Just a Simple Christmas Please
By Crystal Hubbell

The tree was almost impossible to pull up the hill. I was nearly 4 months pregnant with my 3rd child and I was tugging my 2 yr old up the hill as well. My 4 yr old was trying desperately to give all his might to help dad pull the tree up the hill. The mud was thick and the hill was steep. Why are we doing this? Hadn’t Christmas shopping been stressful enough? I reminded myself that this tree would look so beautiful once fully decorated and lit in our small home.

We fought it all the way back the 30 miles. We lost a bunch of needles along the way, but I thought I could fluff it. We set it in our living room and put all 12 ornaments on it. We strung it with lights, not 1, not 2, but 5 strands. It practically gave off enough heat to warm the entire first floor. It was certainly not a tree to be trifled with, but over and over I would scratch my hands up trying to get the lights just right. However, the tree just wouldn’t let go of it’s hold. I won’t even tell you what we had to do to remove the lights.

We have started doing Christmas differently. Now that we have 5 children, we don’t allow ourselves to break our budget for many gifts and we don’t have the notion to go into debt for Christmas apparel either. We have come to believe that simple things mean the most.

Tonight my husband visited a discount store in our area called Odd Lots. He brought home a Christmas tree. It was a 48-inch plastic green fiber optic tree. We took it out and we were so ecstatic. It was beautiful! It was only $10. We put it up high on a stand and it has a pretty star on the top. The kids love it as does the cat. We strung simple decorations of garland and lights. We put a few ornaments on some lights and put stockings up. We cut fresh pine stems and placed them about. We are finished and the house looks great. (For $10) After 15 years of doing Christmas every which way, we finally get it now. What is important? What is it for? Why the hustle and bustle?

Tonight I watched my boys as they strung lights and garland with happy faces and cheerful hearts. They truly love God in heaven. They created a beautiful home with what they owned and played music to honor the King. Christmas….is about family, home, honoring our heavenly Father and His Son. Christmas is a time of reflection. It is a time to really see what we have and be happy with what we have. To want more and to strive for more only brings more stress and less time. Here are some ideas I had for a less stressful Christmas.

1. Get a budget. Decide right now how much you have to spend and write it down. Don’t spend any more.
2. Set a limit for gifts for the children. Most children are overwhelmed after 3 gifts anyway. After Grandparents are through, you may not have to get them much anyway. Be wise in your purchases.
3. Consider making a simple meal on some of your Christmas gatherings. Ordering pizza, or a Turkey from your grocer to make things simple may be just the ticket for a stress free dinner with the relatives.
4. Consider making gifts for your extended families and relatives. It is cheaper and the children are more closely involved this way.
5. Give away clothes and toys the children are not currently using. It makes space for their new items and it will bless others in the process.
6. Keep it Simple. In all things, try to keep to the minimum.
7. Spend the time and energy you save from the previous six suggestions to focus on Christ and his provision for all our needs.

Road to Zion wishes you all a Merry Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year. May God bless you all.

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Rosetta Stone Any Language
BIG SALE this month only!!!

Rosetta Stone Level 1 or 2 $169.95 including shipping to US states.

Christian Kids Explore Biology
NEW! ~ Only $29.95

This user-friendly, unabashedly Christian, one-year science curriculum for elementary students includes teaching lessons, gorgeous coloring pages, hands-on time, memorization lists, review sheets, creative writing assignments, and an awesome supplemental book list! Written for 3rd through 6th graders, it can easily be scaled down for younger students, making this an excellent choice for teaching all your elementary-aged kids together. The schedule of 35 weekly lessons calls for teaching twice weekly, allowing a family time for projects, exploration of resource books, field trips, etc. The conversational style gives students the basic information they need, making this an ideal first course in life science; especially useful for those following a classical approach!

Check Out Our Featured Items!

Little Britches from Ralph Moody
$11.95

Ralph Moody was eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Through his eyes we experience the pleasures and perils of ranching there early in the twentieth century. Auctions and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes and windstorms give authentic color to Little Britches. So do adventures, wonderfully told, that equip Ralph to take his father's place when it becomes necessary.

Also see…

• The Dry Divide
• The Fields of Home
• The Home Ranch
• Horse of a Different Color
• Man of the Family
• Mary Emma & Company

New Item News!

This month we will be advertising Astronauts to Zippers, Sing Spell Read & Write & Great Source Writing materials. We are excited to add these items to our store and look forward to giving you more information as soon as we can.

CRYSTAL’S GREAT FIND FOR THE MONTH

Here are some great Christmas sites with recipes and other suggestions for getting organized!

http://organizedchristmas.com/
Great recipes, and other wonderful tips

http://www.christmasorganizing.com/
Holiday edibles, gifts etc..

http://www.geocities.com/giftsinajar/
Great site for gifts in a jar

http://www.just-recipes.net/cookie_recipes.htm
Great Cookie Recipes

http://w3.gwis.com/~ack/Gingerhouse.html
Ginger Bread House

ENJOY!

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Tim’s Easy Science Experiments

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

If the wonderful diversity and complexity of life on Earth does not convince you that that there is a God in heaven, evidence from the heavens themselves surely should. Although you probably have not heard about it from the secular media, new data from the Hubble space telescope and NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) have been quietly supporting creationist theories. For example, it may surprise you to know that the best evidence indicates that Earth is very near the center of the Universe ( CLICK HERE ) . Additionally, recent WMAP data show that the Universe is probably not infinite like many “Big-Bang” theorists claim. These results may have surprised many secular scientists, but they were predicted beforehand by the theories of physicist-creationist D. Russell Humphreys Ph.D. For more details about Dr Humphreys and his theories please see the following link: (CLICK HERE )

For dramatic images of God’s distant creations please see this excellent slide-show:
CLICK HERE (It takes a while to load, but its worth the wait!)

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The Frugal Apple
~Saving Time and Money~

Make this the night before to avoid cooking on Christmas day. This is wonderful!!

Christmas Morning Strata

1 cup broccoli florets
5 cups French bread cubes (about 8 oz.) -- 1/2"
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz.)
1 cup cubed cooked ham (6 oz.)
3 beaten eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
2 Tbs finely chopped onion
1 tsp dry mustard
1 dash pepper

1. Place the broccoli florets and 1 tablespoon water in a 1-quart
2. microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover with vented plastic wrap, and
3. microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 2 to 3 minutes or until
4. just tender; drain well. Or, cook broccoli, covered, in a small
5. amount of boiling water for 4 to 6 minutes or until just tender;
6. drain well. Set aside.
7. Layer half of the bread cubes in a greased 2-quart square baking dish. Top with cheese, ham, and broccoli. Top with the remaining bread cubes. In a mixing bowl, combine the beaten eggs, milk, onion, mustard, and pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over the layers in dish. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.
8. Uncover and bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 1 hour or until a
9. knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand about 5
10. minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Or try this one…but both are well liked in our family.

Make-Ahead: Farmer's Breakfast Casserole
-Easy to do the night before and set in refrigerator

3 cups frozen shredded hash browns, 24 oz. bag
3/4 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3-cup mild salsa
1 cup Ham, or Canadian-style bacon, diced
1/2 cup Green onions, sliced
4 Eggs, beaten
12 oz Evaporated milk, canned
1/4-teaspoon black pepper
1/8-teaspoon salt

1. Grease a 2-quart square-baking dish. Spread the potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheeses, ham, salsa and green onions. Combine the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt and pour over the potato mixture in dish. Cover and refrigerate.
2. To serve, bake, uncovered at 350°F for 40 to 45 or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Optional, add extra shredded cheese to the top during the last 15 minutes of baking.

Servings: 6

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