Saw a luminous conversation between Mr. Crescent Moon and Mr. North Star at the day’s gloaming. The sky was just a picture of deep aquamarine, hints of velvet purple, and the star and the moon were lined up diagonally, talking about the cold night coming, wondering where the stars were. Guess Father Sky was having trouble waking the stars. Mother Nature had blazed a watercolor wildfire of watermelon gold across the horizon and the fire was just pale embers when I took the photo. So pretty!

Had a busy day. Visited oldest-sister-in-law and came home with some prizes, cute coffee mugs for the hot chocolate bar at our Christmas dinner. She has a Christmas closet in her house and she’s so generous with her decorations. I came home with a box of decorations I didn’t need but I wanted. Got back to decorating for Christmas when I got home. I’ll have 39 for the McMurray Christmas dinner on the 21st and I’m getting everything done way ahead so I can relax that week and not be worn out. Only put up two trees and usually have one in every room. Guess I’m getting old. I’ll put the tree up in the grandchildren’s room and that might be the last one. Course I’ll still decorate everywhere…

Been working on a Christmas garland for my living room mantle today using photographs instead of ornaments, all these beautiful memories flooding my mind as I attached the photos to the greenery. Chief is in so many of the photos with our grandchildren. Chief bragged on our grandchildren so much someone told him once he was not the only man to have grandchildren. Hurt his feelings but tickled me.

I was thinking how our life is like a garland, woven on the tree of life. We grow and flourish, our life experiences and relationships weaved through our garland till our death when the ends of the garland meet and become a full circle.

Course I had to do a little reading on garlands and discovered they are used to compare life to the hope and light that Christmas represents. The garlands made from evergreen branches represent life continuing through the winter months. Course the garland’s circular shape is a reminder of the infinite love of Jesus. Egyptians placed garlands of flowers on mummies. Garlands are mentioned in scripture in times of celebration.

I thought about the crown of thorns put on Jesus’s head by the soldiers, a small garland of briars in mockery of Jesus being a king. John 19:2 reads, “And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and put a purple robe on him.” That crown, made from a garland of thorns, is a reminder of what Jesus endured to save us from our sins. God’s garland of love connects us all.

All the beautiful and sorrowful days of our lives are a strung together by a garland of love and when we connect them we have a meaningful tapestry of our journey through life. As we begin celebrating Christmas with our families let’s remember Jesus wore a garland of briars on has head and gave his life on the cross for us. Let’s share the light and love of Jesus this Christmas season. As Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

“Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds.” — Gautama Buddha