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While there’s no official way to observe the Advent season, traditionally each week’s candle is associated with a different word: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Hope: All around the world there is darkness. There is only one light that is bright enough to give us hope and that is Jesus. He will never be overtaken…

Growing up my mother loved to listen to classical music. So each Christmas we listened to Handel’s Messiah, which is a story choir concert/play (called an Oratorio) that retells Jesus’ whole life through sung scripture ending with the Hallelujah chorus which celebrates His resurrection. There is one song in this compilation of songs that has the…

This year, our family started a small Jesse Tree with a few simple symbols to help us slow downand remember that Christmas didn’t begin in Bethlehem. It began in Genesis. The Jesse Treehelps us trace the story of God’s promise through the Old Testament, all the way to Jesus. The name comes from Isaiah 11:1:“A…

During my childhood, making Christmas cookies didn’t involve ingredients like gingerbread or molasses. Making sugar cookies was also a rare occurrence, but Chocolate Cherry Kiss Cookies were always the staple of the season – and my personal favorite. It wasn’t too long until I learned that I could eat more if I helped in the…

Our family began a new Advent tradition as we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son, Theo; who was supposed to be a Christmas baby, but decided that he did not care for the year 2022 and waited until 2023 to meet us instead! An acquaintance from our former church in Texas wrote a beautiful Advent…

I asked my mom to send me a picture of the original recipe card for these bars and it was coated with vanilla stains and probably a bit of sticky residue from Karo syrup. The pen had nearly faded the instructions. These bars have been a family favorite every Christmas. They were originally titled “Jody…

Happy Advent! I wanted to share a quick story about one of my Stork family’s favorite Christmas traditions. When my dad was younger, he spent a few years living in Ireland. While there, he purchased what would become a Stork-family Christmas treasure: a beautiful leather sheep collar with little bells on it. Don’t ask me…

“Art and caring, skill and memory, comfort and nurture, faith and love — it’s all intertwined. Cooking (baking, in this case) matters because people matter. Feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger are signposts of the Christian life. There are countless opportunities and ways to live these out, but learning to cook (bake) is a…

Children’s nativity plays are notorious for their unexpected mishaps that make them memorable. But every once in a while, the surprises themselves serve as powerful reminders of the message of Christmas and who God is. Watch this video for a childhood recollection from Karin Peabody that offers us a profound picture of our Good Shepherd.

Although this recipe is not an old family recipe, it has quickly become a new favorite of my family’s the last few years. I like making a lot of Christmas cookies every year so I always have something to bring to parties but also to pass out to neighbors and friends. This recipe makes a…