Author: Whitt’s End Art

1001 Drawings #366, Traveling Home for Christmas

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One of the things at Christmas that can be such a pain is traveling to and fro in order to get home for the holiday. Millions of Americans will hit the roads and the airways in order to reach their destination. The Bible says in Proverbs 19:2 ESV, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” While being in the presence of family and friends at this time of year is better than any present it is better to be safe in while seeking to get there. Be safe this holiday season.

1001 Drawings #355, Putting the Topper on the Tree

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Christmas trees are usually topped with such things as angels or stars but did you know the origin of the topper. Well, over the years Christians adopted the practice of adding an angel to the top of the tree to symbolize the the significance of the angels who sang at the birth of Jesus. Others added the star in remembrance of the star which shown in the sky that night. While the Christmas tree started as a pagan tradition it has been adopted by many Christians as a way to celebrate the birth of their Savior. Today there are many things placed on the top of the Christmas tree but the holiday which does not happen on the true day of the birth of Jesus is a way of remembering the event.

1001 Drawings #354, When Is Too Much Enough?

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One of the things that’s such a pain to me at Christmastime is shopping at all the stores. I  love working in retail because I love the interaction with all the customers. When I worked retail the only time of year I dreaded was the Christmas  shopping season. Not because of the hustle and bustle but because of the attitude of many of the shoppers. Tis the season to be jolly and happy but as Christmas Day approaches the attitudes of many shoppers turns dour. There is something about shopping for too much on a Christmas list that brings out the worst in people. My question when is too much enough? If shopping, wrapping and driving is taking the joy out of the season then scale back and take teh time to enjoy those around.

1001 Drawings #353, Writing Out The Christmas List

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Back in the day we wrote out our Christmas list with a crayon and a piece of paper. Then the list was placed in an envelope and put in an mailbox to be sent off to Santa. These days children don’t have to go to all the trouble or put in any work to send their list. All they need to do is wrote the list on an electronic device and send it off to Santa’s email. Where is the fun in that? Some have the say idea about prayer. they think all they need to do is send off an email to God and they will get what they want. The Bible does say God will answer our prayers if we just ask. He does, but in His own way and time and many times not as we expect.

1001 Drawings #352, Watching All The Christmas Specials

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Tis the season to watch all the Christmas specials like the Grinch pictured here and all the Christmas movies like the ones shown on the Hallmark Channel, the Up Network and others. Each Christmas season brings one of my favorite Christmas specials “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” In the show Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang search for the true meaning of Christmas.

Charlie Brown’s job is to bring back a Christmas tree. The tree he buys is a small sad looking tree and when he puts a red ornament on it the tree bends over to which Charlie Brown yells, “I killed the tree.” This leads me to the underlying message of the while story. No it is not the birth of Jesus, that is the main message the underlying message is this…Don’t get caught up in first appearances. We always judge on what we see but maybe with a little more time and discernment we might discover the beauty we missed at first glance.

1001 Drawings #351, Uggh No More Wrapping Paper

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Did you ever notice that the wrapping paper seems to always run out before the number of presents. I used to think that each year you had to out do the gift buying from the year before. Then I discovered one simple truth…Christmas should not be about how much is under the tree but about who is around the tree. Christmas comes from the heart not from a box or bag. Remember “The gift is to the giver…and comes back most to him (or her).” Walt Whitman

1001 Drawings #350, What About The Naughty List?

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As children Christmas time meant went being on our best behavior because we did not want to be on Santa’s Naughty List. Having your name on the naughty list meant not getting any gifts from Santa. So the closer you got to Christmas the more you wanted to be on your best behavior. The key was however no matter what you ended up being forgiven on Christmas and there was always presents under the tree. Get the parallel. God sent His Son because we were separated from because of our sin. I guess you could say we were on God’s naughty list and there was no way being on our best behavior was going to get us off…well there is one way. If we put our faith and heart in God’s hands and what He did for us we would be able to get the most desirable gift of all…a way into Heaven.

1001 Drawings #349, Must Be Santa

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While the current reflection we have of Santa Claus started as a marketing gimmick there actually was a Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus. According to WhyChristmas.Com St. Nicholas, who was a very rich man, “was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey).” He was a kind soul who liked to help the poor and give out secret gifts to those who needed the most help. If you would like to read more about the true Saint Nicholas click here. While God is the true gift giver it is up to us to be like the true Saint Nicholas and give back to others not only this time of year but throughout the whole year.

 

1001 Drawings #348, The Glow of a Cozy Fire

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The one thing I have never had the opportunity to do this time of year is sit by a warm cozy fire on Christmas Eve while somebody reads Twas the Night Before Christmas. I don’t why but the idea appeals to me very much. There is something about having friends around you, the glow of the fire that puts you in the Christmas mood. At this time of year we try to package the joy of the season in boxes with paper and ribbons. Perishable items which may or may not wear out before the end of the year. The enjoyment Christmas is found however in the little details, Those moments in time which create memories which don’t wear out. So one thing to do this year is to slow down and enjoy the season.