tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post4702172411306399767..comments2024-03-27T14:25:35.242-04:00Comments on Heroes, Heroines, and History: The Origins of Christmas--and Giveaway!Debbie Lynne Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16381517812227326616noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-77588400280741659712017-12-27T07:20:01.764-05:002017-12-27T07:20:01.764-05:00And now for our winners....TA DA! Connie R. and Pa...And now for our winners....TA DA! Connie R. and Paula each win a copy of One Holy Night!!! Congratulations, ladies! Please message me through Facebook or email me at jmhochstetler at msn dot com with your shipping address, and I'll get those copies in the mail to you asap!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-24301023265113605572017-12-27T07:03:17.806-05:002017-12-27T07:03:17.806-05:00Linda, most scholars do think she was pretty young...Linda, most scholars do think she was pretty young. Being the mother of the Savior of the world would be a pretty big burden to bear, I would think! Thanks for stopping by and entering the drawing, and good luck!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-11834418417141362572017-12-26T23:54:51.870-05:002017-12-26T23:54:51.870-05:00One of the contributors to the Guideposts Devotion...One of the contributors to the Guideposts Devotional shared about a shy teenage girl in a play at their church and compared her to how Mary must have felt. I don't think I ever thought about her being so young. (rayorr@bellsouth.net)Linda Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02911912508256897208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-17728856056798652412017-12-26T22:23:08.750-05:002017-12-26T22:23:08.750-05:00You're right, Paula! Thanks so much for stoppi...You're right, Paula! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing, and good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-59019699779747993212017-12-26T17:31:28.776-05:002017-12-26T17:31:28.776-05:00That was an interesting read. It’s not so importan...That was an interesting read. It’s not so important to pinpoint the day that Christ was born. The important thing is that He was born so that He could live for us and die for us, rise for us and ascend and He will come for us again! It is mor convenient to use December 25. It’s an opportunity for us to tell others the real meaning of Christmas! Blessings! Paula Shreckhisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05950258738360858885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-62978949160626793172017-12-26T16:57:55.541-05:002017-12-26T16:57:55.541-05:00Love it, Bev! That's so cool about celebrating...Love it, Bev! That's so cool about celebrating Christmas again on Jan. 6--a lovely tradition to begin to connect with your Armenian cousins. Thank you for sharing!!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-7897448381292423162017-12-26T14:25:28.977-05:002017-12-26T14:25:28.977-05:00Joan, we have many Christmas traditions. One of th...Joan, we have many Christmas traditions. One of them is that we bake a cake, light a candle on it and sing Happy birthday to Jesus. We've been doing that since Meg was about four.<br /><br />We have some other traditions but I won't write them here. Maybe I'll tell you about them sometime when we're talking if, the subject comes up.<br /><br />We are starting a new (new to us) tradition this year. We're going to celebrate Christmas (We put a few gifts aside.) again on January 6th. That's when the Armenians celebrate Christmas. We wanted to celebrate like our new found Armenian cousins.Beverly Duell-Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07862757234115839727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-48173447286166375992017-12-26T14:00:30.174-05:002017-12-26T14:00:30.174-05:00That's so neat, Martha! I'll bet your boys...That's so neat, Martha! I'll bet your boys have developed some Christmas traditions in their own families. It's such fun to see our children carry on traditions we started and/or develop new ones too. Thanks for sharing, and good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-76498365151576852082017-12-26T11:28:22.076-05:002017-12-26T11:28:22.076-05:00Forgot to add that for the past 45 years, our Chri...Forgot to add that for the past 45 years, our Christmas Pageant at church has been a tradition for us as well. I sang in the choir and participated in the program every year, and our boys also participated as members of the youth choir.Martha W. Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02415972499923372153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-11342649078841638232017-12-26T11:24:19.935-05:002017-12-26T11:24:19.935-05:00Thanks for an interesting blog. The exact date doe...Thanks for an interesting blog. The exact date doesn't matter to me. The important thing is that He came. God sent His Son Jesus to bring hope, peace, and light into a dark world of sin. <br />A family tradition we no longer observe because we're empty nesters and in our eighties. When our boys were home, it was our tradition to buy and decorate our tree on our middle son's birthday, December 10. Then I developed a severe allergy to live trees and we went to an artificial one when they were in their teens. <br /><br />A new tradition developed when they went off to college. I had to have my homemade peanut brittle ready for them every year. That still carries on and I gave out boxes of my peanut brittle to our sons this Christmas. Our youngest son was born on New Year's Eve 49 years ago and until he was seven, he thought the whole world celebrated his birthday. Martha W. Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02415972499923372153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-28576878115598704282017-12-26T10:21:01.457-05:002017-12-26T10:21:01.457-05:00Oh, I love that, Becky! Family traditions like tha...Oh, I love that, Becky! Family traditions like that are so meaningful for children--not to mention the grownups--and we carry those with us throughout our lives. Thanks for stopping by and sharing, and good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-53993786604833405702017-12-26T10:19:10.342-05:002017-12-26T10:19:10.342-05:00Susan, this subject just fascinates me. Last night...Susan, this subject just fascinates me. Last night my husband and I watched a video on youtube by Jonathan Cahn in which he went deeply into all the signs in the Bible pointing to Jesus exact birth date and the significance of each one, and it was amazing! Most of us have no idea of how exactly God fulfilled all the prophecies related to the Messiah. I just love to learn about how He worked in all of it!<br /><br />I agree with you about family! Thanks for stopping by, and good luck in the drawing. J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-65747511967425140232017-12-26T10:18:04.832-05:002017-12-26T10:18:04.832-05:00I love all this history you share! Our family tra...I love all this history you share! Our family tradition is a homemade wooden Calendar combining the story of Jesus' birth from Matthew and Luke. We start on the first day of December and end on Christmas Eve. Each day starts with door 1, and ends with the door for that day. My children can recite it from memory.Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11672101774806024667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-6409913443519149122017-12-26T10:14:13.306-05:002017-12-26T10:14:13.306-05:00Jesus is the only gift we need, isn't he, Stac...Jesus is the only gift we need, isn't he, Stacy? Thank you for stopping by, and good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-27435381904953582662017-12-26T10:13:25.023-05:002017-12-26T10:13:25.023-05:00I'm glad you stopped by, Mikala. Good luck in ...I'm glad you stopped by, Mikala. Good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-14222004527128801212017-12-26T10:11:50.516-05:002017-12-26T10:11:50.516-05:00Thank you so much for the link Linda! I'm very...Thank you so much for the link Linda! I'm very interested in this, and I'm going to watch it asap. Good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-17356895685218553632017-12-26T10:11:04.034-05:002017-12-26T10:11:04.034-05:00That's the best tradition of all, isn't it...That's the best tradition of all, isn't it, Marilyn? There's nothing sweeter. :-)J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-77997125613091606752017-12-26T10:10:32.380-05:002017-12-26T10:10:32.380-05:00I totally agree with you, Marilyn! Thanks for stop...I totally agree with you, Marilyn! Thanks for stopping by, and good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-89092796617600827482017-12-26T10:09:47.943-05:002017-12-26T10:09:47.943-05:00That's really all we need to know, isn't i...That's really all we need to know, isn't it, Melanie? I'm so grateful he did for us what we can't! Good luck in the drawing!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-1005523554447101962017-12-26T10:09:02.676-05:002017-12-26T10:09:02.676-05:00You're so welcome, Connie! I'm glad you st...You're so welcome, Connie! I'm glad you stopped by, and you're entered in the drawing. Good luck!J. M. Hochstetler1https://www.blogger.com/profile/00681163398104124250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-44271369935350923902017-12-26T09:43:56.390-05:002017-12-26T09:43:56.390-05:00Thank you for this post. It was very informative. ...Thank you for this post. It was very informative. I knew some of the information you gave, but not nearly all of it. One of my favorite things about Christmas is being with family. <br />susanmsj at msn dot comSusan Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02354991677539547111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-31742378854215399862017-12-26T09:38:19.678-05:002017-12-26T09:38:19.678-05:00This book is so needed to make people aware of the...This book is so needed to make people aware of the religious and historical significance and not a time to get gifts. Stacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01042056585824203796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-77955410715551796452017-12-26T09:33:08.308-05:002017-12-26T09:33:08.308-05:00Very Interesting. I certainly want to win & re...Very Interesting. I certainly want to win & read.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01507027464424755616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-68372634411402227272017-12-26T07:52:29.488-05:002017-12-26T07:52:29.488-05:00Fascinating post. We just got a DVD called The Sta...Fascinating post. We just got a DVD called The Star of Bethlehem that is a documentary discussing the possibilities for what the Magi saw. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but my husband says it is quite compelling. Here's the article on which the film is based: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/the-star-of-bethlehem/Linda Matchetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05921797723329487407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-84524341400727631912017-12-26T07:52:25.077-05:002017-12-26T07:52:25.077-05:00Oops forgot to share family favorite tradition. On...Oops forgot to share family favorite tradition. One is being with family while celebrating Jesus' birth and sharing memories. Marilyn R. https://www.blogger.com/profile/05823250623223816968noreply@blogger.com