Holidays Archives - Page 12 of 22 - View from the Front Porch

12 02, 2020

Love quotes for February – Aristotle

By judythemorgan|2020-02-02T06:41:11-06:00February 12th, 2020|Holidays, Valentine's Day, Wednesday Words, Weekly Quote|0 Comments

About the Graphic

Roses in a heart shape, what could say love more? Nothing.

But the quote in the center seemed like an incomplete sentence to this old language arts teacher. Yes that dates me because who teaches language arts anymore. No one.

Anyway, I added Aristotle’s quote to make it more of a sentence.

We won’t discuss the missing capital letter at the start the sentence.

About the Quote

The Aristotle quote spoke to my writer’s heart. When you write a love story, you start with two very different souls and by the end they are bonded as one.

That’s just a love story.

5 02, 2020

Love Quotes – Shakespeare

By judythemorgan|2020-01-31T08:22:36-06:00February 5th, 2020|Holidays, Valentine's Day, Wednesday Quote, Wednesday Words, Weekly Quote|0 Comments

About the graphic

In February thoughts turn to love in a special way. Personally, I think love is meant to be shared year-round, but there is just something about this month that causes us to focus our thoughts on LOVE.

Years ago I created a series of graphics for my Wednesday blog quotes in February. This has been the most popular.

About the quote

The full quote reads:

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love’s mind of any judgement taste;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.
And therefore is love said to be a child
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled.

Shakespeare’s words are said to explain Cupid:

winged because lovers are flighty and likely to change their minds
boyish because love is irrational
carrying an arrow and torch “because love wounds and inflames the heart.”
blind or blindfolded because, while the sight of the beloved can spur love, it’s also arbitrary

I never paid much attention to Cupid until I read Shakespeare’s words. Now I see how Cupid symbolizes of love.

27 01, 2020

Leftover Christmas

By judythemorgan|2020-01-26T10:35:53-06:00January 27th, 2020|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Christmas is long gone. January 2020 is fading fast, finally. Why is it January seems ten times longer than the rest of the months? But I digress.

A former schoolteacher, I love decorating for holidays. I guess it’s a holdover from all those bulletin boards I had to do. I have boxes for Valentine’s, St. Patrick Day, Texas Independence Day, 4^th of July, and, since I live in Texas again, boxes of Fall décor. Then comes Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and there are several boxes of those.

Anyway, I’m getting out my February decorations box for Valentine’s Day and what do I find? Leftover Christmas.

I’m surprised guests who’ve been to the house didn’t notice.

Maybe not the counted cross stitch Merry Christmas heart, but the guest hand towels were pretty obviously leftovers. I guess they pretended not to notice.

I appreciate the kindness.

The leftover discovery was really disconcerting. I believed I had all Christmas tucked away by Epiphany. That’s January 6, my yearly goal though it doesn’t always happen. Oblivious.

This year I honestly thought I’d aced the put away Christmas. Then this discovery.

I’d feel badly except I still see Christmas clearance items in stores next to Valentine’s Day merchandise. Unlike those retail stores who will hang onto leftover Christmas until it’s reduced to practically free, I’ve stuffed my two little leftovers in their boxes to come out again next Christmas.

20 01, 2020

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day = National Day of Service

By judythemorgan|2020-01-17T13:14:17-06:00January 20th, 2020|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed life’s most persistent and urgent question was:

‘What are you doing for others?’

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the federally established day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy.

On the National Day of Service everyone is encouraged to volunteer to improve our communities. Something, in my opinion, we should consider more than one day a year.

If you can only manage one day, then make it this one.

And, whatever you choose to do today, think about this excerpt from one of my favorite King quotes:

“… anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.

You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Looking for ideas on how you can serve? Find opportunities available in your community here you’ll need to enter your zip code.

11 12, 2019

A Holiday Quote – Christmas Is

By judythemorgan|2019-12-09T11:48:19-06:00December 11th, 2019|Holidays, Wednesday Quote|2 Comments

About the graphic

The picture was taken by my photographer daughter on Christmas Eve many years ago. The two grandsons are almost grown now. One in college, the other a senior. Fine young men who exhibited their loving hearts early as you see in the picture of them sharing cookies from the treat table.

About the quote

Dale Evans, Queen of the West and my childhood idol, passed away in 2001. These two grandsons didn’t even know her or that she sparked my young girl longing to be a rodeo barrel racer. I did frequently sing “Happy Trails to You” and “The Bible Tells Me So,” though. Evans wrote both songs. Her quote is a great thought for this holiday season.

This will be my last blog post for 2019 before we head to our holiday break. May your holidays be filled love. See you in 2020.

9 12, 2019

Which Santa is Yours?

By judythemorgan|2019-12-08T16:28:19-06:00December 9th, 2019|Holidays|3 Comments

The Coca Cola Santa – sleigh driving, gift-giving, plump with a white beard and distinctive red suit trimmed with white fur and sipping a Coca-Cola – created by illustrator Haddon Sundblom for their advertising campaigns of the 1930s and 40 may be the Santa most of us recall when we think of Santa Claus.

But Santa’s image was not always of a red suited, jolly man. That image morphed through a variety of different looks.

He was first St. Nicholas, celebrated on December 6th.

In his Dutch form he’s Sinterklaas. That figure made its way across the Atlantic in the early 19th century and the Americanization of Santa Claus began.

The Victorians’ Father Christmas was the emblem of ‘good cheer.’ His appearance was varied. One famous image was an illustration from “A Christmas Carol.”

Thomas Nast’s illustrations immortalized Santa Claus into his current look. This is his “Merry Old Santa Claus” published in the January 1, 1881 edition of Harper’s Weekly. Nast is also credited with incorporating the North Pole, Santa’s workshop, and the big book with names of children noting naughty or nice.

Norman Rockwell further the evolution with his many Santa themed covers for the Saturday Evening Post.

For me, my Santa is the red suited man in the Coca Cola ads.

This two minute video explains how he became most people’s Santa.

4 12, 2019

A Holiday Quote – Christmas Is

By judythemorgan|2019-12-03T08:16:18-06:00December 4th, 2019|Holidays, Wednesday Quote, Wednesday Words of Wisdom, Weekly Quote|1 Comment

About the graphic

This meme was created by Edie Melson. She is a fellow member of American Christian Fiction Writers and an outstanding photographer, as you can see, and one of the most generous, loving individuals I know. She posts memes on her blog for others to share and use. This is one of my holiday favorites.

About the quote

I’m not sure who the Charlotte Carpenter of the quote is. Sir Walter Scott’s wife and a UK singer came up with a Google search. I’m going with Charlotte Carpenter, wife of Sir Walter. What do you think?

Whichever one said it, it’s great advice for this time of year as we hustle and bustle shopping for the perfect gifts in anticipation of Christmas Day, don’t you think?

2 12, 2019

Welcome December

By judythemorgan|2019-12-01T19:06:55-06:00December 2nd, 2019|Holidays|1 Comment

That means hearing “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Christmas hymns like “Carol of the Bells.” Don’t get me wrong I love Christmas songs—in December. I love Christmas hymns year round and wish we sang those more throughout the year.

But Christmas songs? We’ve been hearing them now for two months.

Hallmark Christmas movies started in October too. Granted most were reruns of older movies, but I was slow to Christmas movies bandwagon and many have been new-to-me. But I’m getting kinda sick of Christmas movies too.

I sense others may share my feelings and be on the verge of Christmas overload with three weeks still to go.

For December blogs, I’m not doing tradition Christmas topics. I’m going to talk blog statistics for 2019 instead.

I’m a cynic about statistics because numbers can be manipulated. Think about it margins of error are rarely disclosed and those margins can change the stated statistical results.

So why am I talking about statistics? WordPress.com offers statistical data about our blogs and looking at that data helps me determine the course of my blog for the next year.

I learn some interesting things. July and August had the most blog views and March was a close third. November doubled the views for all three months.

Curious, I checked to see which November blogs received the most views in those months. Overwhelmingly, Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day received the most views.

The topic: “Irish Blessing for Thanksgiving.” I offer that Thanksgiving blessing every year. I guess this year more folks wanted an Irish blessing for their turkey.

Did you miss the blog? You can check it out here: https://judythewriter.com/irish-blessing-for-thanksgiving/

Next week I’ll be sharing how many views come from countries outside the United States. That was a true eye-opener. Can you guess which countries the blog viewers came from?

27 11, 2019

Irish Blessing for Thanksgiving

By judythemorgan|2019-11-10T11:43:24-06:00November 27th, 2019|Holidays|0 Comments

To be honest with you, Thanksgiving is not an Irish celebration. The holiday doesn’t exist in Ireland. There is no special Irish prayer, blessing, or grace for the day.

So, unless you have ties with family and friends in America, it’s simply another day. If, perchance you do have family celebrating Thanksgiving, then you might enjoy turkey in November and think of Pilgrims and Indians.

Nonetheless, Chicken Wrangler Sara and I have shared this Irish Thanksgiving Blessing for you and yours for years. And, we’re sharing again this year.

May your day be filled with love and laughter.

25 11, 2019

Thanksgiving Week? Really, Oranges?

By judythemorgan|2019-11-24T18:27:44-06:00November 25th, 2019|A Writer's Life, Holidays|1 Comment

We’ve been watching our two orange trees beside the driveway. Every day the oranges slow turn from green and hidden in the leaves and branches to orange and shouting, “It’s time!”

This weekend they screamed, “Now!”

Here it is Thanksgiving week, the time when there are a million other things to be doing in the kitchen besides squeezing oranges.

But no. The oranges couldn’t wait.

Hubby dear selected the most need-to-be-picked ones and loaded the picking crates and bucket.

Twice.

I prepared the sink area. Because orange juice tends to squirt when juicing, I drape the counters and cabinet doors with towels. Makes cleanup easier-no sticky floor or counters. I also sit on my vintage kitchen chair while I work.This is our third year of juicing. We have a system—an assembly line. He washes then slices the oranges in half and pitches the halves into the colander. I run the juicer and pour through the strained until the pitcher is full then pour the strained juice into quart jars. He seals, dates the lids, and carries to the garage freezer.We recently found a great, small freezer at a garage sale unbelievably cheap and it’s now the orange juice freezer.We prepared five gallons of juice this weekend and there’s another five or more crates on the tree starting to whisper our names. It looks like, while the rest of the world is wrestling and grabbing for bargains on Black Friday, we’ll be into orange juice manufacturing.

I know I’ll be happy come February when I’m sipping fresh orange juice. And, some lucky people on our Christmas list will be excited too.

Except right now, I’m not happy with the oranges. I need to be baking!