"A Positive Christmas!"

 

Mike and Betty's Farm at Christmas

This is a short, but (hopefully) sweet (Think candy canes and red velvet cake!) positive Christmas blog post.

Here are some ideas that might help make your Christmas even more enjoyable- (You can do these alone or with others.)

~Make Christmas crafts, like these that were made by a relative.

Pretty Christmas Balls

These handmade crafts can be given as gifts, used for decorating your home, or even sold in shops, etc. to make extra money.

Besides giving homemade gifts, we can shop for gifts at places that offer nice, unique things at reasonable prices, like-

The Antique Barn in Abingdon, Virginia

~Homemade goodies make nice gifts, or you could even host a Christmas party or a dinner. 

~Donate to local animal shelters, food banks, or local charities.

~As we're working on Christmas cards, wrapping gifts, or decorating, it can be fun to listen to Christmas music, our own, or from the radio. One of our local radio stations plays Christmas music every year from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Listening to Christmas music can put us in the Christmas spirit.

~Sing Christmas carols. Sing in a Christmas cantata, or go to one. Go to a Christmas church service.

~Watch a wonderful Christmas movie on TV, on a DVD, or online, such as "Home Alone" or "It's a Wonderful Life."

~Decorate your vehicle-

~See a Christmas parade, or even be in one.

We enjoy just driving around the different neighborhoods and looking at the Christmas decorations.

Here is one of my childhood Christmas memories-

"As a child, I still remember coming down the stairs on Christmas morning. I felt the excitement of Christmas in the air, especially if snow were falling outside and accumulating on the trees and ground. I felt breathless as I saw the toys and other gifts under the Christmas tree that Santa had left for my brother and me: a pretty doll, a decorative rocking horse, and oranges and nuts in our Christmas stockings. It was really exciting when I noticed that the cookies and milk that we had left for Santa were gone. I imagined that he had really enjoyed those!" ~An excerpt from my book, "Down Memory Lane"  which is on Amazon. For more information, please see the widget above.

~"May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve."- Author Unknown

 ~Positive thought: "Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts."-Janice Maeditere

 Thanks for visiting! Until around Saturday, January 3, 2026!, Becky

"The Spirit of Christmas"

 

It's that time of year again, and for many people, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." (From a song by Andy Williams) What makes it so wonderful?

It could be because of the spirit of Christmas! What is the spirit of Christmas?

Is it the decorations?

We often enjoy reading Pal's thought of the day.

There are several colorful decorated trees outside the welcome center in historic Abingdon, Virginia.

Is the spirit of Christmas fellowship?

Going with others to the world-famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon...

to see a Christmas play is a great way to get into the spirit of Christmas.

Also, many people enjoy having a Christmas meal or refreshments with loved ones- 

Most people like to give gifts at Christmas-

These gifts don't need to be expensive. The Antique Barn in Abingdon, for example, has really nice gifts for really great prices! You could give gifts that you make yourself. You could give people something that you already have that you don't need. I have received gifts that are family heirlooms, which I really cherish. You could give someone a gift of your time, like organizing a closet for them.

When it comes to giving to charities, we're always careful since they are not always honest. We mostly give locally. We give food and other pet supplies to our local animal shelter which is run by the sheriff's department.

The decorations, fellowship, sharing and giving are a large part of Christmas, but, of course, without Jesus, the Christ Child, there would be no spirit of Christmas.

And, because of  Jesus, we can conclude that, the true spirit of Christmas is love.

"Infinite Love Is the Only Truth: Everything Else Is Illusion" -David Icke

"May the true spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light your path." -Holy Hope

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas-From Our Home to Yours

Positive thought: "For it is in giving that we receive" -Saint Francis of Assisi

Thanks for visiting! Until Saturday, January 6, 2024, Becky

Positive Memories

Spring is almost here, and it officially begins on Monday, March 20, but this year, it looks like it got an early start! 

My cousin Bruce and I recently celebrated our birthdays together, and his gifts to me were two pieces of art that my grandmother had done, and old handmade quilts that were the handiwork of other family members.

 These pretty quilts are in a nice quilt display case.

These gifts mean so much to me since I enjoy collecting memorabilia.

One of our gifts to Bruce was my newly revised book, "Down Memory Lane,"* which now contains old (and a few new) photographs from our personal photo albums.

In my book, I tell about the positive memories that I had living in the beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and East Tennessee. In the book, I also briefly mention memorabilia, and how I display it.

Small Business Feature:

The Antique Barn

Abingdon, Virginia

abingdonantiquebarn.com

If you love old things, vintage pieces, glassware, jewelry, art, memorabilia, etc., you'll love this antique mall in Abingdon.

Here is a beautiful piece that Greg and I bought for a bargain price at The Antique Barn-

Every few weeks, I enjoy visiting this antique mall to see what all is new. Their inventory is always changing.

So, for really nice pieces at reasonable prices, be sure and check out this wonderful place.

 *For more information about my book, and to purchase on Amazon, please see and click on the widget above.

Positive thought: "If you focus completely on the things you love, then you are on your way to a beautiful life." "May the joy be with you," Rhonda Byrne

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, March 26, 2023, Becky

How Can We Make a Difference?

Many people are wondering what we might do to help with the situation that we all find ourselves in right now in this country. How can we make a difference?

Something that Greg and I are trying to do is to support small business all that we can, especially locally since many are struggling right now.

(Food for thought: Why were the big chain stores considered essential, and allowed to open when most of the small businesses were not?)

Small businesses might include restaurants. The following four restaurants are in Abingdon, Virginia:

Greeko's Grill & Cafe, Serves Authentic Greek Food, Inside or Out

Bella's Has Delicious Italian-Style Food

Pal's is a real success story. The first Pal's opened in Kingsport, Tennessee in the 1950's, and now there are 29 Pal's in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Their architecture is unique, and they always have a daily message on their signs. A large American flag flies over each Pal's. One of their menu items is Frenchie fries.

North Carolina is not that far from where we live, so we go there occasionally. This restaurant had just reopened the day we were there. They remodeled while they were shut down.

Besides restaurants, there are other types of small businesses:

This garden shop also has food items for sale. It would be a great place to buy Christmas gifts.

We found a pretty old Victorian-style floor lamp here in Abingdon for a bargain price.

I got three items here in Hansonville, Virginia for only $11.00, totally! Many small businesses operate in this antique mall.

This is one of the three items I bought, and it was handmade!

If it's vitamins and herbs you need, this is the place!

The woman who owns this sewing shop did a nice job making us a couple of valances out of some old fabric that we already had.

Statuary, anyone? Here's a nice piece at "11-W Concrete &Statuary" in Blountville, Tennessee.

Besides shopping at small businesses, we listen to talk radio to find out what's really going on, and then we share our newfound knowledge with others. Another good resource is www.philvalentine.com .

We also work to get rid of ineffective political leaders via recall elections, and we actively work to help the good guys win political office.

Positive Thought: "When it rains, look for rainbows. When it's dark, look for stars."-Author Unknown

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, August 2, 2020, Becky