A RED BIRD COUNTRY CHRISTMAS WE SHARED IN 2019

THE DAYS HAVE BEEN BUSY

Decorating for Christmas has been tricky this year.

I have dreamed of a Red Bird Country Christmas and that was the theme I chose to use, but right In the middle of all the decorating fun something much BIGGER was going on all around us.

Our new grandson decided to come into the world.

What a blessing!

For a little while – the world stopped turning and it has been a rush to catch back up.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD LITTLE ONE

Welcome to your first Christmas Beckham!

Come to our house and see how the red birds have nested in our upstairs tree. We can’t wait to share the holiday with you and your brothers and your cousin.

So; the already joyful time just became even more joyful.

A baby makes all the difference.

Sorry; couldn’t help but treat you to that little play on words!

RED BIRDS SEEM TO CELEBRATE GLAD TIDINGS

Red birds always seem to cheer me up and make my heart glad with joy.

I’ve always thought they represented answered prayers and that their sudden appearances were similar to God saying “Hey, you don’t have to repeat it – I’ve already heard your prayer and I’m already answering!”

What a great sign from heaven.

Some people think when they see a red bird that it is a sign that means a loved one in heaven is watching over them.

Both of these sentiments are lovely and pleasant to think about.

THE RED BIRD COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

This year I just wanted a vivid, cheerful, red and white, winter theme going on inside the warm walls of our house. I have been stuck on nostalgic things from the farm lately; so I’m calling it a “Country Christmas” too.

You are more likely to find cardinals out in the fields of a country home. I have many childhood memories of such.

The entry foyer décor in our Christmas house this year was a continuation of some of our Thanksgiving on the Farm theme with the way we left the lambs under the blue, blue sky; only this year I added a black and white checkered set of Christmas trees to their pastures. The residue of the haybales are still on the desk. I just decided to leave it there, because they might enjoy the leftover meals.

I’ll put the Good Shepherd out on Christmas Day, because I know He will be watching over all of his flocks, where ever they are, and what ever they are thinking on this day in His honor.

For us, we will be honoring His conception and then we might add some thoughts about what he would have been like when he was three months old, which would be the appropriate timing of his birth as we know it; born in the fall, three months old by winter.

Whatever our meditations and conversations they all will be to honor the Savior of The World which He grew up to be.

There will be much joy!

We’ve added a red and silver wreath under the cross over our front door.

The sofa table in the entrance holds a cup of good cheer for anyone passing by and wanting to celebrate with a toast of fellowship.

The wine glasses have red birds and the long slender champagne glasses are something that my husband and I bought each other for a wedding present on our honeymoon many, many years ago. We like to make a Christmas toast every year from those glasses.

I love it when it is cold enough to put a roaring fire in the fireplace; making this scene even cozier for Christmas morning.

The foyer bar is displaying an old red pick-up truck which is hauling Christmas trees. It seems to be driving through a country lane with a Christmas mail box that has a beautiful red bird perched on top. (Our daughter gave me that little bird years ago.)

I am still looking to find a beautiful red bird pillow and 2 other red bird ornaments that our other daughters gave me. It is time for me to organize my Christmas boxes again! I can’t find all of my red birds! They are there – I just have to keep searching. It is a family joke that I always lose something important at Christmas and find it as soon as the holiday has passed. While looking for the red bird things I found the shofar I searched high and low for before The Feast of Trumpets.

The sofas are full of red and white pillows with country scenes on their faces and the large black coffee table has a pretty wreath which is covered in snow. It contains the house of a little red bird who is perched on the branches of the wreath.

The white stockings are hung on the mantle with the little red rocker on its white rug underneath.

The tiny redbird family (a gift from my husband from a favorite gift shop in Montreat during a cherished family trip) are snuggled on the mantle too.

I have to leave them high right now because one certain little girl loves to take them away and play with them. They are so tiny they would get lost forever. I always let her hold them for awhile then I put them back up high so they won’t get lost.

The other side of the mantle holds a pair of old vintage ice skates. They hang right next to the white tree sparkling with white lights. This tree has only red birds upon its branches, except for one white dove that rests in the very middle of the tree.

We found a lovely red and burlap star that has comfortably nestled at the top of the tree. The tree-skirt is colored with black and white checks, just like the foyer Christmas trees in the Good Shepherd’s pasture.

Presents underneath the tree all sport an ornament that is either a cloth red bird or a country red pick-up truck hauling Christmas trees to the farm.

There are a few exceptions though – for one little ballerina who has pink ballerina ornaments on her presents.

The red wing-back chairs left our bedroom and made their way to the living room for the Christmas Season. They are so comfortable for drinking coffee in the early morning hours while staring at the lights of the tree.

The coffee table holds a red tray with the same red truck hauling trees. I’ll probably put a silver Hannakah Monorrah on it come the first day of Hannukah and we will celebrate that Christ is the true miracle of the light; and speak with wonder of Him being the Light of The World.

The hearth holds a row of singing red birds and they will have candles next to them on Christmas Eve as we all gather in soft candlelight. I plan to scatter tiny red votive candles around the room on Christmas Eve.

In the area next to the red wing-back chairs and their table holding a snow globe full of red birds, there is an old sleigh. I’ve had it forever, a flee-market find from long ago that has been cleaned up and now it holds gift bags for giving on Christmas Eve.

Where the living room flows into the dining area we have filled a table full of pretty red and white plates that have trees full of snow and red birds. The red and white plates set on silver coasters. A red bird candle stand is on each side of the table and a very pretty snow covered Christmas Farm House is our center piece on the dining room table.

There is a white wreath hanging inside the dining room window and a big beautiful red cardinal has landed upon it.

The kitchen door has a lovely snow covered wreath with silver balls and, of course, a little redbird perched upon it too.

There are red barn signs hanging in some of the doorways that speak of a joyful Country Christmas.

We have covered our IN SEASON Family Tree with Christmas cards from neighbors and friends this time. The branches are all filling up more and more each passing day. Under the tree are red poinsettias and they match the two pretty REAL ones that flank each side of the outside of our front door.

Let’s stay in the kitchen for a moment longer though because what I love about the kitchen is the lovely silver deer that I use almost every year. This time he and his red candled antlers will be surrounded by a tray of shiny red, white and silver balls as well as two silver candlesticks that hold up two pretty red candles. The candles smell like warm apple pie when they are lit.

Now we have moved old Frosty The Snowman out on the front lawn. He has been with us for years and years now. St. Nick is also out there, hiding in the trees. We hung our wreaths on the front yard split-rail fence and we are about to give all of them beautiful big red bows with black checks to continue the country charm outside into the front yard.

The large red-bird mama and baby that one daughter gave to me for Christmas will be sitting on the front porch stoop greeting all people passing into the house. They light up and make the porch look cheerful. The happy snowman will be with them, probably holding more Christmas flowers upon his tray by the time Christmas Eve arrives.

Our grand-guys will be in another state, so their room pretty much got ignored this year. I usually put up a blue and white tree with their gifts underneath. We are taking them a truck load of gifts, the tree didn’t work this year.

Fortunately for us, our grand-girl is going to hang out with the family on Christmas Eve and her room has been decorated with the pinkalicious tree again this year.

I told her she could have ONE of our decorations to keep in her room. She chose the little white nativity scene with the silver star at the top. She looks for this every year and LOVES playing with it. She was disappointed not to see it on the dining room table this year. I told her not to worry because we all would be bringing Jesus with us into each room of the house because he lived in our hearts and goes every where we go, even if we can’t see him.

She was satisfied to know that.

She decorated her doll house with wreaths on the outside, trees on the inside and put an angel to watch over them on the front lawn.

As you can see we are ready for all of the festivities; even though we have been quite distracted. Waiting on Beckham was worth the wait.

We decided for our Christmas Eve dinner to have Wine Infused Brisket and gravy with mashed potatoes, green beans and squash casserole. There will be old fashioned Bing Coca-cola salad and yeast rolls. We will have some delicious stewed apples and a tray of fresh fruit. For dessert we have white chocolate bread pudding and banana pudding.

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

How will I cook all of this while we are out visiting our new grandson right before these festivities begin?

I’ll leave that a mystery for now. There are a lot of wonderful folks to be thankful for in my hometown. Several little angels around here know just how to make good food easy to prepare and serve! I’ve found them again this year and am so happy to know their hiding places. They won’t cook it all for me; but they will be very helpful with a lot of the preparations.

My Mom will be brunching with us that Christmas Eve morning. We have some homemade cinnamon rolls, happy eggs, fresh fruit and turkey-bacon ready to be cooked up for her visit.

I love that she comes early on Christmas Eve day because it cuts down the waiting time for the rest of the hometown family that comes in later that evening.

In between all of this good eating we will be attending a neighborhood church (we can practically walk there) that will hold a beautiful candlelight service.

We started this tradition last year and I want to continue it. I love how each candle lights the next, connecting neighbors and friends and families all around us in the light of God’s love. This is simply another way to share the joy about the fact that Jesus is The Light of The World; and now – that will take a LOT of celebrating. I suspect it will last through both Christmas and Hanukkah, which collide in so many ways this year.