Christmas Memories Giveaway – Winners!

 

 

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder

 A Word of Thanks from the Editor

 

Dear Writing Companions,

What a joy it has been to celebrate Christmas with each of you as you’ve shared your most cherished Christmas memories with all of the readers at The Artistic Christian!  It’s always fun to reminisce during the holidays, but to do so with a group of seasoned writers is a recipe for success to be sure!

Thank you all for participating in this Giveaway Challenge by submitting your entries and through helping to get the word out.  I’ve had a wonderful time playing “Remember When.”

May You Have a Blessed Christmas Season,

John Mark Miller

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Grand Prize Winner – Paige Hamilton

 

It is my pleasure to announce that the Grand Prize Winner for this Winter Giveaway is Paige Hamilton!  Paige is a Christian wife, mother, foster parent, and blogger who shares her faith and her writing talents at her blog, Tales from the Laundry Room: Finding God in the Midst of the Mundane.  I highly recommend this blog…  be sure to check it out!

Paige is the recipient of the Grand Prize for her winning entry, “The Great Christmas Card Fiasco of 2008: A Christmas Memory.”  Her blog entry was put together in creative fashion, and comes in the form of her actual Christmas Letter from 2008.  As you read over the letter she sent out to her family and friends, you’ll smile, feel the heated frustration of the Christmas rush, and be touched by this heartwarming family account.

Congratulations, Paige, on winning a free copy of Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory, 50th Anniversary Edition!

 

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Other Winning Entries

 

Below are the other winning entries, who earned a place in this newsletter!  Be sure to stop by and pay each of these wonderful blogs a visit!

 

Growing Out of Selfishness – Jennifer

My most memorable Christmas was when I was 9 or 10. It involved me getting up Christmas one morning while it was very dark and everyone else was sound asleep. I was astonished by the amount of neatly wrapped gifts calling to me from under the tree. I knew Santa must have thought a whole lot of me. I needed to know how many of these gifts were mine – I would’ve bet most of them were. So, I gathered every present and stacked them according to whom they were addressed. My siblings were quite younger than me. They didn’t really know about gifts yet but I did and my stack was twice the size! Ha, I was loving this! Indeed, I had been a good girl that year! As soon as I was done stacking, I ran in and woke my parents – bragging how Santa gave me more presents than my siblings!

Oh, the shame! Boy, oh boy – I am a both tickled and embarrassed by this memory. A spoiled and selfish child was I but I am glad to have grown out of that – for the most part LOL. I am glad to ‘know better’ now!

God bless,

Jennifer

You can visit Jennifer’s blog, “I Give God All the Glory,” at http://igivegodalltheglory.wordpress.com.

 

A Homemade Gift  –  Daily Dose

One of my most memorable Christmas’ had to be the year my dad was laid off from his job. I was still in high school and this was the first time our family had to face any real financial hardships. My sister, brothers, and I were all told that this Christmas would be sparse so we shouldn’t expect much.

Christmas morning came and all of us gathered around the tree to open presents. They revealed thoughtful gifts that were perfectly picked for each of us. My dad always liked to save the big surprises for last. He asked me to go out to his workshop and get something for my mom. When I entered his shop, there sat a rear slider window for my truck with a big bow on it! This was the only thing I really wanted. What made it special was that it wasn’t brand new, it was a chunk yard pick. My dad had went out of his way to get it and, to me, it was better than any store bought item could ever be!

You can visit the “Daily Dose: Daily Inspiration from God’s Word” blog at http://heartfixxer.wordpress.com.

 

Letter for Grandpa –  Daleen C. 

My favorite Christmas memory was when everyone on my mom’s side of the family agreed to draw names and only get a gift for that person. We decided that would make it much more personal and give us extra money to do something good for someone else.

I drew my grandpa. So, since it seemed like he had everything, I wrote him a letter, explaining what I appreciated him for and why I loved him. 🙂 And yes, for once I was able to do something nice because I wasn’t trying to use my twelve year old savings for Christmas gifts for fourteen people. It was the best Christmas I’ve ever had.

You can visit Daleen’s blog, “Thoughts from a Christian Cowgirl,” at http://kidfarmer.wordpress.com.  

 

All About Love –  Vicki

We lived at the farm and it had been a hard year for us.  There wasn’t much money for Christmas so Mom and Dad went to St Vincent’s for our presents.

They found ski’s and bows and arrows and some other things I suppose, but that is what I most remember.  I believe there were some ice skates as well.

I was ecstatic!  I think we all were.  We had never had ski’s before. We had never had our own bows and arrows before..

There was LOTS of snow that year so we strapped on those ski’s and tried them out.  I have no idea what kind they were, downhill, cross country.  Whatever.  It didn’t matter.

There were a couple of pairs of ski boots too as I recall.  We spent the day trying them out on our little “barn hill” we called it.  It was that slope that barns have to get the wagons and such to the upper part of the barn.  Not very high but high enough for us to try out those ski’s.

Then we set up a target inside the barn and practiced with those bows.  There were a couple of different kinds but the one I recall best was the recurve bow. It was my favorite.

We shot and shot those arrows down the aisle of the barn into, mostly, that target.

We had so much fun and used those gifts for years!  Later on, one of the pairs of little ski’s, I refinished and painted and gave to my baby brother.

It was the best Christmas ever actually.  I know now, that my parents were so worried.   They were not sure how we would react to used presents.  Funny, now, we all cherish that one Christmas more than any other.

Its not about buying the perfect gift.  Its about the love IN that gift.

Blessings,

vicki

I have got to add a PS…..

I made my mother cry….

You can visit Vicki’s blog, “Horses, Dirt, and Motherhood,” at http://vrein11.wordpress.com.

 

The $12 Christmas to Remember – Paige Hamilton  (Additional Entry)

As if one heartwarming tale wasn’t enough, Paige shared this fond Christmas memory as well.  The story is a little too lengthy to include in its entirety here, but visit her page to read through it… you’ll be glad you did.  This is a warm story of making the best of a financially strained Christmas, and the warmth of true Christian friendship.  Click here to read this story.

 

My Warmest Christmas Memory –  John Mark Miller  (Editor’s Entry)

I couldn’t let all of you have all the fun!  Click here to read about my own favorite holiday memory.

 

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“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

Charles Dickens