by Noella Noelophile®
(Royalty-free image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.)
“It goes by so quickly.”
That was a comment which a beloved family member made, as we spent time together on Christmas Day.
She’s absolutely right.
Are you still adjusting to writing “2023”, too? As well as, maybe, acclimating to taking down the Christmas decorations?
We’re doing that gradually over here.
As we move forward into the New Year, 2023, here are some of my favorite discoveries from this past Christmas season.
A new arts resource
(Royalty-free image by Kateryna from Pixabay.)
Prior to this past Christmas season, I didn’t know anything about San Francisco School of Needlework and Design. But you can bet I’ll be following this fantastic nonprofit now!
They offer in-person classes, as well as online ones. And there are all kinds of free resources–including their weekly “Stitch-In” groups and their biannual “Stitch at Home” challenge, which you still have time to enter if you like! (But hurry–their deadline’s coming up!)
In their mission of preserving needlework arts and educating stitchers in techniques from all around the world, they also have an exciting professional program, which starts every January. Here’s the link for more information.
A new favorite virtual Christmas activity
(Royalty-free image by Monika Schröder from Pixabay.)
It’s no secret at all that I L-O-V-E the Museum of Make Believe, in Anaheim.
But on December 23rd, they really outdid themselves.
Virtual admission was free to their special show, “Winter Wonderland: A Vintage Christmas”, and it was absolutely fantastic.
“Wow, this took a lot of work!” was what we said after the ninety-minute celebration concluded.
(Royalty-free image by Vinzenz Lorenz M from Pixabay.)
In those ninety minutes, we had seen:
- “Santa Shorts”, short funny video clips starring Anaheim performance artist Buster Balloon as Santa (and he and his elf sidekick were hilarious!);
- An excellent “Nutcracker” video, courtesy of Anaheim Ballet; (they actually managed to give a new and magical perspective on the classic “Nutcracker”, which I won’t ruin by saying what it was!);
- A Victorian “magic lantern” story;
(Royalty-free image by Sabrina Ripke from Pixabay.)
- A Christmas story told with old-time paper/stick puppets;
- An adorable puppetry take on the classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, from Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts;
- A polymer-clay Christmas craft, and a session teaching guests how to make a festive winter drink that would add merriment to the life of any milkshake aficionado!
(Royalty-free image by Circe Denyer from Pixabay.)
Knowing how much time and effort is involved in creating a simple video, I can only guess they must have started in midsummer. to produce this festive gift for attendees who tuned in from literally all over the world.
Which leads me to say: keep an eye on Museum of Make Believe for more fun and whimsical offerings as they make art accessible, and create-able, to all through imagination! They’re currently raising funds for a permanent venue and I’ll love to see it when this COVID mess is through!
A new favorite Christmas story
(Royalty-free image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.)
Maybe you knew that Anne of Green Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery had written a classic Christmas story.
But I certainly didn’t!
It’s nice to find a Christmas story like the ones I grew up with, where family, love and miracles take center stage. Christmas at Red Butte is such a story.
Set in the California Gold Rush era, the tale follows a family that’s fallen on hard times. Sixteen-year-old Theodora has come to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins following her mother’s passing. But after her uncle’s death, Theodora and her aunt make every possible sacrifice to make ends meet for her three young cousins.
(Royalty-free image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.)
And now, Christmas is coming. And as ten-year-old Jimmy assures his younger siblings on Christmas Eve, “Of course”, Santa is too.
Which, given the family’s circumstances, leaves Theodora with a dilemma.
How she deals with this challenge, and the unexpected turn of events that follows, made for a great classic Christmas read. And this is just one of the “12 Classic Christmas Tales” in the anthology by that name, compiled by V. E. Lane. It’s well worth checking out of your local library.
And–those were three of my favorite experiences, to treasure from Christmas 2022!
As we go forward, what treasures do you have in your heart from this past Christmas season–and what are you looking forward to creating for Christmas in the future?