This year Christmas is not what I’d envisioned it to be in any way. We had our floors done in laminate, replacing the most awful pink carpet we’d had since we moved in twenty-odd years ago. That, however, required basically boxing up our house as if to move. I needed to declutter, but my brilliant (Really??) plan was to declutter as I put things away. Didn’t consider the holidays, or that I’d have a book due, or that I’d be babysitting my baby granddaughter, or that my youngest daughter would actually be living in the house with us during a transition phase (that is three…count them…children, two of which are adolescents and one a baby), or that said daughter would have a very naughty golden retriever puppy that makes it near impossible to actually put up Christmas decorations. As if I had the time or energy for Christmas decorations.
So here we are this year for Emily’s first Christmas…we put up the tree but didn’t decorate. We moved things around so we can reach the mantle for stockings. And that is all.
And the guilt…oh, the guilt, at being unable to provide the lovely, decorated, twinkly lighted, garland infested background I wanted to give the family as we anticipated the birth of baby Jesus and the Second Coming.
It took this kind of year for me to spiritually reset. Because really, Christmas isn’t about decorating, or giving presents (which I LOVE to do…I’m definitely a giver when it comes to Christmas). It’s about Jesus. It’s about family. And I am blessed beyond measure.
Maybe 2022 hasn’t been quite the boon you hoped it would be after surfacing from a global pandemic. Is Christmas hard for you this year? Is your heart aching? I invite you to the manger, where the Savior of the world was born in a stable and placed in a lowly manger for His blessed head.
And I wish you a truly happy Christmas indeed. Love to all you readers out there who support our authors’ gifts to you—our books.
Thank you to everyone who helped Family Christmas on the Ranch reach #2 on the Publishers Weekly Religious Fiction list!
~~Love Courageously~~ Publisher's Weekly Bestselling, award-winning author of 30 novels, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational western stories set in small communities. She feels especially blessed to be able to include faith as a natural and genuine part of her characters' lives. Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and a pack of miscreant mutts. She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors are her fav), singing in the church choir, and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
Wishing you and everyone here a happy and holy Christmas. You are so right, the joy in our Saviour’s birth is a comfort for us all at this time of year.
Merry Christmas to our inspiring authors and their readers. Two degrees ( -16 C) this morning in Michigan with blowing snow, 29 mph winds and a wind chill of – 25 degrees. Best wishes. Stay safe and warm.
Merry Christmas to you and all of the other Inspy authors!! Thanks for sooooo many great books!!! And, Jesus’ birth is truly what we all should be thinking about!!
Well in my house things have been crazy too, we are decorating the tree today hahaha
thank you for coming today. dont feel guilty about the situation. life happens and when we feel guilty about it we tend to not be as productive and happy. enjoy the weekend and the time with your daughter and granddaughter. Jesus can put joy in our hearts. lean on Him
I have a new nephew he will be 3 weeks on Sunday .It’s really icy here so we couldn’t go to Christmas church meetings so we had to have it over the phone patch this morning.have a merry Christmas.
Wishing you a blessed Christmas and although not as you envisioned I hope you make some special memories of a stripped down Christmas. Ironically this year Libby (cat) hasn’t tried to attack the Christmas tree.
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and all the wonderful authors at Inspy Romance. I have met some incredible authors this year. It’s so refreshing to read clean stories of love and redemption. And this Christmas has been filled with praising Jesus as we remember His birth. How encouraging and uplifting.
cute cover
Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Happy Christmas, Ruthie! Wishing you and your family all the best.
We hit -50 at Denver’s airport. Praying for all who need shelter during this cold snap. Merry Christmas!
Amen, Trudy! Thank you for being such a loyal reader. Wishing you a blessed Christmas season!
Hi Lilly. Yeah, things have been rather tumultuous. We may get the angel on the tree, but that will be it for this year. Ah, well. It is what it is! Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the uplifting comment, Lori. It’s hard not to feel guilty when I wanted to do so much. My grandchildren will only be this age once. But I can aspire to work hard on my decluttering and be in a better place for next year! Happy Christmas.
It’s just soooo cold here in Colorado. Congrats on the nephew! What fun. My little Emily is nearly 7 months old now and is sitting by herself. Have a lovely holiday!
Our cats learned to leave it alone, but right now we have a very…spirited…golden retriever puppy who knocks down or chews on every little (or big!) thing, so maybe it’s just as well we didn’t get those ornaments put up. As you said, we’ll remember this year for sure. Something to talk about in the future. Merry Christmas!
I love reading Inspy Romance authors’ books. They truly do point the way to Jesus and uplift my heart. Merry Christmas!
Thank you! The Harlequin art department always does a great job, and this is actually a reprint of an earlier novel with a different cover. Blessed Christmas!
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas season.
Merry Christmas and have a great new year!!