{phfr} Christmas 2011

Traditions. Everybody's got 'em. Every family makes them, changes them, adds them, or alters them. They can be as simple as one kiss under the mistletoe at midnight, and they can be as elaborate as the entire family decorates the house and tree together (well, that's about as extensive as I can think, but I'm sure it can get moreso).

In all the hustle and bustle of trying to get things nice and pretty for Christmas, I've largely forgotten to slow down, stop even, and actually enjoy the beauty and the traditions in place.

Yes, there is a lamppost in the living room. And a tall cane that is our "shepherd's crook" (and light switch reacher for under the tree).

Enter {pretty, happy, funny, real} from Like Mother, Like Daughter. (It helped that I recently reread some of my older posts, including my first {phfr}. Thank you for starting and continuing the series!!!!!)

So, let me show you some of the things that, when I slow down, add to the peace and joy in my house, and let me introduce you to a tradition or two.

This year things have been hectic, that's normal, but I've been trying harder to make the house more festive. I got the tree up the first weekend of December (whew!) and lights followed a few days later. Eventually ornaments were added, just the sentimental ones and a few sparkly others. But the fun really started with this:

and this:

It's hard to see, but there is a star on top. I should have gotten a slightly different angle...or just moved the tree lights glasses. Ah well.

Introducing...the Promise Tree. Every year, for as long as I can remember, Mama set up a decoration we call the Promise Tree. Sort of an Advent calendar type of thing. It started as a flat bit of felt, cut out like a tree, stuck to the wall. And every day from December 1st to 25th, we would open a small jewelry box, a little present, that hung under the tree. Each present held a verse from the Bible, usually a promise God made or a verse about Jesus specifically. And there were also ornaments for the tree in each box.

Over the years, Mama has improved that flat tree into our current 3-D version (and without the glasses, too!). The boxes have been replaced with small Christmas gift bags, which are currently tucked away under the coffee table. And all these years Mom has been the one to set up the Promise Tree. Until the last couple of years, when her health went down and she wasn't able to. The rest of us were just treading water as it were and didn't have the time or energy to set up the little tree.

But this year, this year Mama and I set it up together. (Triumph. ...!) I got the fixin's down and she told me how to start. Once the ball was rolling, we had it set up enough to start in time for December 1st.

Inside the box with the Promise Tree was the wreath of red bells. Mama liked it and wanted it set up, so, together, she and I decided where and fine tuned it. Add to that an old, green garland that was also in the box, a whole bunch of tape, and a curly ribbon bow I found, and we ended up with this above the mantle:

Which led to adding garlands elsewhere (though one fell down completely and another keeps dropping one corner) and just generally trying to festivize up the house instead of sticking with the bare minimum (the big tree). The bare minimum is still nice, don't get me wrong, but a little more here and a touch there make the whole house happier...if I can slow down and de-stress enough to enjoy it.

{pretty} and {happy}

Then, on to the Christmas tree, it's still {pretty} and {happy} and I have a {funny}

An adjusted tradition, I used to put cards on the front door, but as that's not part of the living room anymore, I've been putting them on the tree as more decoration there. A nice little reminder of the folks who send greetings and well wishes every time we look at the centerpiece of the room.

My {funny}, the result of Black Friday shopping at the mall with the Disney store. I bought this entirely for myself.

And, for a last laugh, my {real}. My scarecrows that I bought a little after Halloween...are still up, in the bookend vases around my favorite books.

Merry Christmas, everyone. And have a happy New Years!

We Love Authors, Do We Not?

Ever been discouraged? Ever think "This is it. This is all there is for me. My life might as well be near its end."?

Me too.

Recently I was talking to my students about the two doors of story (for more on the two doors, read James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure). The first door is The Change that thrusts the character into the story. It's where the story actually begins. Before The Change we simply have introduction...of the main character, of important side characters or villains or love interests—whoever is logically located and important that early in the story, of the setting or world, of the rules of magic or law or ordinariness, and things along those lines. Sometimes the introduction is so brief it is practically a part of The Change. Sometimes there is a lot of setup before The Change.

Sometimes we see the story goal before The Change. But it's often more clearly expressed after The Change. That's when we really understand what the protagonist is trying to achieve or gain. That when the story embarks. It gets underway. It leaves the nest to build its own home. Gandalf marks the door and dwarves show up with a thievery plan. The Ring can no longer stay in the Shire. Bruce Wayne returns to become a symbol for Gotham. Dom Cobb takes one last job so he can return to his children. Echo Sackett arrives in town to collect her inheritance.

That when things get interesting. And complicated.

I was thinking about this, The Change, the first door. And I was thinking about my life. If my life were a story, how far into the tale of events would it be? The end? The introduction? The huge plummet before the resolution? Somewhere else entirely?

If I were writing a character based on myself—an early twenty-someone, aspiring but distracted writer, trying to help take care of her family though she is neither a wife nor mother, waiting for something to turn for the better but unsure if it will because many of her dreams have been crushed or forgotten, who is so confused as to where she is in life that she doesn't know how to navigate anymore—where would I put her in the story?

Actually, I would place her right before The Change, right before the first door where the story starts hopping along. Things would be building and falling into place, and I would set up a large story that she has no idea is about to happen. A grand, life-long adventure that would sweep her off her feet, build her up, break her heart, bring healing and unprecedented joy. She would take some steps that set her in the right direction, and the choices of others would send her on her way.

And I believe that I am a part of a story. A big story. Bigger than I'll ever author. It may not be exactly like I would plan it, but that's okay. That just means it'll be better. And it's far from over.

Did you know that Jesus is described as an author? I've recently been encouraged by Hebrews 6:9-12, 10:35-39, and 11:35-12:2.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2. (NKJ)

If we enjoy a story and think it's worthwhile, we like the author. Or, even if we don't like the author, we at least recognize that we like what they created.

God is The Author, and real life is His story. If I would care enough about a fictional person to give her something good and use her to tell a compelling story, how much more will my Father orchestrate my life to be and to receive blessings that point back to how good of an author He is?