Category Archives: Christmas themed

We Need a Little Christmas in July…Again…

Posted on July 5, 2020 by

Here’s my (annual) contribution. Every year when I re-post this it seems the world is more grief-filled, less hopeful. But the message in here is timeless–whether one is a believer, not, or not yet. Consider… From Russia with Hope: Christmas … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible/literary themes, Christmas themed, encouragement in hard times, GUEST and EMBEDDED FEATURES, most recent posts | Leave a comment

Best of Holiday Posts–“From Russia with Hope: Christmas in July” (2012) and a Verse (2019)

Posted on December 22, 2019 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila This post first appeared as a “Christmas in July” feature in 2012. The short story “Christmas” by Russian author Vladimir Nabokov is a little literary gem that for me addresses the temptation to despair when grief overshadows … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible/literary themes, elements, Christmas themed, Devotionals, most recent posts, poetry, spiritual survival, spiritual transformation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Though Fragile in Years and Status, She Said Yes: a Meditation on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and “Everybeliever”

Posted on December 17, 2019 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila In the fullness of time, though fragile in years and status I understood the angel’s invitation and agreed to birth You among us… The devotional from which the excerpt, above, is drawn, linked here and reprinted in … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Women Topics, Christmas themed, Commentaries, most recent posts, prophecy, salvation by grace, spiritual transformation, Thanksgiving themed | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Best of Holiday Posts: “Mrs. Brown, Rhubarb Pie, and Christmas Gifts…”

Posted on December 7, 2019 by

This might be my all time favorite Christmas post, thus its most-repeated appearance. It embodies a bit of family nostalgia by way of an engaging and humorous anecdote from the life of one of my younger brothers, Doug, aged 5 … Continue reading →

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Merry Christmas (2.0)

Posted on December 4, 2019 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila I am still thinking about my recent poem “Yet He Said Yes” wherein, for one thing, I wanted to express how Jesus Christ, through Whom all things were made, even crafted for Himself a body in which … Continue reading →

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“The Christmas Soldier”–and Help our Military Heroes

Posted on December 2, 2019 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila This post originally appeared in 2015 and was re-posted last year.  I was hoping maybe by this year there would be no more stories like this, stories of young men and women coming and going from wars … Continue reading →

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Best of Holiday Posts: “The Two Best Christmas Gifts Ever for the Skeptic Who Has (Almost) Everything” (2016)

Posted on November 30, 2019 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila THE BEST GIFT The Online Etymology Dictionary reveals that the compound word, “Christmas” (Christ + mass, combined and shortened), introduced in the mid-fourteenth century, refers to the “sending, letting go” of Christ (kind of like somebody or even … Continue reading →

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“Yet He Said Yes”

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us… (Ephesians 1:4)  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or … Continue reading →

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Advent (“Yet Out the Shrouds of Winter…”)

Posted on November 20, 2019 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Advent “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land… Yet out the shrouds of winter a candle flicks and calls to passers-by bereft, whose hearts long iced … Continue reading →

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Christmas-Themed, Redux # 5–“Mrs. Brown, Rhubarb Pie, and Christmas Gifts…”

Posted on December 21, 2018 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila From December, 2017 and prior This might be my all time favorite Christmas post, thus its repeated appearance. It embodies a bit of family nostalgia by way of an engaging and humorous anecdote from the life of … Continue reading →

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