The Carnival of Christmas

Welcome to the First Carnival of Christmas. Below you will find a variety of postings. Many sacred, others secular, but they all reflect a Spirit of good cheer and happiness that has come in our world through Christmas.

As this is a season of Giving, we’ll start off with some great charities that you can support this Christmas Season:

National Charities:

The following charities do great work for the poor and needy in America and around the world.

The Salvation Army
Operation Blessing
Catholic Charities

In America, Christians can still freely celebrate Christmas. In other countries, that’s not the case as dear people face torture and death for their faith. At this time of year, its appropriate to remember them:

Voice of the Martyrs

World Serve Read my Blog post on their lights of Christmas Campaign.

I’m honored to be a resident of Boise were good people are doing incredible things. I’d like to introduce you to two great charities giving a helping hand to the people of the Treasure Valley. While I understand most readers aren’t from Idaho, but Americans often give to help people in other lands, why not people in other states? I’m proud of these two local charities and think they deserve as much support as they can get.

The Boise Rescue Mission: They minister to the homeless of the Treasure Valley. They don’t just give them a fish, they teach them how to fish so they can eat and survive for a lifetime. They’ve just expanded their ministry, taking over a city run homeless shelter on a lease basis with plans to buy. They’re incredible.

The Idaho Food Bank: Another group of awesome people. Idaho Food Bank helps feed the hungry of our state and they do a great job. They know how to pinch a penny until a screams. They’re the second most efficient food bank in the nation according to Charity Navigator and are worthy of your support.

Also, I do want to take this opportunity wish our Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa to those who are celebrating that.

With that, lets get to the Carnival.

Stories

I’ve got to start out with a very special thank you to Romeo Cat of Cathouse Chat while many bloggers have helped promote the Carnival, I think she deserves special plaudits. She has given me more links than I could count and also has been posting Christmas-related posts every day for weeks. You can read all her posts here.We’ll lead off with one of her posts as she captures the excitement of the First Coming of Christ with a fresh telling of the familiar story of Shepherds in The Angels.The Red Queen at Red Queen Affair tells how she met Jesus on Christmas in Jesus Has Arrived

The ancient Law departs,
And all its fears remove,
For Jesus makes with faithful hearts
A covenant of love…
Today the name is Thine
At which we bend the knee.
They call Thee Jesus, Child Divine;
Our Jesus deign to be…
-Sebestan Besnault, The Ancient Law Departs

Jim “Suldog” Sullivan at Suldog-O-Rama presents The Gift, a well-written story of his childhood that reminds us that the greatest gift is love.Barbara of Trying to Catch Up talks about why her ten year old still believes in Santa and why she’s in no hurry for this to change in Warning: Do Not Let Children Read ThisSpeaking of Santa, Gear Daddy at Grinding Gears almost spilled the beans to his son. Learn more in That’s Me, The Grinch

Tracey of Worship Naked admits to impersonating Santa Claus in Santa Scam Revisited.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.-Frank P. Church, The New York Sun

Don’t Mess with Taxes has a post about their annual Christmas letter tradition and how they’re using it this year to promote their blog.

By the way, have you considered the tax implications of being Santa? How’s his Portfolio doing? And what happens when tax men dress up Santa Claus to get people to pay up? Well, Don’t Mess with Taxes gives you the straight scoop in Ho, ho, ho, hand over your taxes.

Matt of From the Morning began to say Merry Christmas and found no one was offended in all. Learn more in My Merry Christmas Experiment. Absolutely wonderful post.

By the way, Different River at Different River who is Jewish explains why he doesn’t have a problem with calling it a Christmas Tree in What kind of a tree is it?

The artificial Christmas tree is often considered a cheap knock off, but for Barbara of Trying to Catch-up, after nineteen years, it has become traditional at her home. Learn more in Ode to An Artificial Christmas Tree.Barbara also remembers her mother’s greatest Christmas gift to her in Rockin’ Christmas Eve.CFO Mom over My Cats are French is a huge fan of aluminum trees and owns not one but two of them. Read more in Ever Gleam Forever

Jim “Suldog” Sullivan at Suldog-O-Rama presents A Christmas Miracle. It’s the story of A lost cat, found, and a doomed cat, saved.

Courtesy of Cat Stuff

The Spirit of Christmas:

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.-Dr. Seuss in “The Grich Who Stole Christmas”

Adam at Adam’s Blog shares Leo Tolstoy’s famous poem, The Guest which reminds us that as we do it to the least of His brethren, we’ve done unto him.

Taleena at Sun Comprehending Glass takes a look at Dickens’ Christmas Classic as a tale of repentance in Christmas and ScroogeI from The Adam Graham Program do a podcast where I read the graveyard scene.

Scrooge: But Jacob, you were always a good man of business.
Marley: Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!

Romeocat brings us a simple but powerful message in a time of year that’s filled with stress in Rejoice. She then finds great theological truth in an old favorite carol in Faithful Come

What could be more Christmas like than Caroling? Pet of 100 Bloggers talks about her plans to bring a little Christmas tradition to small town in Florida in Almost Time

Want to get a Nativity Scene? Jay at Stop The ACLU presents Operation Nativity and shows you how to get one on your blog or website.

Humor:

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it ‘Christmas’ and went to church; the Jews called it ‘Hanukkah’ and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say ‘Merry Christmas!’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah!’ or (to the atheists) ‘Look out for the wall!’ ~Dave Barry, “Christmas Shopping: A Survivor’s Guide”

Hat tip: Quote Garden

Random Yak at Random Yak presents Tinsel! in which he shows the many useful and previously unknown uses of tinsel.Also, just in case you didn’t know The Yak explains some common Christmas DefinitionsWith X-mas going out of style, I suggest the Holiday might find a new home in May or September with a new focus in Celebrating X-Mas on the Wrong Date

Jim “Suldog” Sullivan at Suldog-O-Rama has A Confession. He likes fruitcake. *gasps* On the bright side, now you know where to send them.

FACT: National Fruitcake day is December 27th.

GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) presents How to Stuff a Lory During the Holidays Exotic birds are cute, but try making Christmas dinner with them around. Also fantastic pictures of the Lory.

Don Surber gives a run down on several attempts to parody a classic Christmas song in The 12 days of Christmas parodies

Poetry and Music

On the morning of Christ’s Nativity by William Blake

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

-The Little Drummer Boy

David at third world county presents The Gift, a great poem that he wrote.

Williams Burns guest blogging at Adam’s Blog has Christmas Poems including four Christmas Haikus.

Martin at Complete and Utter Poetry has Mary’s Lament, a beautiful piece of poetry taking a look at Jesus’ birth and life through the eyes of Mary.

Vanhanda at Christmas Hub presents Christmas Songs

Xyba at Once More Into the Breach explains what his favorite Christmas Carols have in common in Two Christmas Carols.

Brian Leon wonders Why are Winter Songs never sung after Christmas?

Other

Just in case you’re forgetting something in your preparations two days before Christmas, Barbara at Tidbits and Treasures has a check list.

If you’ve spent this Christmas over-stressed, you may want to consider planning for your next Christmas now. Jeffrey at Personal Finance Advice has some ideas to save money after Christmas.

Christmas Greetings:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.-Luke 2:10

Christmas Greetings from Apollo 8 (1968)

From Wordlab

From Conservative Cat

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I thank God for bringing everyone together and inspiring me. The funny thing about this Carnival is that I’d gone to bed and put all my blog stuff away for the day and then the idea popped into my head and I knew I had to do it.

Thanks to all the posters. You guys have produced some truly awesome pieces and you ought to be proud of yourself.

Thanks to Andrea for putting up with this whole thing.

Special thanks to those who promoted the Carnival. We already mentioned Romeo Cat. Random Yak promoted this Carnival almost daily. So many posts came from people who knew David at Third World County, he was a great help. Lyn at Bloggin’ Out Loud kept a link to us on his site through the whole carnival.

Thanks to Evangelical Outpost, The Anchoress, Basil’s Blog and My cats are French for mentioning that we were seeking submissions for the Carnival. I know there are probably others and if you feel you’ve been left out, please let me know and I’ll endeavor to correct that.

For mentioning the Carnival on their blogs without even having an entry, Special Thanks to LaShawn Barber, Ogre’s Politics and News, Girl on the Right, and Riehle World Views, The Real Ugly American, Michelle Malkin, GM’s Corner, The Uncooperative Blogger, Hard Astarboard, Not My Fault, Daily Pundit, Writing Right, The Political Pitbull, Everyday Thoughts Collected, In the Right Place, All Things Beautiful, Dizzy Girl, TMH Bacon Bits, and Leslie’s Omnibus.

Thanks to those who put stuff in the public domain. I couldn’t have done this without you.

Some posts were not used because they didn’t fit the guidelines of the Carnival. If your submitted post was sent in and not included for any other reason e-mail and I’ll correct it.

Thank you so much for reading. May you have a truly blessed Christmas this year and may God grant us peace on Earth, good will toward men.

Next year’s Carnival of Christmas will be right back here at Adam’s Blog.

Merry Christmas!

Linked at Uber Carnival and Wizbang Carnival of the Trackbacks.