Happy Day 8 of the 12 Days of Blogmas! Today we are looking at the history behind another classic Christmas carol. In 1863, the American Civil War was raging and in Massachusetts, a young son named Charles defied his father’s wishes and left to join the Union Army. He sent his father a letter after... Continue Reading →
JFK’s 1963 Christmas Cards and Dealing with Grief during the Holidays- The 12 Days of Blogmas Day 7
Happy 12 Days of Blogmas Day 7! Today’s holiday topic is not one filled with the cheer and merriment that most of us wish to focus on this time of year, but it’s none the less a part of the holidays. Dealing with grief during the holiday season. Grief, which can feel overwhelming any time... Continue Reading →
The Christmas Truce of 1914- The 12 Days of Blogmas Day 6
Happy 12 Days of Blogmas Day 6! Today’s story is one you are likely familiar with. It’s a well-documented and oft repeated historical event and I have read various accounts about it over the years. But I think the reason it’s a story that is repeated so frequently is because it is so remarkable. If... Continue Reading →
Henry David Thoreau’s Christmas Day Poetry- The 12 Days of Blogmas Day 5
Happy 12 Days of Blogmas Day 5! Sometimes in the midst of a busy holiday season, we need to slow down and take some time to breathe and reflect on the whys behind our crazy rushing around. Henry David Thoreau, best known for his work, Walden, and reflections on nature and being an advocate for... Continue Reading →
Martin Luther King Jr’s Christmas Sermon on Peace- 12 Days of Blogmas Day 4
On Christmas Eve 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a Christmas sermon at his home congregation of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King had been asked by the Canadian Broadcasting Company to deliver a series of five lectures for their Massey Lecture Series and the sermon was broadcast as the... Continue Reading →
The Drag Racing History Behind “Jingle Bells”- The 12 Days of Blogmas Day 3
In December 1965, NASA Mission Control experienced a few tense moments when Gemini astronauts Wally Schirra Jr and Tom Stafford called in a report of an unidentified flying object: “We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, up in a polar orbit. He’s in a very low trajectory traveling from... Continue Reading →
Corrie Ten Boom’s Christmas Memories- The 12 Days of Blogmas Day 2
Last year at Christmas, I wrote a blog post entitled, “Christmas 1944” about Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie’s story remains one of my favorites and I have a collection of five books written by or about Corrie Ten Boom. I wrote my post last year about the experience Corrie had in the Ravensbruck infirmary at Christmas... Continue Reading →
Contemplating The Unchanging Foundations of Christmas- The 12 Days of Blogmas Day 1
Hello! Welcome to the Twelve Days of Blogmas 2021!! For the next 12 days, I will be posting a Christmas-themed blog post daily leading up to Christmas Day. I have been researching little known or inspirational stories about the holiday season and I am excited to be able to share some of the stories I’ve... Continue Reading →
Meeting Mary Badham and A Reminder To Keep Writing
This past weekend, my husband and I had the opportunity to attend a screening of To Kill A Mockingbird at our community theater, and afterward there was a Q&A with Mary Badham who played Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, in the movie. Leading up to this exciting opportunity, I decided to re-read To... Continue Reading →
Accidentally Running Into Waterfalls
Back in 1994, TLC told us to not go chasing waterfalls and to “stick to the rivers and the lakes” that we’re used to. And this past weekend, my husband and I tried to do like they said and just stick to a lake that we are “used to” and have fished numerous times, but... Continue Reading →