The Greatest Story of them All!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, and despite the fact that we haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet, the truth is BEFORE Thanksgiving is the time to start prepping for the Advent season.  Especially since this year it starts Sunday, December 1^st, a couple of days after Thanksgiving.  With Thanksgiving and Black Friday I tend to forget about preparing for Advent.  Do yourself a favor this year sit down now and gather whatever it is you need to prepare your family for the greatest story of them all, the Christmas story!  Don’t make it elaborate.  Think simple.  Something you can do every day very easily!  Something that won’t take you hours to put together. 

This is what my family does.  We read an Advent story book every night.  This year it is Tabitha’s Travels**. This story is so good it really could be the only thing we do for Advent.  It is full of suspense, wonder, action, and heart challenge.  It has something for all ages.  We light an Advent wreath at dinner and eat by candle light.  Then we take our fake Advent candles to our bedrooms so we can read our story and fall asleep by candle light. 

We also do a sock calendar count down each morning.  The boys take turns removing a sock from our garland.  What the sock garland contains differs from year to year.   Sometimes manger pieces, sometimes toys.  It’s a mystery just like Christmas.   If we have a busy day and miss a story we catch up the next night.  No big deal.  One other little thing we do to make Advent special is that we eat pomegranates only during Advent and the 12 days of Christmas.  My boys probably get more excited about pomegranates than candy canes.  It’s amazing what a little withholding does for their perception.

Even this little amount that we do takes a wee bit of prep.  If I don’t get it done before Thanksgiving I will be staying up late doing it afterwards, and that just doesn’t work for me anymore.  I take all the Thanksgiving ads as a cue to start my Advent prep NOW!  I keep it all in a labeled bin, and store it so I can get to it easily.  Really, for me, getting it out is the hardest part.  After that I get inspired.

Happy Tales to you and yours this coming Advent season!

Kristen

ps.  I'm not above begging.  I'd love to have some comments from anyone, even your dogs.  If you do anything special for Advent I'd love to hear about it.  Please, please, please!  It would help me feel like I'm not just posting to talk to myself. 

**Note:  I have three boys.  I have found that our Advent time goes much better if I don't try to make them sit still and quiet while listening to the Advent story.  We let them play Lego's or draw or something as long as it doesn't hype them up or disturb others.  We have, in the past, taken ourselves too seriously, and let me just tell you, nothing good came of it.  Don't make the same mistake.

Book Review: May B. A Novel

Maybe she can?  Maybe she can’t?  That is the question that May B. has to answer for herself while stranded on the Kansas prairie alone and abandoned until Christmas.  Can she grow past her fears and insecurities and find it in herself to overcome?

May B. A Novel by Caroline Starr Rose is a true healing story.  Its raw, awkward, and uncomfortable rhythm mimics the main character. Yet the more I read it to my boys the more freely the words ebbed and flowed from me.   Just like the Kansas prairie in the 1870’s this story is sparse and simple requiring commitment to get past the first half of the book before the reward of hard work and a good story pulls you in.  The beauty of this book is the way Rose develops May B. throughout the story mirroring her internal struggle to read with her external struggle to survive.  Sometimes a bad situation often does make a person better. 

This story offered me and my boys plenty of opportunity for deeper conversation.  Its general feeling of depression disturbed me at first.  It was not the feel good story I was looking to read right after Christmas.  The author’s unusual use of prose made me worry that my boys would get frustrated trying to follow its lack luster story line.  Fortunately, by the middle of the book they were hooked!  Comments like, “those kids are being mean to her” and “I feel bad for May” showed that both of them could relate just fine to May and her struggles. 

The part I loved most about this story is that May B.’s struggle didn’t just go away at the end of the story.  What did go away was May’s lack of confidence in herself.  In the end my boys and I saw that maybe she can do some things and maybe she can’t do others but either way she was loved!   That is something I want my boys to know and understand about themselves. 

Our Advent Sock Story Garland

We have started Advent in our house.  This is always a time filled with a lot of excitement.  I have to remind myself that the Things are only acting up because they are excited and not because they are purposefully trying to exhaust me.

I have come to love our Advent season.  We have several key things that make it rich for our family.  It has taken a few years to hammer this out.  We've tried somethings that have failed to jive with us so we just threw them out and have only stuck with the things that work.  Here is a glimps of one of those things.

Our Advent Sock Story Garland

I think originally I saw this in a Martha Stewart magezine but since then I have definately seen it on Pintrest.  I love it!  I love how fun and festive it looks and I love that it's easy and that I made it. I think it works well with our decorations and it is so versitle.

We do not put candy in our garland, although you could, instead we use it to tell the Nativity story. Are you surprized?  A story in socks!  We rotate the contents of the sock each year so it's new and fresh.  This year in each sock we put a piece from the Play Mobile Nativity set.  I set up the manger empty and everyday the scene grows.  Of course the animals arrive first then Mary and Joseph followed by the shepherds, the wise men and finally Jesus on Christmas morning.  We also have St. Nick in there who comes on December 1st, St. Nicholas Day. As the scene grows the Things play with it more and more.  I'd love to add to this process one of these years by putting a matching verse inside each sock to read.

Next year I plan to do the same thing with a Jessy Tree instead of the manger scene.  Someday my husband and I would love to build a LEGO Nativity set.  Unless LEGO decides to do that for us first.   I bought the Play Mobile Nativity set with the Wisemen set on Amazon and the socks at the Dollar Tree and Fred Meyers.  I used jute string and mini clothes pins to hang them up. I think that's it.  Simple and sweet.

Happy Advent!
Kristen

ps. Oh, thank you Instagram for my photos!

The Window

The first Advent Sunday is only a week away.  If you haven't done so already now is the time to start preparing for this special time of putting flesh on Christ.  Today, in our Quaker meeting house, I shared a story I wrote about a personal experience I had with the Incarnation of Christ to help transition us into the Advent season.  I'm sharing it with you all below.  

Enjoy!

Kristen

A Window

By Kristen S. Sandoz

 

 

It was a dry, hot, African day.  I was headed to a birthday party with my African friends in the up-country of Kenya.  I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing my Levis so I put on the only skirt I had and a coordinating blue T-shirt.  I gave it a second thought and decided to don a necklace with a praying hands pendant, hoping I could dress up my humble outfit with one of the few pieces of jewelry I had brought.  There wasn’t much improvement but I had tried.

 

Once we reached Nairobi we made a transportation exchange in one of the worst parts of town, from a small cramped stinky bus to an even smaller, more cramped and stinky mini-van.  Out of protection for the white person, my friends insisted I enter the van first.  I fumbled to the back and sat next to an open window, thankful that I would have some relief from the smell of African body odor by breathing the smell of exhaust.

 

The van started moving into traffic.  I watched the craziness of this city’s life from the safety of my window.  A businessman in his pressed, yet uncoordinated, suit walked down the street with an air of importance.  As he walked, absorbed in his own world of comfort, he passed a crippled man crawling on his deformed knees. 

 

My attention was drawn toward a row of women wearing brightly colored African kongas tied around their waists like skirts.  Sayings of the wise imprinted on these kongas hugged their swaying behinds as they bent over their fruit neatly stacked on the sidewalks.  Children were everywhere.  Some tugged shyly on their mothers’ kongas, others ran around looking for a handout and others, coupled to their mothers’ backs with a konga, contentedly chewed on mango pits.

 

Among all these claimed children there were the unclaimed ones, the street boys.  At this time in 1996 some 150,000 of them roamed the streets of Nairobi.  They were wild boys ages 4 to 18.  If you’d seen one street boy you’d seen them all.  Their clothing was held together only by the crusty layers of dirt formed by roaming through garbage heaps while looking for food.  Their feet were callused over as if they had one thick piece of rhinoceros hide glued to the bottom.  Then there was that “look.” The eyes of a street boy revealed all, a yellow glazed disassociated look caused by sniffing gasoline and glue.  This was the coping mechanism used by these boys to survive the hard, deprived life they lead.  There was more though, a cruelty, a rebellion, a desperation, a wisdom of sorts.  It was chilling to look in the eyes of a street boy.  It was like a window into their heart and it exposed too much.

 

My journey through this city continued.  The van entered a jammed intersection.  I saw three of these mongrel street boys playing in the meridian.  I was proud of myself that I had spied them before they spied me.  It did not take long, however, for them to all hone in on my white face sitting in the open window.  Immediately one of the older boys got up and meandered toward my van as if I wouldn’t realize he was coming.  “Yeah right!” I thought. “I know you’re going to ask me for money.  I am glad I don’t have anything to give you!”  I crossed my arms and kept watching him with a new defiant intensity.  It was mutual stand off as he came to my open window and walked along side of it just staring at me.  “What is this boy doing?” I thought. “Why isn’t he saying anything?”

 

It was one of those moments that as you’re thinking the question it answers itself with a leap of your heart that suddenly makes everything clear.  “My necklace, this boy wants my necklace!”  I was surprised that I knew the answer to my question.  I fought the instinctual urge to put my hand over my pendant and protect it from what could inevitably happen.  I stayed calm.  I wanted to see if this boy would really steal from me while I was looking him straight in the eyes.  Sure he could steal from people who didn’t realize it, but was he lost enough to steal from someone who knew?

 

From the margin of my vision I saw his grimy teenaged hand slowly come through the window and latch onto my praying hands pendant.  His oddly colored orange eyes never blinked once as he swiftly relieved me of my burden.  He stopped and I continued to watch him, my hand finally losing its control and drifting to the spot that once showcased a meaningless possession.  As my van eased away I wanted to yell something to him.  “Jesus loves you anyway!” or “I’ll pray for you!”  But nothing came. I was too mad, too awe struck by the brazen ability of this boy to steal from me!  Who was he that he could do that and still sleep at night?  I hoped that no one in the van had noticed what had taken place.  Surely they would not understand that I was trying to teach this boy a lesson!

 

That night I had a dream.  I dream a lot, but this dream was different.  I was standing in heaven and there staring at me with the most familiar pair of oddly colored orange eyes was Jesus Christ.  He was framed in a window and sitting on his throne wearing nothing but an African konga and my praying hands necklace.  I was shocked, “How did Jesus get my pendant?”  Noticing the confused look on my face Christ spoke to me gently, saying, “Kristen, I have given you many things.  But, when I asked you for one small, little thing, you wouldn’t give it to me.  I had to take it.”

 

 

St. Nick and the Sausage Machine

Today I am sharing, for the first time I might add, a story I have written.  I'm a little nervous about this.  It feels super vulnerable. So be kind to me :)  It's a story for St. Nicholas Day, which is tomorrow.  If you do nothing else for this day at least read this story.   Oh!  I've added a "Print Friendly" button to the bottom of my posts so you can print this story out and read it more easily to your Littles and Bigs.

I love the imagination that St. Nick brings to children.  The stories around him are full of fantasy and mystery.  They create an opportunity to ponder the Mystery of Christ and the inner workings of our hearts.  I tell this story, "St. Nick and The Sausage Machine", on St. Nicholas Eve in anticipation of his visit the next morning.  And let me tell you it's a gripping story.  My boys are on the edge of their seats every time!  Then afterwards we sprinkle special magical glitter dust on our doorstep so that Santa Claus knows we want him to visit on December 6^th instead of December 19th 25^th (other common days for him to visit, he does have a lot of homes to visit after all, we can't expect him to do it ALL in one night can we :).  We put out our shoes filled with veggies for his animals; you know the reindeer and white horse and such.  And we go to bed.

 In the morning, we awake to a splendid table set by St. Nick himself for our St. Nicholas Feast in the late afternoon.  He steels Speculatius cookies from our freezer to decorate our plates.  There are three Cutie Oranges in our shoes in place of the veggies, chocolate coins hidden all over.  It is a special day to bridge the gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It brings us hope that Christ’s promise is truly coming. 

Enjoy & Happy St. Nick's Day!

Kristen

St. Nick and the Sausage Machine

By: Kristen S. Sandoz

Copyright 2010

Tonight is a night of mystery and awe.  For tonight is the night that St. Nick comes to visit in all his wonder and glory.  He was a real man whose love for Christ was so great that he gave away all his worldly possession to those in need.  He was known for his love of children sneaking in the night to leave them gifts of gold and toys.  He was a Bishop who loved his flock and cared for his people like a kind and gentle shepherd.  Legend has it that he was a savior.  He saved three young girls from slavery, sailors from a violent storm and three military officers from an unjust execution.  While performing these deeds of love he was seen riding a beautiful white horse, a humble donkey or perhaps he was seen in a sleigh pulled by nine faithful reindeer.   In these ways he has become a type of Christ performing miracles in Christ’s name and paving the way for His birth on Christmas morning. 

Now, once a year, he brings gifts to boys and girls.  He mysteriously knows the hearts of each child judging if they have been bad or good, naughty or nice.  He is very rarely seen by anyone but he leaves evidence of his presence by eating a plate of cookies, or leaving a gift in a stocking, or coins in a shoe, or he gives a blessing to a child.  Even more his spirit shines in the hearts of children who do secret deeds of kindness as if they were St. Nicholas himself.  Yes, St. Nick is alive and well.  His spirit lives in side those who choose to believe. 

Do you believe?  Then I will tell you my favorite St. Nicholas story.

Nicholas was a loved and respected Bishop who served God’s people in the seaport town of Myra in the country of Turkey.  He served his flock faithfully keeping them on the path of righteousness.  But one day he was called away from Myra to the counsel of Nicaea in Rome to do some very important work.  With sadness he said goodbye to his people and set sail on a very long journey over the Mediterranean Sea.  A journey that took him weeks and weeks.

Nicholas was gone for a very long time.  Days past then weeks and soon whole months had gone by.  The people of Myra missed Nicholas and they began to forget the things he had taught them.  They had no idea when Nicholas would return and they began to get board and discouraged.  Then one day a very elegantly dressed man came to town.  He had a brilliant idea to pass the time until Nick returned. 

“Why don’t you have a fair?  There would be all kinds of diversions to keep you busy and entertained.  Think of all the plays and games, dances and festivities you could enjoy.  It would be a grand event and then you wouldn’t miss this Nicholas of yours so much.”  

He said this with such enthusiasm and bravado that the people of Myra thought this was a wonderful idea.  They began preparations for the fair right away.  Everyone was busy doing something for this special event.  There were stages to be made, lights to be strung, music to practice, and food to be prepared. 

One particular person was very busy making something very special.  It was the town butcher.  He had it in his heart to make the very best sausages the town of Myra had ever seen in honor of Nicholas.  He wanted to make a sausage that Nicholas would be proud of.  So he began to make an incredible machine.

The day of the fair finally arrived and the butcher was excited to start making his sausages for the town.  With a great crowd around him he started his machine.  The crowd was in awe of the marvelous invention before them.  With lights flashing and gears turning the butcher fed the first pig through the sausage machine.  The machine sputtered and made all kinds of grinding noises until finally out popped a string of perfect sausages.  The crowed cheered with delight and started buying the butcher’s sausage faster than the butcher could make them.

Soon the butcher had run out of pigs to send through the sausage machine.  What was he to do?  The people loved his sausages.  The fair wasn’t over yet and his sausages were bringing him lots of money.  He knew that he and his wife would be rich if they could just keep making sausages. 

“Wife!” The butcher called out.  “We must find more pigs.  Our public demands it!”

“But we have bought every pig in the town dear husband.” The wife replied, “There are not more pigs to be found anywhere!”

“We’ll double the price of the sausages.  We must have pigs!”  The butcher replied.

“Dear husband do not be dismayed.  We’ve made enough money to have a comfortable life.  And don’t forget that we’ve made sausages that Nicholas would be proud of.  Isn’t that enough?”  The wife replied.

“Oh, wife.” The butcher argued. “You can’t possibly understand.  We are on the edge of something wonderful here.  We can’t give up now.”

Suddenly the elegantly dressed man appeared beside the arguing couple.

 “Perhaps I can be of assistance to you.”  He suggested.  “I see you have a problem here.  You have run out of nice fat juicy pigs and your fans are eager to have more of your beloved sausages, that have indeed honored Nicholas.  This is a sad day.” He mused remorsefully.

 “If we just think creatively enough I am sure we can come up with a solution that will please everyone.” He said with sudden hope.

“You really think so!” The butcher and his wife exclaimed.

“Why certainly!  All we need to do is find a substitution for pigs.  It’s as easy as pie!” The elegant man exclaimed with confidence.

“Yes, a substitute.  I never thought of that.” The butcher was feeling great relief now.

“I suppose there really is no harm in using something else besides pigs.” The wife declared with satisfaction.

“You see?” the elegant man affirmed, “Our problem is all but solved.”

“Let’s think.” Declared the wife.  “A nice beefy cow just might do the trick!”

“Oh, no my wife.” Retorted the butcher. “We need something tastier than that.  We need something plump and juice.  Something tender and ripe.”

Right at that moment three very plump and tender young boys passed by the sausage machine.  They had been enjoying themselves very much at the fair and had heard rumor of the extra ordinary sausage machine with lights and buzzers and gears whirling inside it.  They had never seen such a gizmo before and were very curious, not to mention hungry.

“Please sir,” the fattest of them said, “May we see your sausage machine?”

The butcher being really a kind man and of course very proud of his invention showed the boys his invention with pleasure.  But as they were looking into the mouth of the sausage machine a strange desire came over the butcher and before anyone could see him he shoved the three pudgy boys into the machine.  With a wink at the butcher the elegantly dressed man pulled the lever to start the machine.  Seeing the sausage machine in operation once more the crowed cheered, not realizing what had really taken place.

It was at this very moment that Nicholas arrived home from his very long journey.  As soon as his feet touched the ground in Myra he knew something was wrong.  He hastened as fast as he could to the town square where the fair was taking place.  Nicholas followed his heart and was soon led directly to the butcher and his sausage-making machine. With one swift sweep of his arm Nicholas throw the lever in reverse just as the boys, who were now three very tasty and plump sausages, were emerging from the machine!  Back the sausage boys went into the machine as the lights flashed and gears whirled.  Until out they popped as three stupefied chubby little boys again, thinking only that they had had a bad dream.

Quickly Nicholas banished the elegantly dressed man, who was really the devil come to stir up trouble in the hearts of the people of Myra.  As for the butcher he realized his evil deed as soon as he saw Nicholas and was very grateful to the shepherd for saving him from his own horrible sin.

 

“Forgive me my dear savior.” The butcher cried. “I am indebted to you for the rest of my life and I will worship you until I die.”

“It is not I who has saved you.” Replied the wise Bishop, “But your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It is he you should worship forever with your whole heart.”

The butcher vowed he would do this by spending the rest of his life serving the children of Myra and making free sausages for the orphans and the widows.  As long as Nicholas lived in Myra the people were safe from the deceitful ways of the elegantly dressed man.

1...My story is done.

2...I love you.

3...Please, kiss me! 

May you be blessed on St. Nicholas Day!
Kristen

Santa's Special Day!

Okay friends, I have a confession to make.  Santa doesn’t come to my family’s house.  Well, at least not on Christmas day.  No, we think Santa is special enough to have his very own day!  December 6^th.  It’s the first thing my family changed when we started to revive our Advent season.  After reading Gertrud Mueller Nelson’s book “To Dance with God” I fell in love with St. Nicholas, AKA, Santa Clause. 

St. Nick is a type of Christ.  If you use him properly he can point wonderfully to Christ on Christmas.  Much like John the Baptist did for Christ on Easter.  If you want to know more about Santa Clause here is a site called, St. Nicholas Center: discovering the truth about Santa Claus, that Gertrud Mueller Nelson herself directed me to.  Ms. Nelson said she has a play about the very same story I'm going to share in my next post on this site.  Of course you should read Gertrud Mueller Nelson’s book.  It is very inspiring.

Warmly!

Kristen

Book Review: To Dance With God

So it begins!  The most anticipated time of the year, the Advent season.  I love this time of year!  But I just hate that last stressful crunch between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It leaves me distracted, tired and completely unprepared for the Promise of Christ.  It leaves me no room for the contemplation that should happen during that time, during Advent.

Four years ago my good friend, Kim, introduced me to a book that revolutionized my families Advent season.  It’s called “To Dance with God” by Gertrud Mueller Nelson and published by the Paulist Press.   If you want to truly have more meaning in your Advent and Christmas season this book is a must read. 

Admittedly, you should start on Advent preparation way before the first day of Advent, which happens to be November 27^th this year.  However, don’t be daunted.  Use reading this book as your own personal Advent this year.  Don’t be tempted to add anything to your Advent or Christmas season this year.  Okay, maybe one or two things but that’s it!  You will be overwhelmed and throw the whole thing out if you try anything more.  Also, realize that Ms. Nelson has had years and years of practice.  She’s like the Martha Steward of family ritual and community celebration.  She’s incredible!

Also, don’t be daunted by your family’s protestations to new traditions.  No matter how old they are you can make your Advent and Christmas seasons richer and deeper.  I promise they will warm up to it! 

Warmly,

Kristen

Easy Advent Stories

The Advent season is my very favorite.  After all it is preparing us for Christ's birth on Christmas day.  Instead of the typical countdown advent calendar why don't you try something different this year?  How about a count down using stories?

Two years ago my sister-in-law gave us Jotham's Journey: an advent story book.  It has become one of our families most favorite Advent activity.  It has all that a child could want.  Adventure, love, mystery, suspense, and a happy ending.  Here is the Amazon description of the book.

"In this widely popular, exciting story for the advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem."

 The best part is there are at least two other Advent story books to follow this one.  By the time the first story book comes around three years later your littles will be in a much different place mentally and spiritually so the story will have new life and revelation.  And don't worry the stories are challenging enough to move even an adult to tears.

I recommend you order this book soon, because the Advent season actually start before December 1st.

Enjoy!
Kristen