Jesus' Nativity

 

I noticed every little flaw in my decorations for this year’s Advent Tea table, but it still got rave reviews. The theme was nativity scenes, and the centerpiece was a set that I crocheted many years ago. Then I surrounded it with photos I had taken in other settings.

But the focus of the decorations was a 2006 photo of the creche that shows up in our church’s fellowship area every year. Since you can’t really see it in the photo at the top of this post, I am including it below.

I highlighted the creche in three ways, using the same photo for all of them. First, I had Shutterfly make placemats from it. Unfortunately, it must not have blown up well. It looked fine on my computer screen but wasn’t sharp on the placemats. Even so, people liked them.

Second, I used it to customize plastic coffee/tea cups. I bought some cups with a clear exterior and a white interior that were built to come apart so someone could place a paper design between the two pieces. I made the design by printing a copy of the photo on one side and “Advent Tea 2022” on the other. I was disappointed that they didn’t snap together more permanently, but as long as you don’t lift them by the top, they work.

Finally, I made jigsaw puzzles of the photo for the favor, although the women at my table got to take their placemats and cups, too. The puzzles didn’t work quite right, either. I printed the photo on one side of card stock and a puzzle pattern on the other and cut one out using the interlocking pieces in the pattern. Unfortunately, there were two problems with it. First, it took forever to cut out. I could have handled that, but when I put it together it didn’t want to lay flat and stay in position. So I ended up cutting the puzzles into rectangles instead.

Even with all the issues, people liked my table and appreciated the work I put into it. More importantly, the program and the food were excellent, and so was the company.

Because I can’t help writing, I did create a very elementary poem to go along with the puzzles, and I’ll leave you with it.

A Jigsaw Puzzle World

The world was in pieces,
     Broken by Sin,
Then Jesus came
     To put it together again.

He Comes at Advent . . .

 

I decorated my third Advent Tea table in 2014 using the seasons of the year as my theme. That  sounds like a stretch. After all, what do the seasons of the year have to do with Advent? But the actual theme, listed on a note card at each place, was “Jesus is the Reason for Every Season.”

The centerpiece had four vases displaying items such as branches and dried flowers reminding us of each of the seasons. and they were surrounded by photos taken during spring, summer, winter, and fall.

But the highlight of the decorations—and that year’s favors—were the placemats. When I went through my pictures, I picked out four other seasonal photos and had Shutterfly make two placements from each one.

Then I tied it together with another poem, which was included on the note cards. This one was written specifically for the occasion. Here it is.

He Comes

He comes in summer
In thunderstorms and showers
Cleansing the earth.
 
He comes in autumn
When trees proclaim his glory
With blood-red leaves.
 
He comes in winter
As white blankets cover seeds
Soon to awake.
 
He comes in spring
When a tiny robin’s egg
Brings forth new life.
 
Jesus comes all year
Into the hearts of Christians
Saved by His grace.

 Next week I’ll tell you about this year’s table.

Advent and Lighthouses

With scheduling conflicts and years when I was a simple attendee, it was 2012 before I decorated my second table for an Advent Tea. My theme was lighthouses, and that is my table in the photo at the head of this post.

The centerpiece was topped with a ceramic Big Red, the lighthouse at Holland, Michigan, which is displayed year-round in my living room. It has a light inside it, but I had no way to plug it in. For the tea, I surrounded Big Red with photos of other Lake Michigan lighthouses that I had taken on a sailing vacation the year before. I used my best dishes, and I suppose the set-up came close to being elegant, although that wasn’t my intent.

It was easy to tie the theme in with Advent since Jesus came as the Light of the World. To emphasize it, my favor that year was a laminated copy of my poem “The Lighthouse,” which I wrote in 2011. The poem follows:

The Lighthouse
 

A light has come to save the world,
            A lowly baby born,
It shines its beam on rocky shoals
            From evening until morn.
 
When storms of life beat on my boat,
            And winds begin to blow,
The beacon shines across the waves
            With its resplendent glow.
 
Mist and haze may hide the reefs,
            Clouding up my sight,
But though they blind my eyes at times,
            They cannot veil the light.
           
As lighthouse keeper I must go
            And rescue those in danger,
For one in peril on the sea
            Can never be a stranger.
 
The harbor light beams steady on
            Wherever I may roam,
A welcome blaze when life is done
            To guide me safely home.

 May His light shine on you this week

Not an Elegant Advent Tea

 

My church holds an Advent Tea approximately every other year, although COVID interfered with that schedule. It’s a women’s event where each hostess decorates a table. She can invite friends to join her at the table or let the organizers fill in the empty seats, or it may be a combination. Some years I’ve had conflicts or simply attended, but I’ve hosted a table four times, and the first received mixed reviews.

The first time I hosted was in 2006, and most of the women at my table had been assigned by the organizers. There was one elderly woman I didn’t know, and, although I’m sure we introduced ourselves, I still don’t know who she was.

I had chosen “Children’s Christmas Books” as my theme. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of my table. I probably used my nice dishes, but the centerpiece was composed of books that matched the theme. The favor I gave out was also inelegant. (More about that later.)

Most of the women at my table loved the creativity, but the elderly woman mentioned above complained rather loudly because she hadn’t been placed at an “elegant” table. My decorations from subsequent years would probably have disappointed her, too, because I don’t aim for elegance. I do aim for creativity, however, and this month’s blog posts will discuss those subsequent tables.

That first year, each of the participants at my table received a typed story compiled in booklet form. In keeping with the theme, I had written a children’s story about Christmas. Looking at it now, I would probably have done a few things differently, but I’m going to reprint it as they received it. Here it is:

Susan’s Christmas Holiday Christmas

            “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”  Susan muttered under her breath as she entered her father’s store. She was playing Mary in the Sunday School program, and she wanted to get it right.

            “Watch out!” Her father’s voice brought her back to the present. She looked up and stopped—just inches from a plastic snowman.

            “That wasn’t here last year,” Susan said.

            Her father sighed. “No, it wasn’t. I changed the holiday display this year.”

            Susan’s eyes grew wide as she looked around. Snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and there were plastic figures everywhere. Plastic snowmen. Plastic reindeer. Even plastic candy canes.

            But something was missing.

            “Where’s the manger scene? And why does that banner say ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas?’”

            “I don’t want to offend my customers,” her father said. “This is when I make most of the money we live on the rest of the year.”

            “But Dad, last year you said Christmas was the best time to tell other people about Jesus. Don’t you want to do that any more?”

            Her father looked down at his feet. Then he took a deep breath, looked straight at Susan, and smiled.

            “You’re right. Who cares what other people think. God is the only one who matters, and He wants us to tell everyone about Him.”

            “Good.”  Susan smiled too.

            “Let’s get the manger scene and the ‘Merry Christmas’ banner out of the back,” her father said. “But first, let me change the music coming over the loudspeaker. How does ‘Away in a Manger’ sound to you?

            “Perfect.” 

            And it was.

If you sit at my table at an Advent Tea, I can make you this promise: It won’t be elegant.

But it will be creative.

__________

I took this photo at the 2012 Advent Tea and am using it to show an example of an elegant table. Unfortunately, I don’t know who decorated and hosted this table, so I can’t give her the credit.