12 Pearls of Christmas: 'Home' by Melody Carlson

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.

~~~

There’s No Place Like….
by Melody Carlson


I grew up spending Christmases at my grandparents’ quaint Victorian home, surrounded by lots of relatives, laughter and love and really good food. For a little girl growing up in a single parent home, harried working mother, no church family, and TV dinners, these extended family holidays spent at my grandparents were like a real gift from God. But as a young adult, my grandfather passed on, the old house was sold, I grew up and eventually had a small family of my own.
   
Still I longed for those familiar kinds of “big” Christmases—I wanted that house full of relatives and fun times to go home to—I think the “child” in me thought I deserved it somehow. But my grandmother had gotten older and lived in a tiny apartment, and my mother and my husband’s parents were not comfortable hosting Christmas in their homes. For a while we went to my cousin’s, but I soon had to come to grips with reality. The days of going to Grandma’s for the perfect Christmas were a thing of the past.


In other words, it was time for me to grow up—time for me to start hosting our own Christmas celebrations. So biting the holiday bullet, I decided to just do it. With two very small children underfoot, I cooked my first turkey, made my first stuffing, invited some family, neighbors, and friends over, and we all crammed ourselves into our little house, balanced our plates on our knees, and had a very good time. Oh, I’m sure the turkey was dry and the gravy lumpy, but what I remember most is that everyone seemed truly happy to be there. And I realized that I wasn’t the only one longing for that sense of warmth and community—that longing to “go home again”—and I finally grasped that I could (with God’s grace) help to provide that for my family and others.
   
So for the next three decades we continued to host Christmas in our home. I got better at decorating, cooking, gifting…the works. Some years the place would be packed and crazy. A few years were thinner and quieter. But family, friends and neighbors could always count on the fact that the Carlson’s would be “doing something for Christmas.” It was a no-brainer.
   
Until this year. This year, for the first time in more than thirty years, my husband and I decided we’re going to take a pass on hosting Christmas—we are going to the beach. At first I felt terribly guilty, and even right now I’m a bit unsure—and wonder if I’ll end up changing my mind at the last minute. And yet, I believe it’s the right thing for us to do—for a lot of reasons. One being that my husband’s birthday is Christmas and he never gets to do what he wants on his birthday—this year will be different. But more than that, I hope that our stepping aside will encourage the younger members of our family to find and embrace some of their own traditions—to grow up and look for opportunities to stretch themselves a bit. Because, similar to how and oyster creates a pearl—or how a young mom learns to be a hostess—with some discomfort and distress a burnt turkeys, the end results are truly valuable.

 ~~~

About Melody: Melody Carlson lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Labrador Retriever. She’s the author of around 200 books including this year’s Christmas novella, Christmas at Harrington’s. Visit her website for more information, www.melodycarlson.com.

~~~

A pearl necklace, pearl bracelet and pearl earrings will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog on New Years Day!


12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info.


I loved 'Christmas at Harrington's,' by the way! You can read my review here.

‘Christmas at Harrington’s’ by Melody Carlson – Book Review

The Christmas season is drawing near. My latest read is a redemptive story entitled ‘Christmas at Harrington’s’ by the talented author, Melody Carlson.

Here is the synopsis of this delightful book:

Sometimes the best gift is a second chance. Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret?

Reading Christmas at Harrington’s, a story full of redemption and true holiday spirit, will be your newest Christmas tradition.

Here is the biography of this author:

Melody Carlson is the prolific author of more than two hundred books, including fiction, nonfiction, and gift books for adults, young adults, and children. She is also the author of The Christmas Bus, An Irish Christmas and The Christmas Dog. Her writing has won several awards including a Gold Medallion for King of the Stable (Crossway, 1998) and a Romance Writers of America Rita Award for Homeward (Multnomah, 1997) and recently was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market. She lives with her husband in Sisters, Oregon.

Lena finds herself relocating after her release from prison. She made a wonderful acquaintance on the bus ride there:

Lena was ashamed of herself as she slowly unwrapped the sandwich. To think that she’d almost shooed Moira away. Here this kind woman was generous enough to share food – really good food too. In fact, if Lena hadn’t already given up on old ideas of faith and God’s goodness, she might’ve even wondered if Moira could possibly be an angel in disguise. As it was, she didn’t think it likely. (p. 14)

Moira had a tender heart toward Lena, and she knew life had dealt her a bad hand:

“My husband was in the ministry, but he wasn’t exactly an ordained minister. Of course, I didn’t know when I married him. It came out later.” Too much later, she almost added.

“Was he a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

Lena couldn’t help but smile at this. “Yes, that’s a fairly accurate description of the man.”

Moira tsk-tsked. “I’m so sorry for your sake, Lena. I can tell that you’re a lovely person and it must’ve been quite an ordeal that you’ve been through.”

“Really?” Lena asked. “You can tell that just by looking at me?”

Moira nodded. “Oh yes, it’s in your eyes, dear. I knew as soon as I saw you that you were a woman who’d been hurt deeply.” (p. 20)

Despite the troubles she’d endured, she felt hopeful about the future:

If she had a bit more faith or some kind of assurance that God still cared about her – and she felt bad that she didn’t – she would’ve prayed before going to sleep. As it was, she was encouraged that she was slightly hopeful about her future. That in itself was just short of miraculous. (p. 85)

As things progressed, her analytical mind assessed the different way people interpreted life, and she decided which side she wanted to be on:

Then a quiet calm came over her. Or…what if – as some people seemed to believe – God was kind and forgiving and generous and loving? And heaven was real and eternity mattered? And what if she missed out on all that goodness and wonder because she’d never really grasped it? Kind of like a human oversight…or being off by one number in a long equation and getting the whole thing wrong as a result. What if?

Still shivering, she sat up and pondered this theory, this what if? Being a mathematical sort of a person, she decided to tally things up. On one side of her brain she listed the people in her life who had hurt and discouraged her – her parents, her husband, her childhood church, the legal system, prison… Right alongside them she listed what they represented – things like anger, unforgiveness, judgment, punishment, hatred, strife.

On the other side of her brain she listed the people in her life who had helped and encouraged her – her grandmother, a few teachers, Mrs. Stansfield, Moira, Sally, Jemima, Cassidy, Beth…And alongside them she listed the things they represented – kindness, generosity, hope, forgiveness, love.

Suddenly, it seemed crystal clear. Why should she embrace the belief system of people who had given her only pain and grief? Why should she accept their flawed image of an angry, judgmental, and punitive God? A God she wanted nothing to do with. A God who would grind her out beneath the heel of his boot. What reason did she have to believe people like that – to blindly accept their God?

But the ones who’d befriended her, trusted her, loved her, and encouraged her…of course she could trust them. She’d be a fool not to. And likewise she should trust their hopeful image of a kind, loving, and gracious God. It simply added up. It made sense to her. (pp. 122-123)

She decided she could trust a loving Father like that; who couldn’t?!

She became more and more bold in her testimony. Here is an exchange between her – as Mrs. Santa – and a reporter after she read a story about the real meaning of Christmas in a public library:

“You see,” she told the reporter, “children are capable of understanding that Christmas is more than just Santa and gifts. Right, kids?” They responded positively. “And too many people treat children as if they have half a brain, but we know they have a whole brain. Right, kids?” Even more positive responses came from this. “And children like to know the truth.”

“But coming in here as Mrs. Santa and then telling a Jesus story?” the reporter persisted.

“Check your history books,” she told him. “Santa Claus and Jesus have enjoyed a good long relationship for centuries. Even the origins of Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and Saint Nicholas are linked to Christ and the church.” (p. 147)

As Mrs. Santa, she spoke on behalf of Santa:

“But Santa wants us to honor the one whose birthday we’re celebrating by admitting when we do something wrong. He wants us to say we’re sorry if we hurt someone. He wants us to forgive anyone who has hurt us. And if we remember to do that, we can all have a very merry Christmas!”

Someone in the back shouted, “Amen, Mrs. Santa!”

“And that’s what I wish for you all,” she said with a smile. “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good life!”
  

This is the first book by Melody Carlson that I have read. I really loved it! There were so many great life lessons in it; here are just a few:

      

     1.  Our past does not have to define our present or our future.
2.  We need to be careful not to judge a person based on his past.
3.   We need to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
4.   Jesus is alive and well and working through His people.

I highly recommend that you add it to your Christmas library, so you can read it year in and year out.

You can order this book here.


Available November 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This book was provided by Revell for review purposes.