Merry Christmas!

🎄 Because today is Christmas day, there's no weekly post. Enjoy your family time!

~AR Kuhn

December 24th - Santa Tree

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

Song: Here Comes Santa Claus - Gene Autry

December 23rd - Ladybug

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Did you know that in Russian, ladybugs are called "God's little cows"?

December 22nd - Butterfly

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Butterflies can symbolize hope or rebirth. This particular butterfly is a monarch, famous for migrating to Mexico for the winter.

December 21st - Antique Bird

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

Song: Winter Wonderland - Amy Grant (Spotify)

December 20th - Spider

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What do spiders have to do with Christmas? More than you'd think. According to a Ukrainian folktale, when a poor widow couldn't afford to buy decorations for the Christmas tree for her children, a spider took pity on her and decorated the tree in webs, which glittered gold and silver as the sun rose.

December 19th - Flying Angel

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

Song: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Pentatonix (Spotify)

December 18th - Candy Cane

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

According to legend, candy canes were designed to remind us of Christ--the shape resembles either a shepherd's crook or a J (for Jesus), the stripes represent His suffering (Isa. 53:5) the red represents His blood, the white represents our purification in Him, and the green ribbon represents our new life in Him.

December 17th - Cardinal

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

Legend has it that cardinals are the spirits of our loved ones coming back to check on us. If a cardinal visited one of your characters, who might it be?

December 16th - Steam Train

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

Song: Hot Chocolate - Tom Hanks (Spotify)

December 15th - Sweater Mouse

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Song: March from the Nutcracker - Tchaikovsky (Spotify)

December 14th - Book Stack

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Many of us ask for books for Christmas, but some people take it a step farther... One of my dear friend's has a yearly tradition in her family called "Jolabokaflod," or "Christmas Book Flood." It's an Icelandic tradition (though you don't have to be Icelandic to participate!) where the family gets new books on Christmas Eve and stays up late reading them and drinking hot chocolate. Mm!

December 13th - Christmas Cow

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

Because my family lives in Texas, we have several ornaments on our tree that reflect that, including cowboy boots, armadillos, windmills, and this cow. What symbols could represent your culture or locale?

December 12th - Betsy Ross

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This ornament depicts Betsy Ross, the woman who made the first American flag. Do you have any ornaments on your tree honoring people you respect?

December 11th - Rolling Pin

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Song: Christmas Cookies - George Strait (Spotify)

December 10th - Seagull

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A bit about this ornament: It came from a little Christmas shop on the Oregon coast, like many of our ornaments. Every year, we went to the beach, and every year, we came back with another ornament.

Where do you get your ornaments?

December 9th - Squirrel

(Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

Ah yes, a squirrel in the Christmas tree, hearkening back to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...

Song: The Mississippi Squirrel Revival - Ray Stevens* (Spotify)

*Not a Christmas song, but you'll laugh.

December 8th - Painted Bird

 (Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

[Photo: balsawood dove painted with shimmery watercolors.]

Song: The 12 Days of Christmas - Straight No Chaser (Spotify)

December 7th - Paper Angel

  (Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

[Photo: An angel made of folded paper and colored with markers.]

Song: Gloria - MercyMe (Spotify)

December 6th - Olive Wood Star

  (Not sure how these prompts work? See this post.)

[Photo: A star carved from light-colored wood.]

This star, carved out of olive wood, comes from the Holy Land--fitting for the season.

Song: Born Tonight - Jamie Grace (Spotify)