By Jessica Wolstenholm
It’s not that I have anything against that creepy little elf. It’s just that. . .well. . .he’s a little creepy. We’d managed to dodge the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon until my daughter started kindergarten and they did a version of it in class. All the kids began talking about where their elf showed […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
We’ve spent the last couple weeks discussing our New Year’s resolutions. So far our concentration has been on making changes that will improve our physical bodies. This is because most of us focus our attention, especially during the first few months of the year, on losing weight and getting into shape. But what about our […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
God gave me boys. Two boys, to be exact. Our house is filled to the brim with the color blue, loads of Lego’s and a stockpile of Nerf guns. And that is where it all started, with Nerf guns … Our eight year old son is obsessed with all things Nerf. Foam darts find […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
Do people around the world celebrate Christmas the same way? The celebration of Christmas is a worldwide holiday! However, each country creates its own traditions and celebrates the birth of Christ in unique ways. This makes for endlessly creative and diverse manifestations of this one holiday. Here are some examples of world Christmas traditions in […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
What are some popular Christmas symbols and how do they fit into the story of Christmas? For centuries before Christ, residents of Europe dealt with the long, hard winter months by celebrating midwinter festivals. Some familiar Christmas symbols, such as decorating with evergreens, originated in these winter festivals, and were adopted by Christians as they […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
Who is Santa Claus? Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santa! Who is he? Where did he come from? It turns out our beloved Christmas icon originates with from a bishop in the church in the 300s. Legend says that Saint Nicholas gave money to the poor, and later the church declared December […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
There are so many Christmas traditions in the US! Where did they all come from? America is often called a “melting pot” and its Christmas traditions can be seen the same way! It is a country of immigrants from all over the world who each brought their culture’s unique traditions to the New World. Read […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration that honors the miracle that occurred as the Maccabees worked to clean the temple and rededicate it to God after the army of the king Antiochus IV Epiphanes had desecrated it. Although the Maccabees only had enough oil to burn the lamp for one night, God made the oil last […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
When was Jesus born? On Christmas day? We actually have very little clue as to what day Jesus was actually born. Though scientists and theologians have tried to pinpoint it, there is no way of knowing even whether or not he was born in December! We do know, however, why we celebrate Jesus on […]
By Melanie Rainer
When I was a kid, everything from the end of November to the end of December was Christmas. TV was full of Christmas movies and episodes of my favorite shows. We had Christmas parties at school, at church, at gymnastics. It was magical! But it was very narrow. Christmas, or the overly-secularized, gift-centric holiday that […]