Journeys of The Magi and Me

December 3, 2013

REC498 “Gifts of the Magi” by Jonas Soulouque

Of all of the symbols of Christmas, my favorite is The Three Magi.  Not coincidentally, I suppose, it is their journey that moves me.  At heart, I am an adventurer, and I know that they were too; undertaking a commitment of great distance, following a star to an unknown destination. What marvels did they see?  What hardships did they endure?  What lessons of men and mountains did they learn along the way?

According to what little historical background we can attach to their story, The Magi were Zoroastrian priests of Ancient Persia, an empire that at the time of Christ’s birth extended from what is now Central Turkey southward to the United Arab Emirates and east to Mongolia and the Indus Valley in India. The priestly class of the period was particularly avid in the study of astrology and astronomy and that these three apparently dropped everything in quest of a star could be equated to going abroad in the name of scientific inquiry.  Anticipation of discovery and the thrill of the adventure to unfold must have filled their hearts. What excitement they must have felt as they set out on their overland voyage!

Indeed, their journey was on my mind few years ago, early in the holiday season when I set out to run a quick errand.  I had been in the middle of decorating and had carefully arranged my Nativity set; The Magi leading their camels just so across the console table. Upon critical examination, however, I decided that I needed a couple of poinsettias or greenery at least, to complete the scene.  I jumped in the car to head out in search of same when I passed a Christmas tree lot that had the added attraction of offering camel rides. By golly!  I couldn’t drop everything to follow a star for months on end, but I had 15 minutes to stop and ride a camel.  So I did. Discovery and adventure do not belong only to The Magi.  It is something we share.

Contributed by Linda for Beyond Borders/It’s Cactus

Sometimes We Just Need a Little Help – Part III

October 24, 2013

This triptych has sat on my buffet table for years, but it occurred to me that it makes a wonderful holiday hearth screen. Wow! I thought outside the box!

What would the holidays be without hauling out the holly and fluffing up the beard on the “soon to be an heirloom” Santa pillow and putting out a few (in my case dozen) poinsettias?  Christmas decorating fills my heart with joy, it’s true, but I do find that I put the Santa pillow HERE because it always goes HERE and the nativity set goes HERE and the Three Wise Men go HERE and so on.  In other words, without meaning to, and often without me even realizing it, I get in a rut, decoratively speaking.

So not that it would ever happen to you, but if in fact, you did fall into a similar creative void, here’s a look at some ideas that might infuse your thinking with new possibilities.  These holiday sculptures may already be part of your “stash.”  and if so, you might be inspired to use them in a different way.  And if you love what you see, but have not yet acquired, well, My Friend, we can help you with that!  Scroll on down, and see what moves you…

Though it has a hanger in the back to display on a wall, the Three Kings can also be propped up on an easel for a tabletop arrangement.

You can tie a bright, sparkling bow on and give this birdie a different tree to roost in.

A present on a present! But if you need to put it back with the tree of life after the holidays, be sure to trim the package of someone that lives at home!

So maybe you took this idea from a previous post. Well, if the tree of life comes down and the holiday sampler that your sister-in-law did goes up, here are a few ideas for the birds…

Julio Balan’s Angel Stake 3084LE can become a herald angel in a potted Christmas tree. Give her a little dash of color with a holiday hair ribbon.