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 […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
The following post is an opinion of the author, and does not necessarily represent the beliefs of Minno. How to Talk to Your Kids About Santa Claus Here we are in the middle of Advent, as we are preparing our hearts for the coming of the Savior and looking forward to celebrating […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
Where did all those Christmas carols come from? Nothing says “it’s Christmastime!” quite like hearing Christmas carols everywhere. So when did Christmas carols become popular? The tradition of singing songs at Christmas can be traced all the way back to the 4th century; these songs were usually solemn, however, and came from the monasteries. […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
What are some popular Christmas prayers and where did they come from? Since Christians have celebrated Christmas, specific prayers have been a part of it. It could be said that the earliest Christmas prayer is that of the virgin Mary, offered in song form in Luke 1:46-55. This became known as the Magnificat and is […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
What is the history of Christmas trees? What do they have to do with Jesus’ birth? Although the Christmas tree is full of symbolic meaning for the Christian tradition, there is no immediate connection between Jesus and this particular practice. In fact, the evergreen has a rich history of religious significance among pagan cultures, […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
As in most Christian homes, our family has a lovely Nativity which is proudly displayed in our living room throughout the Christmas season. Each year I unwrap the delicate porcelain pieces and place each figurine in their perspective staged place within the manger. It looks picture-perfect. Many years ago we bought our oldest, and at […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
Since my kids were babies, we’ve been using the three Christmas gift plan that follows the wise men and the treasures they brought to baby Jesus. We have loved this gift-giving strategy because it not only keeps things simple, it reinforces the Christmas story and points the kids back to Christ in the midst of […]
By Jessica Wolstenholm
The holidays are a perfect time to think about family traditions. Many traditions can be established around the holidays as families celebrate in ways that have been passed on for years. It is important to establish traditions with your family, but traditions don’t have to be elaborate, involving lots of money or time. Why are […]