Christmas is a beautiful time of year.  It’s a wonderful time to fill your home with the smells of Christmas baking or to just simmering some spices over the stove to brightens the atmosphere.

One easy way to fill your home with a lovely smell it to fill an orange with cloves.  There are many decorative ways of doing this.  Here is one example.  This will make your whole room smell fresh and wonderful.

 

 

 

I like to cook apple juice with a cinnamon stick, some cloves and nutmeg for a nice alternative to cooked wine. You can also just put a tea bag of spices for cooked wine into apple juice or mix it with a little orange juice or cranberry for a nonalcoholic alternative to cooked wine.

 

 

 

Gingerbread cookies bring me back to being a child and decorating Christmas cookies reminds me of happy special times as a girl at home with my sisters and mom.

I also love to decorate Christmas cookies and have a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. You can liven up your cocoa with flavored syrups for a gourmet hot chocolate.

Candles are another way to brighten up a room and bring in a festive atmosphere.

 

 

 

To make your own candles look like this put liquid glue around the bottom half and roll them in large crystals of salt with glitter. You will have an amazing looking frosted candle.

 

You can use the traditional red and white to make a wonderful Christmas background.  There is something so exciting and exhilerating about the color of red.  It goes beautifully with white, pine green, beige or gold. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is also very beautiful to use whatever color scheme you have in your house for your Christmas decorations. If you like pastels, go with lighter ornaments and ribbons. If you like bright colors, fill up your rooms with glittering jewels that will reflect the wealth of the wisemen coming to celebrate the Messiah, Jesus, our King.

 

Another way to decorate without spending a fortune it so use extra tree bulbs in unusual places. They are beautiful and can be very decorative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make this Christmas a time to give lots of love, forgiveness,  kindness and generosity to your family, and to those who are around you.  Remember that Jesus came in the humblest of places, a manger in a stable….  and God shone on Him with all of heavens glory, sending down on him the most brilliant of starlight, and  filling the heavens with angels proclaiming, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, and goodwill to all men.   The reason for the celebration is Jesus is here!  He is Lord of all creation!  He is King! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This simple candle is simply  a floating white candle placed in water with cranberries and herbs in a glass canning jar. 

 

 

 

We always put up a nativity set to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.  It is also a good reminder to the people who visit our home over the holidays  that Jesus came to save the world.  And this is the true meaning of Christmas.  

 

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

 

 

May God Bless you this Christmas and fill your home with His love and peace.  May you understand the great gift that Christ has given you in coming into this world to live and die, and pay the price for our eternal ransom.  We can now be sons and daughters of the heavenly King.  What a great reason to celebrate and rejoice and shine out the love of God to those around you!