Sisterhood of the World Bloggers' Award

  Maggie Rice at homewardtraveling.blogspot.com tagged me for this one. Thanks luv!

1.What's your favorite part of the season?

My favorite part of the Christmas season is how it re-focuses every day on Christ and what he did for us. 

2. Do you have your decorations/tree up yet? 

But it's so easy to loose focus. You get caught up and distracted by the number of gifts and cards and deadlines, and all the decorations to string up, and all the baking to do and all the parties and all the events and all the excitement of GETTING GETTING GETTING. You lose sight of what Christmas is about. You lose sight of Christ in the dazzle of materialism and commercialism. So this year our family decided to do something different. We actually took down all our Christmas decorations except for the Christian ones. We didn't even have a tree. We didn't do presents. (Okay... Mom couldn't help but give us a few over the dourse of the 12 days of Christmas... but aside from that...) 

At first there was some dissension. My little sister was out of sorts. My mom admits she cried one night, upset about 'losing Christmas'.

But as the days progress, we discovered a change in the very essence of how we thought about Christmas, how we saw Christmas, and how we acted for Christmas. It became a time of celebrating Christ, focusing on him and loving others. We were filled with ineffable joy volunteering and helping widows. We had family devotionals that brought us closer together. We were more relaxed, able to better enjoy our time spent together and with friends. And oh, Christmas was the best. We were not in the least disappointed to have no stockings, tree, or presents. We woke up and ate a lovely breakfast together, sang Christmas hymns, and read the gospel accounts of Jesus' birth together. Then Mom and I went out with some precious friends and visited with, sang carols for, and prayed for a lady at the hospital (my friend's grandmother). We also prayed for another lady there and sang for her. It was such a blessing! We met a nice nurse there from Russia. She said they didn't celebrate Christmas in Russia! (I'm sure there are some people there who celebrate it. But when she last visited in 2005 they still had no word for 'Merry Christmas', no concept of the Christmas holiday.) Pray for Russia!

Then we came home and had a Christmas feast with our family. All in all it was an amazing Christmas, one of the best of my life. How much can your Christmas change when you take the Christmas spirit seriously?

3. What is your favorite Christmas decoration?

Mine has always been the tree. I have this half-secret tradition to wait till everyone has gone to bed, then sneak out of my room. The living room is lit by the fairy Christmas lights, glowing with so much warmth and color. They glint off the ornaments. Underneath the tree is a wealth of presents piled one on top of another, a mountain of shiny packages spilling past the couch and around the back. Every one is beautifully colored, thoughtfully decorated, and laced with sprigs of holly, glittering bows, silver frost, and golden leaves. It's so enchanting. I hum a Christmas carol and feel the deep peace of a silent night, rejoicing in beauty and color and light and enchantment, with no one but Jesus for company. Then, dizzy with hapiness and coziness, I curl up under the tree and drift into sleep. 

4. Your favorite Christmas tradition?

Probably the Christmas Eve service at our Colorado church. In a tiny log chapel our little congregation (more like a big family) gathers and sings beloved, timeless carols by candlelight. Is anything more enchanting. The kids act out an impromptu Christmas pageant. The senior pastor plays Herod (and gets so into character that we're splitting our sides with laughter). He's only rivaled by his grandson, one of those special people who can make you laugh without even trying. His performance is even more hilarious in its spontaneity. Afterwards the kids get candy canes, and then I give my best friends and family presents, and the sweet darlings give me some gifts as well (which I still have, and still love). Sigh...

 5. Your favorite Christmas memory?

I don't remember what made that Christmas so great, but I just remember thinking This is the best Christmas of my life. It was about three years ago. Everything went so perfectly. Everyone was dizzy with joy.

6. How about your favorite Christmas song? 

TOO HARD. I love Veni, Veni Emmanuel. I love Good King Wenceslas. I love Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming. I love Infant Holy, Infant Lowly. And then of course the entire Handel's Messaih. And what would Christmas be without Stille Nacht? 

7. If you could get anything you wanted for Christmas, and I mean literally anything, what would it be?

Literally anything? Oh, child... you don't know what you're saying. 

My first thought is I'd want to go to heaven and be free of sin, right here, right now. But I know that's not God's will for me. I've got to stay and further the kingdom on earth. Next I thought I'd like everyone on earth to be saved and the world ends and we all go to heaven happily ever after the end. But that's not in his will either, is it? No, God saves exactly whom he wants to when he wants to, amen. 

So then, how about just a closer relationship with God? I'm so weak. I need to know him more, love him more, be more like him. If my relationship with him would improve, everything else would improve proportionally. 

8. If you could give one thing, anything, what would it be?

I would give salvation. 

9. Do you prefer online shopping or, er, the other kind where you actually leave your house?

Ew, leave my comfort zone? Online shopping. ;)

10. What do you do on Christmas eve? 

See 4. Although this year we did Christmas eve at a different church, which wasn't the same but still good. I have two churches, two church families. They're both very close to me, so I'm kind of torn between two worlds. I dream passionately of a world where those two church families will meet in one place as one family, and we'll all worship and rejoice and love together. That dream will be more than realized in the coming of the kingdom of God. But for now I'm just a child of eternity on the run from entropy. 

Here are my questions for you!I'm just going to tag anyone who reads this post. You can answer all or any of the questions in the comments below! 

1.  If you were tossed into a fictional world, which world would you want it to be?  (In other words, which would you have the best chance at surviving?)

   

  

2.  If you could take three people with you to that world, who would you take?

3.  If a stranger suddenly struck out at you and attacked you, would you actually have the courage to fight back? Even if you had that courage, would you actually be able to bring yourself to harm a living being? Would you have the grit to poke them in their eyes? And even if you had the sand to do so, would you be at all successful?

4.  What would be the ideal way to meet your future husband/wife, in your opinion?

5.  If there's one character from a book/movie you would never want to find sitting in your living room, who would it be?  (Leaving out the ones that are too big or abstract to sit in your living room- i.e. Sauron...)

6.  If there is one character from a book/movie you would want to find sitting in your living room, who would it be?

7.  If you could live one day of your life in the style of a movie, what genre would you pick?  (Animated, comedy, romance, crime, adventure, action, etc.)

8.  What movie from that style would you pick? And furthermore what character would you most want to be?

9.  If someone were to compose a soundtrack for your life, who would you want it to be?

10.  What's the purpose of life if life has no purpose?

Blog Award Tag

My lovely friend over at http://touchesofeuphoria.blogspot.com/ nominated me to do this. Thanks, Elf!

 Here are the award rules, copied from her blog 1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog. 2. Answer the questions that the blogger who nominated you has provided. 3. Nominate four other bloggers. 4. Create ten questions for your nominees and notify them of their nomination. (I'm breaking this rule a bit - I'll ask just four questions rather than ten.)

1. What's your favorite season, and why?

Although I love cold, snow, rain, wind, storms, grey skies, and clouds, fall wins over winter and here's why.
a) It's super short. At least for Colorado it is - October is basically the fall month of the mountains. I relish every moment of it, and it vanishes as quickly as a perfect sunset.
b) Things FINALLY start getting cold.
c) The golden orange creeps down the mountains until they're covered in its brightness. Every day a tree turns from grasshopper to lemon to flame to orange to russet to red to chestnut and to earth brown. The colors, the colors! It's so beautiful it hurts.
d) Pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING.
e) It's only three months till Christmas! Time to start singing the old tunes! (*everyone else groans*)
f) Eggnog.
g) Leaves dancing, laughing, and playing in the wind, crunching underfoot, covering the ground like little prophets of snow.
h) Sweaters, coats, scarves, mittens, muffs, scarves, hats, and scarves. 
i) That cozy, spicy, stay-indoors-with-a-mug-of-tea-and-do-nothing feeling...

2. If you could pick a different time era or decade to visit, which would you choose?
Definitely the time of Christ. 
I don't know what I'd do, exactly. I'm not internally bleeding or possessed. I already ask him to heal and help people every day. I chat with him all the time; what would I have to say? Maybe I'd just awkwardly stand there. It doesn't matter. The chance to be near him, the very idea of being so close to him would totally blow my mind. Aside from being saved in the first place, nothing could feel better. To hear his voice for real, to see the total holiness and total humanness in his eyes - wouldn't pass it up for any other time on earth. 

3) Can you write me one short story prompt? It doesn't have to be long; just a sentance.
Nathan woke up on the roof of the Empire State Building. He sat up, yawning, rubbed his face, and looked down at the ground a staggering thousand feet below. "Ugh," he sighed. "Not again."

Thanks again for tagging me, this was lots of fun!

Now I nominate: 

Maggie Rice at http://homewardtraveling.blogspot.com/

Chloe Womble at http://afangirlsfantasy.blogspot.com/

Elle Ruthig at http://crownandquillpen.blogspot.com/

Eve Patchett at http://penandkey.blogspot.com/

If you like, answer these questions and then let me know!

1. If you could go anywhere in the world, for however long you wanted, for free, and bring one person, where would you go and who would you bring?

2. If you could go to any fictional place in any fictional world and bring one person, where would you go and who would you bring?

3. Pretend you've never heard of [fictional or real person here]. One day you sit next to them on a train for several hours. What do you suppose they'd think of you, and what would you think of them?

4. What's your favorite season and why?

Thanks and love,
Bronze

Famous People Tag

 

 

Here are the rules - well, they're more like guidelines, really.

• Add the button and link back to the person who tagged you
• Answer the question
• Tag some other people

That would be the illustrious Elizabeth Morgan from Confessions of a Teenage Writer.

#1) Who is your favorite singer/group?

Adam Young's music was the first (and practically only) individual artist's work that I really got hooked on. When I first heard To The Sky I loved the song but hated the singer's voice. Then it grew on me, and now I absolutely love it.

 

2) If your favorite male actor was in the room right now with you, what would you do?

 

3) What is a famous person you used to love but (due to something they did in their life) you've suddenly changed your mind?

 I could tell you, but that would be spoilers, now wouldn't it? >:)

4) Name a famous person who has a name that starts with a V.

 This has been said before, but it needs to be said again.

Viggo Mortenson! AKA Aragorn the Awesome.

5) What's one of your favorite red carpet dresses?

 Wot??? I've never seen a dress made of carpet. Let alone RED carpet.

6) Who's your favorite royal person?

 

 

 The lovely Zelda! 

7) Who's your favorite child actor/actress?

 

I loved Lucy in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe! 

8) Is there an actor/actress you actually like the private lives of?

 I try not to find out anything about actors private lives. It would ruin the characters for me. I mean, can you imagine if we found out Anne of Green Gables married an alien? O_o No, I wouldn't want to know if her actress married an alien.

9) Do you think actors and actresses have improved over the past 100 years?

NO! :D Next question.

10) What's the weirdest famous person name?

Benedict Cumberbatch is weird enough for me.

11) Do you think you look like a famous person?

No. XD

My family used to tell me I looked like Lucy Pevensie. Then I grew.

12) Share your favorite famous person quote.

 "Let there be light!" That's uh, God. I was quoting God. 

13) Who's your favorite dancer?

+ 

 FRODO!

14) Why is your favorite actress your favorite one? When did you decide she was your favorite?

 

 

Mmmmm... I can't pick a favorite actress. But since you asked, whoever played Lady Dedlock from Bleak House. I just really love her for some reason. I can't get over her. When did I decide? Just now, when you MADE ME. 

15) Have you ever met/seen/been close to a famous person?

Does  Andrew Peterson count?

TAGS! 

http://wirelesstypewriter.blogspot.com/

http://masterfullyminded.blogspot.com/

I don't know anyone else... so... I tag YOU!