Shannon here: Jenny Carlisle shares favorite Christmas traditions from her hometown, plus a chance to win a print copy of the Christmas novella Collection, A Gift for All Time which includes her novella with two other authors. Comment or answer the question in any post dated Nov 2nd – 28th to enter the drawing for a print copy along with 3 other titles. Deadline: Dec 4th, 11:59 pm central. Here’s Jenny:
Christmas traditions don’t have to wait until December.
You will be reading this blog at the beginning of November. The book I am featuring tells the romantic stories of three couples, three families, and the importance of Christmas celebrations. Is early November too early?
In today’s world, I am noticing that Christmas celebrations begin earlier each year. The Thanksgiving holiday has become overshadowed, and in retail stores, Santa and Christmas trees are even encroaching on Halloween displays. If you want to know how I feel about this- I’ll tell you. It is perfectly fine with me!
I think our world is eagerly anticipating the coming of Jesus. Believers are beyond tired of the stress, confusion and sadness they witness each day, and ready for the peace that passes understanding. Maybe our excitement about the birth of our Savior can be infectious, and we can use this opportunity to tell the real story to others, to emphasize the reason for the season.
Our congregation’s Vacation Bible School this year used the theme of Christmas in July. The premise of the week was presented in a play each night. Three children had come to their grandparent’s house for a summer vacation, when a freak winter storm struck the area, stranding them in a house with no power. The kids were very upset by this crazy change of plans. No swimming, no playing outside, no television, no internet for their games and devices. A total nightmare. Granny and Grandpa saw it as an opportunity to teach them about Jesus, and filled the house with decorations and traditions normally reserved for wintertime. Every night, they read from the Bible about of a baby born to save the world.
Our congregation loved this time, as we all enjoyed a break from the 100-degree temperatures outside. As we left on the final night, we even walked through a makeshift “snowstorm”. We left with Christmas in our hearts, and look forward to celebrating again in cooler weather.
The novella collection, A Gift for All Time, written by my friends Tonya Ashley, Ellen Withers and myself recognizes the importance of the baby born in Bethlehem to generations of American families. The three stories feature the same hand carved nativity scene. It first shows up on a wrecked riverboat in Van Buren, Arkansas in 1840. After being rescued and returned to its owners in Tonya’s story, it travels to Mexico, Missouri, for Ellen Withers’ Civil War era contribution. My contribution, Rejoicing with Joy finds the same nativity scene tucked away in a forgotten box in a church attic back in the Arkansas River Valley during the present time.
All three novellas focus on the hope that these small wooden figures bring to the people who encounter them. All recognize that the humble beginnings of our Savior can be used to illustrate the unfathomable love of our Heavenly Father. He sent His son to meet us where we are, to live with us in our sad, broken world. He wants us to follow the baby Home, to live with Him forever.
Yes, if you come to my hometown in the middle of November, you will most likely see all sorts of Christmas decorations. Soon, our downtown will be decked out with beautiful bright lights, and a full-sized nativity scene on the lawn of a local church near the courthouse. You are welcome to some share the joy, no matter what the calendar says.
Watch for announcements of special pricing for our novella collection A Gift for All Time later in November. For now, you can win your own copy by answering this question:
Reader Question: When does the Christmas celebration start at your house? Will you be the first on your block to put up your tree?
November 202 Book Bundle
A Gift for All Time by Jenny Carlisle and 2 other authors, Christmas Novella Collection, print
Stars and Stripes for Freedom by Ellen E. Withers and 4 other authors, Military Novella Collection, print (1 copy for bundle, 1 cope for second winner)
Pretzels and Pirouettes by Lynn U. Watson, Contemporary Romance Novella, print
Lessons in Love by Kelly Irvin, Amish romance, print
(All bundle giveaways are U.S. only)
About Jenny: Jenny Carlisle is the author of the Crossroads series, published by Scrivenings Press. Hope Takes the Reins, Faith Moves Mountains and Love Never Fails have been joined by two novellas, Rejoicing with Joy, included in A Gift for All Time, and Anchor in a Whirlwind, in the collection entitled Romancing the Elements. Both feature popular characters from her series. A long-time columnist in Ouachita Life Magazine, she was well known for sharing her encouraging views about life with readers all over the southwest portion of Arkansas. Two collections of those columns were included in self-published non-fiction books, Turn, Turn, Turn, and To Everything a Season. All of her books are available in paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon.
She is a past president of the Arkansas Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Jenny retired from a career in Human Resources with the State of Arkansas. She and her husband, James live in the central part of their favorite state, where they worship with a service-oriented congregation of the Church of Christ. They love spending time with their three married children and eight grandchildren who live in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Her favorite volunteer activity is serving as a journey partner with Women Equipped, Christian Women’s Job Corps.
Jenny’s Website Jenny’s Facebook Jenny’s Facebook Author Page
About the Novella Collection – A Gift for All Time: 
In Christian homes, one simple reminder of the real reason for the Christmas season has endured―a nativity set depicting the humble birth of our Savior. Varying in size and material, these little tableaus often become a treasured part of a family’s celebration to be passed down through generations.
In the 1840s, an immigrant family experiences a catastrophe in a violent storm. They escape the riverboat with their lives, but all of their possessions, including their treasured nativity are dumped into the Arkansas River. In the town of Van Buren, Arkansas, a young woman enlists a local blacksmith to help return the treasured symbol of hope to its owners as they continue to their destination of St. Louis, Missouri.
By the time the Civil War causes a massive identity crisis for our country, the nativity scene arrives in Mexico, Missouri, a little worse for wear. There, a soldier recovering from injuries sustained in the War, takes on the project of refreshing and restoring the set as a gift to his lady love.
Finally, in a new millennium, the nativity set has completed a full circle. This time, it turns up in the attic of an old church in the Arkansas River Valley, where a college student and her new friend work to restore the spirit of a forgotten little town. After more than a century, the symbol of the first and most holy family becomes the focus once again.
God’s perfect plan for mankind was fulfilled by the birth of his son in a stable in Bethlehem. A simple representation of this event reaches the hearts of each of its owners, spanning generations. God’s love never fails.
A Gift for All Time Jenny’s Books
Come back Nov 6th for Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup!
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