Category Archives: Christmas themed

On Mrs. Brown, Rhubarb Pie, and (Christmas) Gifts-Revisited

Posted on December 12, 2017 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Mrs. Brown Mrs. Brown, one of the richest people in town, lived across the street from my family in Escanaba, Michigan, in the 1950s.

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God’s “Progressive Gift” to Us at Christmas–and All–Time

Posted on December 5, 2017 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila God’s “progressive gift”? It all starts here: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). My sister Barbara, whose handiwork and art is often featured in my headers (including the current … Continue reading →

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It’s Never Too Early To Enjoy Some Christmas Mirth: Every Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie Ever

Posted on November 9, 2017 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila and Andy Beveridge My brother Andy and I are, we confess, already watching Hallmark Christmas movies–even though the neighborhood kids are still coming down from their Halloween sugar highs and Thanksgiving turkeys are still in the freezer … Continue reading →

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On the Nabokov “Christmas” Story. In July. Again…

Posted on July 6, 2017 by

I have decided to offer my post based on the Vladimir Nabokov short story “Christmas” (which I have featured, now, three times since 2012 for various reasons) as an annual “Christmas in July” tradition. It epitomizes to me the ever-present … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible/literary themes, Bible/literary themes, elements, Christmas themed, Commentaries, Devotionals, most recent posts, salvation by grace, spiritual transformation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Two Best Christmas Gifts Ever for the Skeptic Who Has (Almost) Everything

Posted on December 8, 2016 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 Somebody … Continue reading →

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Two Touching Christmas Stories Re-Gifted: 1958, 2015

Posted on November 28, 2016 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Well, you know how it is: nostalgia decks the mind and the heart at Christmastime. We are as likely to be enchanted again with certain gifts of yore as with all that shines new before us. One … Continue reading →

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The Christmas Soldier

Posted on December 23, 2015 by

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila My teen-aged niece and I were standing in line at the checkout in J.C. Penny’s yesterday when we noticed the young soldier striding toward a nearby exit. He looked like any raw-boned, young GI, clad in desert … Continue reading →

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