Sweeten Your Holiday
New Releases
December 2017
Christmas Reflections by Ginger Solomon
Texas Christmas Twins by Deb Kastner
Tropical Kiss and Tell by Liwen Y. Ho
Snowflakes & Snuggles: Six Heartwarming Christmas Romances by Marion Ueckerman, Cecelia Dowdy, Autumn Macarthur, and 3 others
January 2018
Finding Grace (Love’s Compass 6) by Melanie D Sniker
Marrying Mandy (Brides of Clearwater 1) by Melanie D. Snitker
A Heart Restored (Peacock Hill Romance 1) by Elizabeth Maddrey
The Inadvertent Princess (Crowns & Courtships 3) by Carol Moncado
A Recipe for Romance (Homegrown Love 2) (Arcadia Valley Romance 13) by Annalisa Daughety
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Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Hi Valerie, how special to have a Christmas with your new grandgirl:) We do not have any particular traditions about decorating for Christmas; because our family live so spread out, we are often away from home for Christmas, so we try to take small decorations for the camper, or decorate where we are. My mother-in-law bout us a child friendly Nativity when our oldest son was born, so that takes pride of place.
Blessings:)
Have a blessed Sunday! Merry Christmas!
One special decorating tradition is to decorate the tree with ornaments made by our son when he was a little boy. He is 34 years old now. We celebrate joy this year as our first grand baby arrived in June. We moved from VA to SC to be near son, daughter-in-love and grandson. :-)
Hi Valerie! Blessings on this Second Sunday of Advent. Enjoy your time with family, especially the grandchildren, who are a precious gift. I am behind this holiday season. My daughter-in-law was out of town at the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principal Association Meeting, where her mother received the Educational Leadership Award. While I run Oma’s Day Care, having a teething 10 month old overnight for 3 days wore out this grandma. Hoping to put up a tree this week. Keeping our German heritage alive, the Advent wreath and calendars are our first decorations, along with Christmas placemats and my Corelle Christmas dishes. Usually for Saint Nikolaus Day (December 6), the Christmas tree is decorated and manger sets are displayed (I have a Fisher Price children’s one that I plan to set up today). Merry Christmas.
Wishing everyone a very Merey Christmas!!
I love angels too! But the most important thing I put out is my nativity set every year.
My aunt made our family felt stockings, and I still have the stocking I had while growing up. I have made felt stockings for all our children and for their spouses when they got married. Then I made them for the grandchildren. I am busy making a stocking now for our newest grandson who is due any time. So I have 19 stockings hanging by the chimney with care. I collect nativities and decorate with them. We also have a It’s A Wonderful Life Village that lights up, complete with all the cars, people, trees, etc. We only have 1 tree, and it has ornaments that my children made, as well as ones given to us. Our homemade wooden Advent calendar actually has its own place on the wall where it stays year round, but with the doors closed.
The realities of going camping over Christmas and decorating a camping unit is pretty foreign to this Canadian! A child-friendly nativity is very important, I think. I made a little fabric set when our kids were little so they could play with them.
Yes, ornaments made when our kids were little still hold pride of place on our tree! The little girls are in awe that Daddy or Mommy made that when they were “your” age! Congrats on the grandbaby! My little girls are my treasures.
A teething 10-month-old is keeping my daughter from sleep these days (nights) too. A Fisher Price nativity set sounds perfect for teaching children about Jesus’ birth. :)
I have a porcelain one that goes on a shelf out of reach of cats and children, and then a fabric one I have out when the littles are here – but tucked in a drawer when they’re not, since the cats like to steal the figures!
Merry Christmas :)
Oh, lovely! Your family is bigger than mine. Here, baby makes ten of us. Your wooden Advent calendar sounds beautiful.
Forty years ago, my parents built the house my husband and I now live in. For most of those 40 years, we’ve been able to cut a Christmas tree from the property. We have a lot of redwood trees, and they re-grow from the stump. This year, we’ll harvest a bunch of redwood shoots (some are 6 ft tall) and tie them together for a tree :-)
Smalll family here….I am an only, I had one, she had one…but we are looking forward to precious time at Christmas. Wishing all you ladies a very Merry Christmas!
That sounds like a fun idea for a tree!
Numbers don’t matter – love does. Merry Christmas!
When I was growing up, my mom bought me a Christmas ornament each year. Now it’s special to look at each of those ornaments each year and remember why she chose each ornament. :)
What a wonderful memory :)