It’s Not Christmas Until I Hear…

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We are a very music focused family. Everyone plays instruments and sings. So far, all the children have gotten degrees and certifications in some aspect of the musical field of study. The youngest is planning a music degree, too. The Christmas rehearsals often start around the first part of October for all the ensembles Dan and the children are involved with. We limit the official start of Christmas music in our home until the day after Thanksgiving EXCEPT for rehearsal music. It keeps us from burning out on holiday tunes too early. LOL

My children use Spotify and iTunes pretty regularly but Dan and I still have the old CDs that come out of storage this time of year. We make the stack by the CD player and we play tunes in the house while we are moving through our days. I know there are easier ways to play music but this is comfortable. LOL I do have an iTunes playlist for traveling in the car but if I am at home it’s the CD player for me. I have a stack that I listen to every year that are musts for me. The following albums are my favorites that complete the Christmas season experience for me… extremely eclectic and in no particular order.

Now, what is on your MUST LISTEN list for you during the Christmas season? Inquiring minds want to know! Drop your favorite or favorites in the comments below. Until next time…

Happy Listening!

~Leann

Advent Seasonal Reading for 2021

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As we head into the last month of 2021 I decided to focus on some Christmas reading. Let me just say right up front… I know I won’t get to everything on this list. I am not using all the devotionals in this stack but thought I would share them in case you are looking for some suggestions. I have read three of these in years past and they are all fabulous reading for Advent focus. The devotional book I am reading this year is Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair B. Ferguson. He does have a new one out this year (The Dawn of Redeeming Grace) but this is one he published a few years ago. I finally picked up a copy through Thriftbooks.com at an incredible discount. I will snag the new one sometime before next year. The other devotionals for Advent in this stack are Christ in the Carols by Christopher and Melodie Lane. The Christ of Christmas by Calvin Miller, and Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp.

I am also reading along with some Bookstagram folks for #Dickensdecember2021. The books in the stack for that are Christmas at Thompson Hall and A Christmas Carol (I read this one annually). I also have two of the books on my Nook for this one… Christmas Storms and Sunshine by Elizabeth Gaskell and The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices by Dickens and Collins.

I am reading one book for review… The Debutante’s Code by Erika Vetsch and that one will be up by the middle of December for you. It is not a Christmas book. It is the first new novel in a new trilogy. I have never met a Vetsch book I didn’t love and this one is a mystery.

A lovely winter challenge is being hosted by a friend and we are reading Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. It is a more private group that will meet in January to discuss over a video call. If that isn’t enough I am making a stack for The Cloak and Dagger Christmas Mystery Challenge hosted by Kate Howe on YouTube. I will share the mystery stack separately because they are from a variety of categories and are not set choices but rather personal choice for each category. I have not decided on all my choices yet but I will.

Lastly, there is the Christmas with Anne by LMM and The Lottie Moon Biography by Janet and Geoff Benge. These are just books I want to read and are not for a challenge of any kind. I am also finishing up my year long reading of the Bible using the McCheyne reading plan along with my printables of Christmas focused scripture passages.

Well, that’s my stack for December! What are you reading right now? Are you diving into some seasonal books? Are you taking more time for reading as the weather gets colder?

I am definitely more of a cozy winter reader between Christmas and March. I am trying to indulge more in slowing down for more music and books this season. We have a few concerts on the calendar and I am blocking out more time for reading. November was not as productive as I would have liked but I did get three more books read. I have 4 books to go to finish my 52 book goal for this year. Did you set a goal this year? I would love to hear about your reading progress and goals. The comments are always open for you to share.

Until next time…

Happy Advent and happy reading and for those of you celebrating, Happy Hanukkah to you!

~Leann

Advent 2021 Printables

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Advent begins tomorrow… November 28th. I want to encourage you to take time to focus on Christ this season. I put our daily readings and weekly candle lighting themes into printable form if you are interested in using them in your home. I will also share some books I am have read or am reading to help me focus on the “reason for the season.” If you use these I hope you will come and give me some feedback if they are useful to you or if you would like to see something different for next year. I want to share things that are helpful to you. 🙂

advent-daily-readingsDownload

advent-weekly-themesDownload

I am also using an Advent Scripture Writing printable from Simple Moments Stick this year. There are several different ones to suit a variety of preferences available online with a simple online search.

Do you do anything special during the Advent Season you wouldn’t mind sharing? Do you read special books? Do you celebrate and light candles each week with your family? Do you have any other special Christmas traditions that you do with your family?

As we begin the season may the hope of the season bring you and your family joy! Until next time…

Happy Advent!

~Leann

The Silent Noisy Night by Jill Roman Lord

This book is in stores now for the holiday season.  It is a sweet larger sized board book with a sing-song rhyming style.  It focuses on the birth of Jesus and the animals, angels and people that come to see Him.  With all the excitement it was surely a noisier night than we imagine in the songs like Silent Night.

It is sweet and engaging for little ones and I love that it is in a board book format so it is durable for busy little hands.  The illustrations are also bright and colorful.  If you have little ones in your home or other settings like church or daycare this is a great addition to your collection.

It is published by BHPublishing and is available in Lifeway stores or other Christian stores right now.  You can also order it online.  As a grandmother of two sweet little boys I will certainly be reading this one with them.

This book came to me free of charge with no obligation to read or review it.  It is, however, quite delightful and I am glad to do so!  🙂

 

Sacred Holidays by Becky Kiser

Sacred Holidays is written by Becky Kiser and is an excellent resource for single, married, married with kids, empty nesters, etc…  It is not limited to one group of people.  This is a book that is also not limited to Christmas.  It is packed with information, helps, encouragement and workbook features.  This resource can be used year-round and is a resource you will want to use for many years to come.  It is intended to be marked, underlined and written in as you move through each chapter.

Sacred Holidays is divided into sections.  The first section shares Becky Kiser’s experiences as she sought to celebrate more “sacred” holidays with her family. Kiser shares how we can bring our focus of “less chaos and more Jesus” into a reality in our homes, too.  She is encouraging and practical and focuses on changing one aspect of our celebrations each year until we are celebrating in a way that brings us joy. Her goal is not to overwhelm us but to help us find more Jesus and joy in our celebrations.

In the second section she shares specific holidays and ways to bring a more spiritual focus to those days. She begins at the New Year and works through Valentine’s Day, Lent/Easter, Summer months, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Advent/Christmas and birthdays.  Each chapter has workbook space for you to record thoughts, plans, successes and failures and to plan for next year.

The third section is my favorite.  She addresses many common struggles that come up as we try to make changes.  She addresses how to deal with people outside of your immediate family and all the opinions, expectations, conflicts, and drama that come up when you change the way you do things.  She also addresses budget issues, schedules, grief and more.  It is wonderfully written and she gently works us through issues that, more than likely, will arise along the way.

If you are trying to celebrate more spiritually in your home this is definitely a book you can use.  I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars and will be recommending it to all my friends and family as the topic comes up… and it always comes up!

I want to wish you all a very happy Advent season and Christmas.  May your days be merry and bright and may all your celebrations focus on His Light… the Light of the World, Jesus.

For more from Becky Kiser check out her websites… Becky Kiser, Sacred Holidays, and her Instagram and Facebook pages.

I received this book free of charge through the BH Publishing Group.  I was not asked to read or review this book.  I am so glad I did, though.  😉  It is fabulous!

A Christmas Prayer by Wanda Brunstetter

Wanda Brunstetter’s books are often charming and full of great characters.  This particular book seemed a little different to me.  It was not an Amish story.  It was a Christmas novella (meaning more of a long short story) and the cast of characters was a little smaller than others I have read by her.  It was definitely still a charming read.

Cynthia Cooper is our leading lady here.  She is engaged to a man out of convenience because she needs to provide for her and her widowed mother.  Her fiance, Walter Prentice, decides that they should move out west to California to seek their fortune as business owners.  He is reluctant to marry before they leave so they make the trip as an engaged couple.  The problem is that Cynthia feels no love for this man and at times she even feels annoyed and angered by him.

They join two other families on the journey… a single man and his sister and a widowed man and his two small children.  As they suspect, the journey is not easy, tempers flair and they must find a way to not only get along but literally survive the obstacles they encounter.

The story, for me, seemed a little predictable but it was a nice quick read. (I read it in just a few hours in one day) It is also a Christian based novella so we are allowed to see God at work in the lives of these characters along the way.  It would certainly be a nice read if you are looking for a story to put you in the Christmas mood as their journey builds to a Christmas eve miracle.

As usual, there are few little recipes at the end of this book.  She often shares some with us from the time period and culture she writes about.

I would give this one a 3.5 out of 5.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publising and was under no obligation to post a review.

Check out more from Wanda E. Brunstetter on her website.