At Christmastide. . .

Now, in the deep of night,
Sounds of the day are still,
The crisp snow glistens white,
The air is frosty and chill,
And the moonbeams' tremulous light
Falls soft on copse and hill.
Oh, Peacetide of the year!
In many a land and clime,
From church towers, sweet and clear,
The mystic bell tones chime;
The world in her Christmas cheer
Turns back to a far-off time;
To the night, so long agone,
When over the wastelands wild,
Led by a light unknown,
A new star fixed and mild,
Wise-men from the East fared on
And found the dear Christ-child.

~by Eugene C. Dolson

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~Little Baby Jesus is the sole remaining piece of my parents' first Nativity~

Dear friends,

How blessed to have you here again, to share a little of our home and family! We feel so touched to have met so many kindred friends through the happy land of Blog this past year~To have met so many of you who are seeking to make your homes be Heaven on earth. Thank you for sharing your personal stories, your homes, your experience with us. Thank you for being who you are, and for bringing a bit of light into this dreary world!

May each and every one of you feel the peace of this wintry season; and especially the peace which passeth understanding, as we seek to become a little more like the One who gave His life for us, that we may live eternally.

Here are a few photos of Christmas decorations around our home (our idea of Yuletide decorating is to find whatever looks cheery and bright, add a few greens, a few new items, and call it good :) ).

~We were so excited to win this ornament and postcard from Audrey Eclectic!~
~Mr. Horse looks rather pleased with his new decorations!~

~And new vintage elf-men; a gift from Grandma~

~Our sweet adopted neighborhood grandma gave us this China doll. We named her Mirette, after the character in this wonderful book our dear friend Lynn sent to us~

~A new Nutcracker from Grandma and old Dutch children that belonged to my grandma~


~New and old, this and that, happily residing together~

~And AnnaMarie painstakingly made this teeny-weeny Nativity scene for us-Can you see the gold threads in the Wise Men's clothing?~

Love to all, and a merry, merry Christmas,

From all of the Graham family to yours!