There's something about the holidays that makes everything a little something special. There's the lights, the movies, the red lipstick, and the Christmas carols (links all posts from this month). I know that for me the break seems hardly long enough for me to get all of the fun Christmas traditions done. I must make sure that I bake lots of cookies, purchase and wrap every present, watch many Christmas movies, go to all of the Christmas parties, and somehow also rest in Christ.

The task of Christmas is almost too much for me.



The load of accomplishing every Christmas joy weighs on me sometimes. I want to do everything this Christmas break and made a very long list of the things to do. But with every passing day, I don't do all that I thought that I should do. Things take longer than expected, and new events come up that I didn't plan on. How can I do everything when these little "nothings" keep taking up my time? How can I celebrate Christmas just like I want to when it is only two days away and I still haven't done everything on my list? The pressure of making Christmas extra special makes me feel a little bit empty. The need to get everything done ruins my joy.

I remember that as a little girl, I loved the "Christmas Spirit." I loved ohhing and ahhing over the glossy American Girl catalog. I loved dancing around the house and taking lots of pictures when we put up Christmas decorations. I loved making gift lists and baking cookies, assembling gingerbread houses and seeing my whole world dress up in lights. And of course, I loved opening presents!

But as I grew older, I found the "Christmas Spirit" harder and harder to feel. I lost the wonder and the childlike joy, and so I just kept trying and trying to get it back. I would do all the more Christmas crafts and traditions, and I listened to Christmas music galore! But it didn't always work. Granted, sometimes it did, and the happiness that came with those treasured Christmas memories still makes me smile. But many other times, I felt disappointed at how I grew too old for the "Christmas Spirit."

Do you ever feel that way?

Something occurred to me this past week, though, something that changed the way I thought about Christmas and timekeeping in general, and something that sounds a lot like the title of my blog.

I may not be able to do everything this Christmas, but in everything I do, I can be with Christ!

And that, my dear friends, is the real Spirit of Christmas. It is Immanuel, God with us!

Because, let's face it, we can't go back to the way Christmas was, and we can't control the way Christmas is. Joy can't be forced, and peace isn't necessarily a clean schedule. Christmas is so much more than we give it credit for.

It is Christ with us!

And this changes everything!!!! 

When we live with the Spirit of Christ, we can have joy even in the mundane car rides and bumper-to-bumper traffic. When we visit with Christ, wrapping gifts and making cookies takes on a new meaning and joy! When we walk in obedience and love of Jesus, the One born for us, true peace and community form in even the most difficult places.

Guys, I think we've found the Christmas Spirit! And it is Jesus!

And so, as Christmas waits for us in two days, let us embrace the Christmas Spirit. Let us embrace Jesus! Talk to Him, be with Him, for He is always with you! He has come! Immanuel!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I love y'all so much!

Princess Hannah

Playlist Number One: Classic Christmas Joy

Oh how much I love the songs on this playlist! I didn't follow a particular pattern for these songs, only that they represent the classic Christmas spirit so dear to me! My absolute favorite Christmas songs are the ones centered on Emmanuel! Oh how much worship can happen to the well-known songs of O Holy Night, Joy to the World, and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (my current favorite)!

Many of the artists I chose appear more than once on the playlist, and my go-to Christmas album is the David Crowder Band Oh For Joy album. Seriously, go and buy it! I also sprinkled in some classics, some Charlie Brown, some a cappella, and some upbeat twists! And we can't forget about our good friend of Christmas music, Mr. Michael Buble!



Playlist Number Two: Soft Christmas Melodies

These artists are not artists that I usually listen to, but after exploring some new music, I found that I loved the acoustic vibe and gentle Christmas melodies found in these songs! My favorite is Oh Come All Ye Faithful by Jonnyswim (that song actually made it to both playlists). I must credit Abbie and her Christmas playlist for a couple of these songs!



Let these songs envelop you this week in worship of Emmanuel! Shout them out and whisper them in your heart. Let them sick in deep and come out with joy. Be still if need be, and dance around if need be. Just don't pass up the truth and joy of Emmanuel this week. Don't forget to rejoice in the Lord who is come!

Merry Christmas and much love to you all,

Princess Hannah

Is is okay if I live in red lipstick this month?

It is? Well then that's splendid, because I already used up many a red lipstick day and feel many more will arrive in my near future!

There's something about December that makes everything a little something special. The way the world shines a bit brighter and sounds a bit more cheery. The way friends and family connect over traditions done every year and yet different each time. The way the house wraps itself in holiday colors. The way Christmas coffee cups start off the mornings with a bit of festivity.

But mostly, Christmas lightens up our souls because of the way Christ comes to change everything about our lives. The way the message of joy seeps through the artificial happiness sold at half-price at Target this weekend. The way the Story of Jesus is proclaimed and natural to talk about. The way the world unites together to celebrate something bigger than all of us. That's what makes December special.

And I love it all!

I love Christmas time and I cannot help but squeal a bit when my favorite holiday traditions come around each year! The familiar events and the loved ones sharing them with me makes my heart smile from the memories of the past and the ones forming now. I love the way that Christ makes everything a little something special. And so, I want to share with you some of my favorite Christmas traditions in hope that you rejoice in the little and big things alike this month. God is the giver of good gifts, and this year, like every year, He gives the gift of Christ with us, Christmas. Let us rejoice!

12 Ways to Make Christmas a Little Something Special: 

1. Decorate the Whole House

I love decorating, but Christmas decorations are a step above the rest. In my house, we go all out, covering every surface with Christmas figurines and swarming our tree with as many ornaments as we can fit on the branches! In my room, I use white lights, a little silver tree, and pink Nutcracker-themes ornaments and figures. The day during which we put up the tree is simply wonderful because it just feels like Christmas as we unpack the numerous boxes and dance around the house to Christmas music!



We also love to craft some decorations, and I've made this wreath (I used an embroidery hoop and real pointe shoes) and these ornaments last year! I think I want to paint some canvases and make a pinecone garland, but I love new Christmas craft ideas if y'all have any!

2. Listen to Christmas Music

This simple act can change any day into a little something special, and look for my Christmas playlist coming to the blog soon! (Hint, it contains David Crowder Band and Micheal Buble.)

Gratefulness. I know that Thanksgiving was last week, but a lifestyle of giving thanks never ends, and since the ever-lovely Grace from Totally Graced nominated me for the Gratitude Tag, I want to continue to think about gratefulness.




So let's see what these five questions and my rambling mind will reveal about gratefulness!

1. What is your favorite quote or verse that reminds you to be grateful? 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 are go-to when it comes to verses about thankfulness.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 


2. Who are you grateful for? 

Oh, I am grateful for so many people! But I remember thanking God for my family on Thanksgiving, as I do many times, but this time the thanks bloomed a bit more inside of me. I heard the laughter coming from the living room, coming from the joy of togetherness. I thought about how safe and loved and excited I feel about spending time with my family, and I just started crying. What did I do to deserve such a life? How did I earn so many blessings?

Just a moment ago I had felt discontent with life; I felt it to be petty and consumer-oriented, ruining Thanksgiving. But this moment of truth, the moment in which I thought, what if life didn't look like this, changed my day. For I suddenly knew that God gives good gifts, that He is the good gift, and that right here and right now hold so many blessings, blessings that I, in my self-righteousness, would have missed.

So I am grateful for my wonderful family, but mostly for God who reveals Himself to us in little and big ways, turning around the binoculars through which we view life, so that instead of just seeing one spot, we can witness that big picture or His Story all around us!

3. What life events are you thankful for? 

I'm not sure if I ever told this story to the blog, but a few years ago, Dad started a church. He had big dreams and we had great hearts, but for some reason, it didn't work out. For two years, we met in coffee shops or apartment meeting rooms, never more than 40 people, very rarely anyone near my age.

It was a hard time, because I felt isolated. I was home-schooled and now I went to a home church? I didn't give up, but I often wondered why God didn't move the way I thought He should move. I prayed almost every day for those two years that a girl my age would come, be my friend, and encourage me in the faith. But God answered in another way, and we stopped the church and started going to an established church where I learned much but still didn't make friends.

It's taken me a while to be truly thankful for that time in life, and I'm still not completely there yet. I don't regret it, and I trust God's story, but I've realized lately that I haven't thanked God much for that time in my life.

But I should.

Because during that time I learned, or rather, God taught me, so much. He taught me how to trust Him. He taught me how to let Him be my friend even when I didn't have many other friends in my life. He taught me how to be myself independent of a crowd of friends.He taught me more about the church's mission. And those lessons, those two confusing years, shaped me and brought me into this next part of God's story in my life, college.

And so I'm grateful for the two years where we didn't have control and couldn't see the end because God taught me that He can see the end, and that His plan is best.

That was a long answer.

Another!

4. What is something that you are grateful for but oftentimes don't think about? 

I could say the obvious answers like health, food, and housing, but I actually do think about those things, and so I'll go a bit deeper.

Lately I've been very thankful that God is a God who reveals Himself to us. The ability to know God's character amazes me, and reading C. S. Lewis' book Till We Have Faces, made me appreciate a known God even more. Even more than that, God's character never changes! And so who He was in Genesis is the same today. The God who parted the Red Sea led Dad to start a church. The God who rose back to life by His own power is with me!



5. What are you going to do to show people that you are grateful for them? 

Tell them so.

In the form of a lovely little Christmas card, of course! I love making cards (see my go-to way for DIY cards), and this Christmas I want to make lots of cards for everyone in my life! The outside of the card is fun to craft, but the inside is where I love to pour my heart out and remind that person how much they mean to me and to God!

But I have another idea too! I want to show gratitude to everyone who reads this blog, because I truly am thankful for y'all! And so, to everyone who comments on this post or regularly comments on the blog, check your inboxes, because I will write you a little virtual Christmas card just to say hi and get to know all of you a bit more!

So comment below and make sure to let gratefulness bloom a bit more inside of you today! Have a splendid rest of the week and good luck on any tests and finals coming up!

Princess Hannah

I love breaks, but in a way, they stress me out. I almost prefer the regular rhythm of life then the chaos of trying to decide what I want to do with my "free time." Because, let's admit it, time is anything but free.

Yet at the same time I yearn for a break that I might do all of the things that I don't have time to do during the school year. And trust me, the list is long. It calls to me during the busy times and offers me much fulfilment when the next break comes around.

But what I first think to be "plenty of time" turns out to be "not long enough." And I must inevitably face the fact that I cannot do it all.

I avoided that realization this week until Wednesday night when I sat on the floor in my room, exhausted from staying up until 2 in the morning for the past several days in order to fit more into these 24 hours. I prayed to God while Patches walked around me, distracting me with her fur. And I realized that wanting to do many things is a good thing, as many things can give God glory. But being discontent with my current activity because I'm anxious about having time for the next activity doesn't glorify God or produce thanksgiving.

And so I'm on a new mission, and it isn't to do as many things as possible before Monday. It is to be thankful for now and to take joy in one task at a time, trusting Jesus.

When I think about it, there were probably some things that Jesus wanted to do but didn't have time to do. Like the time that He went to a place to pray and rest but ended up feeding thousands of people. Or maybe when He grew up there came a time when He wanted to practice carpentry and also play games outside and He had to decide.

Even Jesus had to decide to let some things go in life because He left His infinite God-form, completely independent of time, and chose to live within the limits of time because He loves us! He did all that He came here to do, yes, but He was limited by time and had to make decisions on how to use time like every other human being. And we too live within the limits of time, and so we too must decide.

And I choose joy.

I choose to know that I won't be able to do everything but that doesn't mean that I cannot be thankful for the chances I get right now to live, love, and create. I choose to work hard at whatever is in front of me or whatever I've decided to do instead of second-guessing myself or inwardly scheduling my day to fit everything in the limits of time. I choose to be thankful for now. 

I choose to put my hope in eternity, an eternity of time to praise God just how He has created me to praise Him. An eternity of time to revel in the joys of life and the beauty of Jesus! Oh, how our hearts are made for eternity! Our souls are created for more than hours and decades but for eternity, and a conflict erupts from the friction between our souls and the world around us. But Jesus is bigger than this conflict, for He is the bridge between time and eternity, the infinite God come as mortal human. And that is all that we need.

Come. Be thankful for now with me. Choose joy over stress. Use time wisely but do not let it rule over you. Put your hope in eternity, an eternity that is coming soon.

Anyway, it's time for me to enjoy my family! Comment below how your Thanksgiving break is going so far! How did you enjoy the time given to you this Thanksgiving? I'm super thankful for all of you reading this post, and I truly mean that! Every comment makes me smile a bit!

Princess Hannah

There's a spot in my backyard that my first dog, Bonnie, paved in the grass. She paced up and down that line so many times that the grass never grew back the same, even ten years after her death. It was the well-worn path, a comforting way, and I smile a bit every time that I see that path.



On a completely different note that will connect in just a bit (I promise), I've never considered myself a music person. Don't take me wrong, I've always loved listening to music, but I never knew what to listen to. I'm too cheap to buy music I don't love and too busy to find music that I love, so I used to just stick to the good ol' worn path. I listened to the same albums over and over until I knew every word and in which order the songs will play.

But then something happened: I started (with the help of the amazing Amazon Music app which you should check out right now if your family has Amazon Prime because it is FULL of free music) to listen to... wait for it... new music.

I shocked myself a bit too, so if you need to catch your breath right about now, I understand.

Yes, I left the well-worn path and ventured off into the grass beyond. (Am I taking this analogy too far?) And I loved what I found! Well, mostly. There were the few songs that talked of cannibalism or screamed the whole time that I didn't want to think about again, but I found so many playful songs, wonderful artists, and joyful words!

But that didn't mean that I left the well-worn path all together. Instead, I've been working on a playlist that contains bits and pieces from the new and the old to make something even more beautiful!

Here are some new discoveries and well-worn comforts:

Favorite Artist Discovered: 

Ben Rector all the way! Something about his whimsical songs, soothing voice, and charming lyrics make me smile every time I listen to him! In fact, my favorite song of the moment is his song "I Like You." He's the new age of romantic songs that make you feel happy to be alive!

Buy his newest album on Amazon here

Favorite Well-Worn Artist:

David Crowder. I think that loving David Crowder is in my genes, but after listening to him as long as I can remember, he still brings talented, truth-filled, moving melodies that point to Jesus and make me want to dance! I've actually seen him in concert three times within the past year, including a time when he came to our church! (Oh, and you NEED to listen to his Christmas album! I could listen to it all day long!)

Start the holiday spirit right by purchasing Crowder's Christmas album here

Favorite New Vibe: 

I really like acoustic all of a sudden. Just a hint of country. Some singer-songwriter themes.

Favorite Familiar Vibe: 

Worship music. Worshipping Jesus while listening to music, what can get better!

And so, without further ado, my Little Tunes Playlist, a combination of the well-worn path and the newly-explored frontier!



Now that I've started this business of discovering new music, I'm always looking for more! Please comment below your go-to artists, be they a classic staple in your music tastes or a new favorite! And how do you like the playlist?

Have a happy Thanksgiving break! Try something new and embrace the well-worn paths!

Princess Hannah

Look around you right now.

Do you see love?

When I look around my room right now and see the soft lamplight illuminating dishes that I haven't picked up, the blankets folded about my legs, and an invalid kitty reclined on the bed, I don't think love. When I think love, I think about hands touching and lips meeting. I think about soldiers dying and mothers crying. I think about Paris. But the truth is, the Kingdom of Love is everywhere, even in my pink bedroom on a Wednesday night.

How?

Because the light of Jesus' resurrection shines everywhere. His love shines in my room and in the classrooms. His love pours forth at the dinner tables and in the movie theaters. And, in ways we do not understand, His love is working in the city of love, Paris.

The trouble is, we have a hard time seeing that love. We can't feel it. We can't touch it. We don't understand it. And so, like the little humans we are, we often avoid searching for the true meaning behind God's love. That doesn't mean that we don't love to sing "How He Loves" every other Sunday, but those words struggle to take meaning to our lives.

I've been thinking about love lately. Not the romantic kind of love, but the all-encompassing love of a lifestyle lived for Christ. I've been wondering, in this world which glorifies love, what love really means. Is it just a feeling? Is it expressed in roses and hugs, kisses and midnight conversations? Can it be destroyed by hate, just as terrorists destroyed some of the city of love, Paris, last week?



Basically, what is love? 

And as I've read the Bible the past few weeks, I've discovered something freeing and wonderful: God is love. And His Kingdom is not just a city of love, but a kingdom of love that can never fade away.

These facts seem so basic, so elementary. Duh, God is love; everyone loves to talk about that. But the reality of this love gets lost in translation, and we can miss the crucial elements of God's kingdom of love. We can overlook the simplicity of God's love and how we should respond to it. We get caught up with the whirlwinds of time and the struggle of life that we forget the center of our existence and the starting point of the circle of life.

And so I'm going to remind you of some of the basic truths of God's love. You've probably heard these truths put more elegantly than I will write them, and many of these things seem so simple. But I believe that we all need to remember the foundation of love upon which we stand. So, let me share this infographic with you to illustrate what I've been thinking about:


First, God is love. 

Stop. Stop right now and think about that this really means. It doesn't just mean that God loves. It doesn't mean that God is soft and cuddly. It doesn't mean that God always acts how we think a loving being should act. It means that God is the definition of love, the determining factor of love, and the measuring stick of love. If something is in agreement with God, it is love. And if something is in disagreement with God, it is not love.

1 John talks a lot about God's love and our response to it, and I will refer to many verses from this book. It's not very long, so I recommend reading through it this week and seeing the big picture that I'm trying to write about in John's words. Anyway, in 1 John 4:16, John writes: "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

Next, God loves us. 

We all know the words of John 3:16, but they are true! God, the starting point of love, the maker of all creation, and the holy King ruling over all love us! "This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us..." (1 John 4:10). God didn't have to love us. He didn't have to extend His character of love into our lives, BUT HE did.

And this is the signature truth of Christianity. In no other religions does God begin the love. Others believe that people must earn God's love. Those who killed hundreds in Paris believed that they would then earn God's love. They believed that they would first love God, and the God might love them. And so they did whatever it took.

Is that love?

I don't think so. It is rather sin living in us that perverts God's true love into something ugly and despicable.

God hates sin. 

This is the part many people like to skip over, but I cannot ignore it. In Sunday School this morning, the teacher pointed out that to truly love, you must hate. To truly love the people of Paris right now, we must hate the destructive sin of terrorism. To truly love my cat Patches, I must hate the curse of injury which inflicted a torn ACL on her little kitty life. To love one thing we must hate anything that tries to destroy our love.

And so God, being the definition of love, if also the definition of wrath. For God to truly love us, He must hate sin, which kills us. And so, God's wrath and just condemnation of sin is not separate from His love, but an extension of it. In fact, He hates sin so much that He cannot be in the presence of it, which then introduces a problem, because we chose sin and cover ourselves with it from the inside out, making ourselves distant from the love of God. But this didn't change God's love for us.

So Jesus Came. 

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (1 John 3:16)

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1)

Enough said. I really can't top John's words here that describe how God's love for us and hate for sin met on the cross and paved a new way: a way of grace. For grace is the meeting point of love and wrath. It is the sacred place where God's wrath for our sin poured upon Christ, leaving His love to shower us with undeserved life!

And this grace changes everything! (cough, cough, Grace in Everything.)

It is bigger than any terrorist.

It is better than any relationship.

It is stronger than any temptation.

Jesus.

I didn't realize that I had so much to say on this simple topic, but that illustrates how magnificent is the basic love of God! These rediscoveries as well as the ones that I will disclose in part two (and possibly three) cleared up the direction I need to go in life. The simple truth of love changed how I thought about God, myself, and others. I hope and pray that you better understand the foundation upon which we stand, but I pray for more than understanding but for greater love for God!

Please comment below what is on your mind lately! And how do you think about God's love? I would love to hear any illustrations that you've found helpful! Also, let us continue to point to the only cure for the curse of sin that destroys so much: God and His love.

God's grace be with you,

Princess Hannah

Y'all, something new happened to this blog last week. Something quite fun.

I love honey.

I think that my love for honey stems for my love for anything sweet, but honey tastes so rich and sticky and wonderful that I just want to put it on everything! My family buys giant jars of local honey from the hardware store, which makes it seem even more special. And because it's natural and healthy, I don't feel bad about smothering all of my food in the deliciousness.

And so I do.

And now I get to share the love of honey with you by listing five ways to use honey in your everyday life:

1. In Coffee

I like to make my coffee strong, with skim milk, stevia, and a good drizzle of honey. Although honey is not low-calorie, just a bit provides a richness and flavor that perfectly sweetens my new morning drink, (I just started drinking coffee while in New York training for ballet), and just a lot works fine too!

2. In Tea





Another drink that I now love also tastes great with honey: tea. Somehow the addition of honey makes the warm comfort of tea go down with even more delight!

3. As a salad dressing



Though a less common use for honey, drizzling it over a salad makes a sweet dressing. It's just so simple and complementary to so many salad combinations, especially fruit salads.

4. On Oatmeal



Ditch the brown sugar, honey is here! A little drizzle of this sweetener gives a bowl of oatmeal an instant boost! Add some dried cranberries and granola and you will look forward to eating breakfast every morning!

5. On Oatmeal Banana Pancakes




Speaking of breakfast, honey tops these oatmeal banana pancakes like none of our business! I may be partial to my first recipe ever posted, but honey could replace syrup for any pancake recipe. But really, you should try these easy and healthy pancakes!

As you can tell, we love honey in our house!

So next time you see some local honey, buy it! If it's a big jar, buy it! And then I hope that you find these ideas delicious and fun as you experiment with how you like to use honey during your everyday lives! Comment below how you use honey and how you can't wait to use it in the future!

Princess Hannah