My Basket of Christmas Goodies

Merry Christmas Friends,

If you are like me, this month is too busy. We forget where we put our favorite recipes. We forget to have our prayer time (the whole reason for the season) or don’t spend as much time meditating on God’s word as we need to. We may have grand plans, but time just seems to speed up and the tasks multiply at a mind-numbing speed. And before we know it, the new year has begun, and the rat race has started all over. 

In my quiet time, I have been asking the Lord to restore unto me the joy of His salvation so that it can overflow into the people I interact with, including the grocery clerk, the “customer service” people on the other end of the phone (This one may be the hardest. They can’t see my eyes rolling, but God does.) my neighbors, my children, my parents, and my husband. I hate it when I get irritable and respond without grace to any of the above.  

Here are some of the ways I love to worship even in the midst of a crazy busy season:

• Get up early and turn on the Christmas lights and have time with Jesus while the house is quiet.
• Watch a sunrise or sunset.
• Every time I see a Nativity scene, I thank God for giving us His son. 
• Listen to the accounts of the Nativity in Matthew and Luke on the Audio Bible App 
• If I am feeling lonely, I reach out to someone who needs some love.

What do you do to remember the reason for the season? I would love to hear from you. 

If you were to visit my home right now, you may be served leftovers or cheese and crackers. But they would be good leftovers. What I have to offer you here are some good leftovers from the past few years of blogs. If you wondered about any of the recipes I have shared before, they are in one of these links. If you need to get your heart focused on the true meaning of Christmas, there are some good reflections below. 

Whatever you are doing today, I encourage you to slow down. Take a deep breath. Remember the beauty of what Jesus did for us by coming as a baby, living as a human, dying on the cross, and being raised from the dead to give us all new life. 

Meditations on Christmas: 

What Are You Doing to Prepare for Advent

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/11/30/what-are-you-doing-to-prepare-for-advent/

Seeing His Splendor and Majesty in Christmas

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/12/07/splendor-and-majesty-2/

Mary Knew What God Was Asking of Her and She Still Said “May it be unto me as you have said.”

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/12/12/did-mary-know/

God has Given us a Gift; We Only Need to Receive it.

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2021/12/07/open-the-box/

Recipes and Reflections of Christmases Past:

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2020/11/17/scones-skivers-and-hospitality/

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2020/11/23/scones-skivers-and-hospitality-part-two/

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/05/05/grandmas-cranberries-and-cinnamon-rolls/

Note: I am not using the Bridgeford frozen bread dough anymore as their recipe has changed. Here is a link to a yummy bread dough that works great for the cinnamon rolls. https://smittenkitchen.com/2021/10/old-school-dinner-rolls/

https://kerilynnwillis.com/2022/05/06/grandmas-cranberries-cinnamon-rolls-part-ii/

Have a blessed Christmas. See you here in the New Year. 

My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas. I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block. While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot.../dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3... The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP). At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects! Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God” View more posts