21 December 2007

You know my favorite Christmas ornament?

A long nail. Kenny and Sharilyn gave it to us years ago. It reminds us as we decorate the tree celebrating our Lord's birth each year of WHY He came into the world and where His love and determination to save us would land Him.

2 comments:

Rev. David M. Juhl said...

I have one too! The ornament was a gift from a family at my vicarage congregation in TN whose name I can't remember.

It hangs prominently on our tree every year. Our Catherine asks about it frequently. I must say it's my favorite too.

The nail goes well with the last thing J.S. Bach leaves the listener with in the Christmas Oratorio: a snippet of "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded". The Baby in the manger will grow up to die for my sins.

mlorfeld said...

My family has always had the practice of hanging one from the tree.

Another family tradition (before going to an artificial tree) when more needles seemed to be on the ground than on the tree (about Epiphany time), the tree would be taken out and the branches stripped and the trunk would be cut and formed into a cross. This would hang on the front of the house where the wreath was until Easter with purple, black, and finally, a white piece of cloth.