Well here we are another year. I finished 2017 with my last entry for my Daily Art Challenge. Now I begin or continue a new challenge, depending on how you look, to create 636 more drawings with no limits on time. I hope to announce my work for sale in the near future. I will let you know when and on what site.
Well I guess winter has finally come to Pennsylvania. The temperatures have dropped and the wind chills make me say, “baby it’s cold outside.” Sooner no maybe later the outside decorations will have to come down but for now I think I’m going to stay in and draw. Sounds like a good plan to me. Well from my family to your have a good end of 2017 and a happy beginning to 2018. Yes I know I still have two more drawing for the end of the year but I just wanted to get in an early greeting.
It is hard to believe another Christmas season has come an gone. Now we turn our attention to the coming New year. Now is a time to rest and reflect on all the things God has done for us the year before. Sure there may have been some sad times, some times we’d love to forget all about but there has also been many good times. The time which bring great joy to the heart and a smile to our faces. Still it is always wise to remember that in good or bad times God is always there right alongside you helping guide you through the tough times and rejoicing with you in the good times.
Well it is Christmas day and all the gifts have been unwrapped, The kids are now busily playing with their gifts…no wait they aren’t playing with their gifts they’re playing with the boxes and bows…oh my. All that money spent on gifts and the kids find the box flaps more interesting than the $60..00 toy. Now may be the time to reevaluate what you get for your kids next year. Maybe some boxes lovingly wrapped? I don’t know but there is plenty of time to think about it next year.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
The Ugly Artist 