Heather's Office Crew at the Christmas Party.
Rascal and Grandma Lauralee at Pismo Beach for Thanksgiving.
Craig and Heather eating Seafood for Thanksgiving, (Pismo, Beach, CA).
Craig, Heather, and Rascal at Pismo Beach, CA for Thanksgiving with the Kleinhans Family.December 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Can you believe it’s December and we are heading into a new year again? Wow! Well, it’s been a full year. Let’s see if we can give you a few highlights.
We were fortunate to have Craig’s cousin, Brett, stationed in the Sierra Vista, Arizona for a while. He was able to visit us on many occasions and we enjoyed having him close by. We were also able to visit with family several times this year. We met Craig’s family in Las Vegas for a business trip in May. Craig’s parents brought our dog, Rascal out to us in June. We love having Rascal here with us in Arizona. We celebrated our first Anniversary in June as well. We also met Craig’s family up at Shaver Lake, California in September. Heather’s parents were out in Arizona several times throughout the year, so we were able to see them several times too. Heather had surgery in October, and we are happy to report that she is doing well. We will have to wait and see if the surgery helps down the road. We met Craig’s family and Nana and Papa at Pismo Beach, California for (a seafood) Thanksgiving. Rascal went with us and didn’t care too much for the wet, cold beach. J We are flying to Washington to be with Heather’s family for Christmas, and we are planning to soak in some of the Northwest and eat some more great seafood. J Who knows? Maybe we will have a White Christmas after all. Rascal is going with us. He will be flying for the first time, so we’re hoping he does alright. As for work, Craig and I are still at the same jobs. Heather is still working at Horizon Pediatric Therapy and Craig is still with Quantum Helicopters. We are also enjoying the marriage ministry (Two-Ignite) at church ( http://www.mission68.org/ ).
We are really enjoying this Christmas season. What a wonderful time of year, when we can give to those in need, show love and support for those God’s blessed us with, and stop to thank God for sending His son to be the greatest gift of all, (John 3:16). It’s so great to soak in the sights and sounds of the season, but we always keep in mind the true reason for this season. We pray that you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Please feel free to keep in touch with us often. Our contact info is below.
racer_3c@hotmail.com (Craig)
mrs.hkleinhans@gmail.com (Heather)
(We’re both on Facebook)
http://craigheatherkleinhans.blogspot.com/
http://www.partylite.biz/heatherkleinhans
Sincerely,
Craig and Heather Kleinhans
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Can you believe it’s December and we are heading into a new year again? Wow! Well, it’s been a full year. Let’s see if we can give you a few highlights.
We were fortunate to have Craig’s cousin, Brett, stationed in the Sierra Vista, Arizona for a while. He was able to visit us on many occasions and we enjoyed having him close by. We were also able to visit with family several times this year. We met Craig’s family in Las Vegas for a business trip in May. Craig’s parents brought our dog, Rascal out to us in June. We love having Rascal here with us in Arizona. We celebrated our first Anniversary in June as well. We also met Craig’s family up at Shaver Lake, California in September. Heather’s parents were out in Arizona several times throughout the year, so we were able to see them several times too. Heather had surgery in October, and we are happy to report that she is doing well. We will have to wait and see if the surgery helps down the road. We met Craig’s family and Nana and Papa at Pismo Beach, California for (a seafood) Thanksgiving. Rascal went with us and didn’t care too much for the wet, cold beach. J We are flying to Washington to be with Heather’s family for Christmas, and we are planning to soak in some of the Northwest and eat some more great seafood. J Who knows? Maybe we will have a White Christmas after all. Rascal is going with us. He will be flying for the first time, so we’re hoping he does alright. As for work, Craig and I are still at the same jobs. Heather is still working at Horizon Pediatric Therapy and Craig is still with Quantum Helicopters. We are also enjoying the marriage ministry (Two-Ignite) at church ( http://www.mission68.org/ ).
We are really enjoying this Christmas season. What a wonderful time of year, when we can give to those in need, show love and support for those God’s blessed us with, and stop to thank God for sending His son to be the greatest gift of all, (John 3:16). It’s so great to soak in the sights and sounds of the season, but we always keep in mind the true reason for this season. We pray that you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Please feel free to keep in touch with us often. Our contact info is below.
racer_3c@hotmail.com (Craig)
mrs.hkleinhans@gmail.com (Heather)
(We’re both on Facebook)
http://craigheatherkleinhans.blogspot.com/
http://www.partylite.biz/heatherkleinhans
Sincerely,
Craig and Heather Kleinhans
Why do we celebrate Christmas?
Luke 2:1-7
The Birth of Jesus
The Birth of Jesus
1 -5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
6 -7While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
Matthew 1:18-25
The Birth of Jesus
18 -19The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20 -23While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
24 -25Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.
18 -19The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20 -23While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
24 -25Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.
John 3:16
16For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
The Chronological History of the Christmas Tree
St. Boniface Story
St. Boniface Story
Why do we have a decorated Christmas Tree? In the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God. He did many good works there, and spent much time in Thuringia, an area which was to become the cradle of the Christmas Decoration Industry.
Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God's Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.
The first decorated tree was at Riga in Latvia, in 1510. In the early 16th century, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas Tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through the dark night.
Christmas Wreaths
In ancient Rome, people used decorative wreaths as a sign of victory. Some believe that this is where the hanging of wreaths on doors came from.
The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light. Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens with a fifth candle in the middle. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal-- one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting of each candle. The last candle is the middle candle. The lighting of this candle takes place on Christmas Eve. It represents Jesus Christ being born.
The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light. Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens with a fifth candle in the middle. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal-- one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting of each candle. The last candle is the middle candle. The lighting of this candle takes place on Christmas Eve. It represents Jesus Christ being born.
Candy Canes
During the 17th century, craftsmen created white sticks of candy in the shape of shephreds' crooks at the suggestion of the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The candy treats were given to children to keep them quiet during ceremonies at the living creche, or Nativity scene, and the custom of passing out the candy crooks at such ceremonies soon spread throughout Europe.According to the National Confectioner's Association, in 1847 German immigrant August Imgard used the candy cane to decorate a Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio. More than 50 years later, Bob McCormack of Albany, Georgia supposedly made candy canes as treats for family, friends and local shopkeepers. McCormack's brother-in-law, Catholic priest Gregory Keller, invented a machine in the 1950s that automated the production of candy canes, thus eliminating the usual laborious process of creating the treats and the popularity of the candy cane grew.More recent explanations of the candy cane's symbolism hold that the color white represents Christ's purity, the red the blood he shed, and the presence of three red stripes the Holy Trinity. While factual evidence for these notions does not exist, they have become increasingly common and at times are even represented as fact. Regardless, the candy cane remains a favorite holiday treat and decoration.
12 Days of Christmas
It is said that the traditional Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written as a secret teaching tool to instruct children in the meaning of the Christian faith. From 1558 to 1829 Roman Catholics in England were, apparently, forbidden from openly practicing their religion. So, this carol was devised to get the message across without upsetting the Protestants. Here is the broken code, thanks to this contribution from Guyneitha.
Passage = Hidden definition
My true love=God
Me=The Christian
Partridge in a pear tree=Jesus
Two Turtle Doves=The old and new testaments
Three French hens=Faith, hope and love
Four calling birds=The four gospels
Five gold rings=The first five books of the Bible
Six geese a-laying=The six days of creation
Seven swans a-swimming=The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight maids a-milking=The beatitudes
Nine ladies dancing=The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten lords a-leaping=The ten commandments
Eleven pipers piping=The eleven faithful disciples
Twelve drummers drumming=The twelve points of the apostle creed
