I thought I would share a church tradition with you today! The Chrismon tree. The word Chrismon means "Christ monogram." The tradition got started at the Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, VA, in 1957. You can read a bit more about it here. It's something that I've really enjoyed at several of our churches over the years. Here's a photo of part of our family (my brother-in-law, sister, mother, son, daughter, hubby, and I'm in the blue) at last year's Christmas Eve service. You can see the Chrismon tree behind us.
It's a beautiful tree that I always look forward to. The ornaments are all handmade. Some are ceramic, and some are fabric with beads and sequins etc. Here are some close-ups. I obviously favor the ceramic ones. :)
I always look forward to the candlelight service on Christmas Eve. I sing in the choir, so it's a beautiful thing to look out as the members in the congregation hold up their candles while they sing Silent Night. It's so very moving.
Since I haven't decorated yet (at the time of writing this post), I had planned to share last year's photo. But last year was a rough Christmas for me. My beloved dad, for whom I'd been a caregiver, had passed away earlier in the year, and my elderly dog--my writing buddy--had died on Thanksgiving. So it was hard to get in the Christmas spirit while grieving.
So today, instead of sharing a Better Homes and Gardens photo, this is me being real with you. Here's our tree from last year. I never did get the ornaments put on it. We only had the pre-attached lights and pinecones, and the shimmer from the "snowy" tree branches.
I felt bad for my kids when they came home, felt guilty for not providing a "normal" Christmas like usual. But you know what... they handled it beautifully. We had a sweet Christmas despite the tree being a bit bare. And though our home tree was sparse, we were able to enjoy the beautiful "Christ monograms" on Christmas Eve while at church. We muddled our way through our first Christmas without my dad and thought of him often along the way. So many sweet memories.
I pray each of you has a wonderful Christmas season. And if you've lost a loved one this year, please know you're in my prayers. I hope we'll all reach out to someone who may be grieving this year.
As my special Advent giveaway, I wanted to paint a small angel like I did for last December's post--my own homemade Chrismon. I haven't done the painting yet, so this will be an IOU for when it's done! Hopefully before Christmas! haha
Be sure to enter the big giveaway below (to be announced at the end of the year). And let me know in the comments if you'd like to be entered for the angel painting (winner announced in the Weekend Edition)! Let's chat about Chrismon ornaments. Have you heard of them before?
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If you didn't get it last year, pick up Missy's Christmas novella, available as an ebook at Amazon. Click here for more info.
Unlucky in love, police deputy Hardy Greenway has spent his life in the friend zone. But now he’s fallen hard for the girlfriend of his nemesis. Dori Blanchette has been waiting for a proposal from her boyfriend, but how can she say yes when she has feelings for Hardy? With Christmas tree ornaments playing spontaneously and secrets being revealed, there’s no telling who will end up together at Christmas!
Welcome to Dahlia, Georgia, where everyone feels welcome!
ALSO! After years of doing my own website, I just had it professionally re-made by Robin Lee Hatcher. Be sure to check it out! www.missytippens.com.
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After more than 10 years of pursuing her dream of publication, Missy Tippens, a pastor’s wife and mom of three from near Atlanta, Georgia, made her first sale to Harlequin Love Inspired in 2007. Her books have since been nominated for numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA® Award. Visit Missy at www.missytippens.com, https://twitter.com/MissyTippens and http://www.facebook.com/missy.tippens.readers.
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UPDATE! Since the time I wrote this post, my kids surprised me by putting up the Christmas tree AND decorating it!! It was such a special treat. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful, Missy! How cool that they would actually take it upon themselves to do that.
DeleteMindy, I was shocked and tickled pink. They said they wished they'd had a camera ready to snap a shot of how my mouth fell open. :) They did it this past Wednesday while I was at choir practice. :)
DeleteThat is so nice, Missy.
Deletehahahahahah!
ReplyDeleteI love those kids! What good hearts they have.
And clever of you, Missy Tippens! :)
What a beautiful post. It's hard to face those empty seats at the table. It's joyful to talk of auld lang syne, but painful to accept it's only a memory forevermore. But what a pleasure to have live and been given life by those two wonderful people. And thank you for all you do for your parents. What a great example you are!
Sending you Christmas hugs and blessings from RAINY WNY which is probably going to wash our pretty snow away and leave us with lots of mud. :)
Ruthy, we have similar weather here in New Hampshire. After the two feet of snow last week, this isn't going to be pretty.
DeleteKB
Ruthy, thank you. And yes, it was/is a blessing to have both of my parents.
DeleteI"m sorry about the weather! We have a little rain ourselves today. I can't complain after how glorious it was yesterday.
I am loving the Seeker Advent posts. They keep pointing me back to what really matters.
ReplyDeleteMissy, thank you for sharing this part of your heart with us. We've had years when all we managed were the lights on the tree, if we managed anything. And it didn't make a difference in the end.
I like the idea of a "Chrismon" tree, I think it's similar to the Jesse Tree which has symbols of Christ's life and lineage. Thinking about something like that as our children are grown and we are starting to look more inward. We're past all the Santa stuff, not that we ever emphasized him all that much. When you get older the trappings all fall away, and you see more of what you were supposed to be seeing in the first place.
Dave and I have kind of a unique tradition. We have a handmade Advent calendar with 24 pockets, and each pocket contains a tiny Hershey bar and a prophecy of Christ. We take turns reading the prophecy each day and eating the chocolate. We started it when our girls were small so they would understand Advent. An Advent calendar should be, well, about Advent.
Please enter me in the drawing for the angel painting. I have a house full of mementos from Seekers and Villagers...A Lord's Prayer calligraphy by Josee Telfer, a hammered tin Mexican-style angel from Jolene Navarro, a Colonial Williamsburg ornament from Carrie Fancett Pagels.
This is a catch-up day, may be back later.
Your Kaybee
Waiting on Him in New Hampshire
Kathy, I haven't heard of a Jesse Tree. I'll check those out!
DeleteI love the idea of an Advent calendar with little gifts. What a wonderful tradition!
I love Christmas trees! Last year my husband splurged on what we refer to as "stupidly expensive" LED lights that are controlled by an app on our phones. You change light colors and patterns and flashing and glowing and it's crazy fun and a bit ridiculous. But it's been the most fun new thing we've added to Christmas decorations in a long time.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that our church does is invites families, non-profits, businesses, etc. to decorate a themed tree and we invite the public to come through and see them. One of our church buildings is a historic property--the state's original governor's mansion--so we use it as a "hook" to bring people in. My favorite tree is the largest one with symbols and names of Jesus in gold. A beautiful reminder of what the season is all about. Beautiful post, Missy!
Oh, Glynis, I think the community tree exhibit it such a wonderful idea!! And in an historic building makes it even more cool. What a great outreach for your church!
DeleteI didn't even know they make trees you could control with an app. Next time we need one, I may be checking them out! What fun. :)
Missy, as much as we love them, Christmas isn't about the tree or the decorations. They simply set a festive mood. Christmas lives in our hearts, year-round, no matter how we feel. It's knowing that Jesus came as a baby, lived a human life, enduring the same trials and grief that we do, before giving His life in place of ours. Your kiddos know you've been overwhelmed this year, too. So what a treat to have them put up the decorations for you. Praying you will enjoy that festive mood throughout the season.
ReplyDeleteMindy, amen to that! You have spoken truth. And yes, my kids were wonderful to help out that way. Either that, or they just didn't want an empty tree again this year. :)
DeleteThere's something beautiful in the simplicity of the tree from last year... Grief is part of life, something to be endured but also celebrated. That simple tree reminds me that even in our grief, we can remember our loved ones with bittersweet joy.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Missy! Oh, and I read Hardy and Dori's story while I was traveling last week. I wondered how those two were going to get together, but you pulled it off beautifully!
Jan, I love how you said that: "... even in grief, we can remember our loved ones with bittersweet joy." Thank you for that. Yes, it's true. And time does help us heal. It's a little easier this year. I'm finding that some of my excitement for the holiday is returning.
DeleteThanks for reading my story! It was a fun one to write. :)
Missy, thank you for your touching post. Christmas traditions bring mixed emotions.
ReplyDeleteAfter Thanksgiving while unpacking the Santas my mother so enjoyed painting as gifts for family, friends and church bazaars, I realized she’ll be celebrating her tenth Christmas in heaven. But with joy I watched my little decorating helpers....three great grandchildren she never met.....play with her lovingly created keepsakes. She is smiling at the blessings of our family.
However we decorate...simple or elaborate....may we celebrate His love as we prepare for Christ’s birthday party. Wishing you abundant joy this Christmas season!
Sherida, thank you for sharing that beautiful story of your grandkids playing with Great-Grandma's santas. What a precious moment! And what a sweet way to think of her smiling in heaven.
DeleteWishing you an abundant Christmas as well!
Your tree without ornaments was beautiful, too, Missy. That picture will remind you over the years of how life is full of good and bad, of bad that we make the best of, and good that sustains us through those hard times.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of a Chrismon tree. I love the ornaments you showed, especially the angel.
Erica, yes, the good sustains us. My dad, who grew up very poor, always LOVED Christmas and tried to make it special and exciting for us. I have so many good memories of activities we did, and gifts he made for us. I'll always treasure those memories.
DeleteThis is our third Christmas without my mother-in-law and second without my Grandma, who my parents were caretakers for. I think having very young children has helped us keep the spirit going even through the rough moments.
ReplyDeleteOur congregation has what they call an angel tree. It's a Christmas tree in the foyer, and on each paper angel is written the name of someone we lost this year. That lets us pray for those families. I love the traditional so much I put it in my book I wrote last month.
Amy, what a beautiful idea! I love the idea of the angel tree. We have a special church service for those who are grieving.
DeleteI think you're right about kids helping. If I hadn't had the kids to think of last year (even grown kids), I doubt I would have celebrated much at all. This year is so much better. I'll be thinking of you and your family this year.
Hi Missy - LOVE your new website (I wasn't keen on your older one..lol so glad it's updated!). I've never heard of chrismon tree and the ornaments are beautifully done. That's a really neat tradition - probably many stories from those ornaments could be found. :) Merry Christmas, Lee-Ann
ReplyDeleteLee-Ann, I was so embarrassed by my old site!! The last time I changed the template, it shrunk and didn't even fill the screen! I did it myself for years because I didn't want to spend the money to have it done professionally. But with the new security standards, I wanted to use a hosting site that offered security more affordably. And I loved the work Robin had done (plus, she was more affordable). I'm so pleased! My son took one of my hydrangea photos and made the banner photo. I wanted to match my sweater in my headshot. haha
DeleteThanks for checking out my site! Merry Christmas to you, too!
Hi Missy:
ReplyDeleteI know what it is like to face the holidays after a loved one has passed on. Over the last few years (and months) our family has lost my mother, my father-in-law, my older brother and younger brother. These happened in the months of November and December. Sadly at this point these holiday months seem to be asking, "Who's next." A lot of what life seems to be about depends on one's age group and also one's belief in God.
I do feel however that your darkened tree was an honor to your father in much the same way a flag at half-staff is meant to pay respect to an honored citizen.
I know we should be happy when a loved one has moved on to their final reward but we don't have to be happy in a heartfelt emotional way immediately.
I sent you an email with comments about your new website design.
You have me in the mood to listen to "O Tannenbaum".
Vince
P.S. Yes, please enter me in the drawing for the painting IOU. :)
Vince, I'm so sorry for all your losses. Wow. That would truly make the holiday difficult. I will be praying for your peace this Christmas.
DeleteYou know, I think I'll start thinking about that tree as a flag at half-staff. That feels fitting.
Thanks for the email!
I understand as I lost my dear daddy on November 14th six days shy of his 93rd birthday. I cared for him for a few weeks after he had a major heart attack and I’m so thankful for the memories we shared. I also lost my brother in law to pancreatic cancer in Oct. and my 12 year old nephew committed suicide in January, so it has been a hard year. I continue to get up each day and chose JOY even when I would rather stay in bed and grieve. I pray you have a blessed Christmas. Thank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteLucy, I'm so very sorry for all your losses this year. Praying you find peace in this Christmas season.
DeleteOh, Lucy, I'm so sorry. I'll be praying for you. I'm so glad you're choosing joy. That was my one-word for this year in trying to find my joy again. Bless you and your family.
DeleteMissy, I have heard of the Chrismon tree. Our church has done that in the past. The holidays are hard when grieving those we have lost in the past year. Last year was the first without my mom. This year we lost our beloved aunt in January. I have my own angel tree at home which we put up in memory of our daughter we lost at the age of 17 months. It has white lights with gold and silver balls and angel ornaments.
ReplyDeleteSandy, I'm so sorry for your loss as well. I think having the tree in your daughter's memory is a sweet tradition and a wonderful way to honor her memory.
Deletemissy our church has a Christmon Tree, too. We decorate it the first Sunday of Advent and call it 'The hanging of the green' and hang other decorations and have a different type of service with lots of hymns and Christmas scripture readings and no sermon.
ReplyDeleteMary, we do the hanging of the green in our service, too!
DeleteHey, Missy, I am ashamed to say I have never heard of a Chrismon tree, and if you talked about it over the last ten years I was at Seekerville, then I am REALLLLLLLY ashamed!! 😳
ReplyDeleteBut I really like the idea of it and homemade ornaments that feature what Christmas is really all about. And your pix of some of the ornaments above are beautiful!
My heart really goes out to you, my friend, for the difficult year you had last year with both the loss of your dad and your writing bud, but I am grateful that this year has been better. ESPECIALLY since the kiddos decorated your tree for you!! WOW, that would sure make it better for me!! ;)
I wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and holy holiday season!
Hugs and more hugs,
Julie
P.S. Love, Love, LOVE the cover for your Christmas book, Missy, so you go, girl!!
Julie, thank you. And yes, it was a wonderful blessing to come home to a decorated tree this year!
DeleteMIssy, what a gorgeous tree and I love the idea of it. The homemade ornaments are exquisite. We have lost so many family also and have had to find new traditions. It is fun though. One thing about the RV life. We learn never to say goodbye. Just "See you later." Because we always keep running into people down the road. I think of death in the same way. I'll see you later, dear family and friends. And the way time is flying now at this age, it doesn't even seem like a long wait. LOL.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Hugs Oh yes, I'm with Julie. Love the cover of your Christmas book.
Sandra, I love that philosophy! See you later. Love it. :)
DeleteI had heard of Chrismon but you've explained it so well. I have also gone through a first Christmas without a loved one and I understand why this time of year is so depressing to so many. My parents and my in-laws are no longer with us and we have precious memories of the Christmases together but the first Christmas without them was indeed hard. I think that is why it's so important to make those memories while you can so you can feel joy even through the pain.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you & Merry Christmas!
Hi! I’m a Lutheran so I have heard about the Chrismon tree. We have one every year at our Church.
ReplyDeleteOne year my daughter mad them out of crossstitch. I still have the patterns. I keep meaning to make them for our tree. We have had angel trees in the past few years. I made some of them out of lace.
I would love to be entered. Thanks for the chance. I have never heard of a Chrismon Tree, but I really enjoyed reading this post.
ReplyDelete