Setting aside the assembly of research notes for topics and issues I am following; I turn to send a simple message on this holiest of holy nights. I am thankful for you in ways I will never be able to convey.
When we say “Merry Christmas” do we think about it?
This is the day of great joy, the greatest joy of all. Tonight, we celebrate a loving and purposeful blessing provided to us by our Creator. The universal truth. The pure perfection of a loving Child born in the most ordinary fashion for us, to us, to guide and share the most blessed and purposeful message that could ever be delivered to mankind: We are Loved.
The message in the story of Christ’s birth is pure love. Sit in the peace created by our acceptance and join together in joy.
Years from now, it is unlikely anyone will remember that thing they unwrapped. What they will remember, what will have much greater impact, is a message from YOU to THEM that they matter, that they too are loved.
Think about what “Merry Christmas” means, when you say it.
The Merry Christmas moment provided by you, will NEVER be forgotten.
That look in your eye or sound of your voice that reaches them and emphasizes their value, their worth, their importance; that is the gift they will remember in great detail, forever.
Hope is the necessary human element beyond all other facets of life. Give the gift of hope and light to those you love by first reminding yourself of the gift that a loving God has given us all. It is too easy in our human sense to forget the biggest gift we have been granted, the gift of life. The ability to live and choose how we engage in the lives of others.
Remind yourself when you say “Merry Christmas” of the kind of purposeful HOPE that would leave the most glorious throne to be born into a manger as a baby, only to grow into a Man willing to lay down His everything for the flawed people amid humanity. Why? Because that hope is pure. That love is perfect.
No politics or false sense of security can overwhelm the message of HOPE that a loving God has provided. No effort of man or human disposition can surmount the greatest love of all. The message of Christ’s birth is bigger and greater than any political or legislative battle.
“No power of hell, nor scheme of man” can come close to the purpose of God’s intent and love for you as a unique person qualified to receive that love.
Turn “Merry Christmas” into an action message.
Engage in the moments around saying “Merry Christmas” with a loving purpose filled with the HOPE that He provides. Fall forward to the centered purpose of your life, a very special life, and reflect on the gift we often are too busy to contemplate.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
Revelation 21:1-6

I just read an article about the abolition of Christmas in Communist Russia!
Over 70 years of murder and darkness of all kinds in a once Christian country imposed by a tiny, ruthless, atheist minority!
Let us appreciate CHRISTMAS this year more than ever, as our own resistance to Communists in our midst MUST persist and grow!
Merry CHRISTmas!
Sounds more like modern day you crane
Zelensky may have more in common with Stalin than Putin: dictators dictate!
Once again, give thanks for America, free so far! Give thanks to and for Mr. Sundance and for our little forum here, which is a Christmas present for the mind and soul every day!
So true
Amen. They’ll be happy to do it again here if they get the chance.
The horrors of leftists know no ends.
This video is from 1918 in Moscow on the Feast of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker according to the Patristic Calendar.
The Faithful came out in huge numbers to defy the Bolsheviks who were financed and supported by certain outsiders and others.
Holy New Martyr Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow is at the forefront of the Procession.
Merry Christmas Treepers and thank you for your company.
‘ Been one heck of a ride. I’m glad I had y’all riding shotgun. Merry Christmas….
We celebrate a Savior whose love we can’t even imagine. I am encouraged that this year’s Christmas poll by Richard Baris shows that 80% believe in God, and 93% of those believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior. There is a longing by people to be closer to Him. Let’s keep praying; it’s working. Merry Christmas everyone; God Bless You Sundance. BTW, poll was 4K people across the spectrum.
Encouraging!
What higher honor can there be that when we say, “I thank God for you, ” He listens.
Thank you Sundance. Merry Christmas everyone!
And we are thankful for you, Sundance…you and your friends who water this Tree and stand lookout for it and us.
Christmas blessings rest on all your houses. We are grateful beyond imaginings 🙏🏻 🎄💕
I hope friends will forgive me this personal note…
More at Christmastime this year and well before, I have found myself acutely aware of so so many across the world, but particularly in our America, for whom there has been loss, hard times, unexpected tragedy, or absence from loved ones. Circumstances like these have always existed, but my focus on them this year has been intense and my prayers deeper for an inexplicable reason…
Until I remembered the grace we say before meals. And as my father always included, I add, “And keep us ever mindful of the needs of others. Amen.”
Suddenly, all was clear. My prayer had been answered….
So for those who are experiencing such a time, I pray for you a Christmas miracle, which is the sure knowledge that our Saviour born this glorious day not only surrounds you with an everlasting love beyond your comprehension…but also that you palpably feel His presence and comfort. And as God always answers prayer, I ask in the name of His only Son Jesus Christ that His answer to this one..as He answered me above…be swift and made manifest. Amen.
For everyone in their branches here…and in “management”…whose company on these pages has been a precious blessing I never anticipated, I pray for you all a peaceful Christmas. One filled with the wonder and awe that God loves us so much that He chose to live amongst us Incarnate.
You are my beloved friends, and I treasure each and every one of you.
“Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.”
We welcome You, Lord Jesus, our Saviour and Redeemer 🙏🏻
Alleleuia!!!
I was reminded this afternoon, Betsy, how we seldom know circumstances in the life of the person standing right in front of us.
Yes, prayers of Christmas miracles for all.
Merry Christmas, Betsy. May it be most special.
No we do not, dear Phflipper. This is something we often discuss in our house. And I have made it a special point to share our thoughts with our three grands nearest to us on many occasions.
Thank you so much, my friend. You have no idea how your wish for me has already come true…
Not 2 hours ago, our son and his wife phoned to announce the June arrival of our tenth grandchild, their third. Yes…very special 🎄
May and your beloved wife feel that deep peace this Christmas which only God Himself can provide. Blessings always 💕
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Congrats!
A beautiful and heartfelt post, Betsy. May God richly bless you and yours and Merry Christmas.
Bless Will. I know every Christmas since you left California feels more joyful, and that makes me happy. I pray the same for you and your family, too, dear sir 💕🎄
Betsy, You are a love!
Peace and Love to us all and our loved ones in the New Year.
Merry Christmas.
Yes, Ma…God richly bless us every one.
Merry Christmas 💕🙏🏻
As always dear Betsy Dia Duit and a very merry Christmas. I know someday we’ll meet for sure in our wonderful heaven and I’ll be proud to stand next to you and others here praising our heavenly father all the day long 🇺🇸🙏🏻🙏🏻🇺🇸
Oh Mr jay, dear soul and friend, Nadolig Llawen to you and your family. I’m sure the Good Lord will reserve a bench for you especially, and by His grace I hope so for me. Perhaps He will have a mansion for all in our Treehouse family…what a wonderful thought 🙏🏻 Love you, dear sir.💕
Thank you for the sweet blessings.
For you, Miss Betsy. . . .
Glen Campbell Live in Dublin (1 May 1981) – Mull Of Kintyre
0.o
This is the original studio version from 1982.
The sound is cleaner.
0.o
I love this one Fuzzy 😍🎄 If there are pipes, you have me. What a treat, and I do sincerely thank you for it 💕
Merry Christmas to Sundance, Stella, WeeWeed, Menagerie, Amy, Sharon, Ad Rem and all Treepers, wherever you are. May your New Year bring Health, Prosperity and Happiness.
🙏💝🎄💝🎄💝🙏
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.'” -The Revelation of John the apostle (21:1-5, NASB).
Woke up today thinking about the Shepherds in the Christmas story. Think about these lowly guys. In the dark, cold of a normal night they’re blasted by a visit from an angel. They’re scared, but the angel tells them “fear not, for I bring you good tidings with great joy. Born this day in the city of Bethlehem is a baby who is Christ the Lord”. Then the night sky is filled with angels all singing and praising the Most High God. Can you see those lowly guys trying to convince themselves they weren’t dreaming or something? Then they come around pretty quickly and run to see this baby in Bethlehem. What a night for them, us and all mankind. Christ The King was born!!!
merry and joyous Christmas to Sundance, his hard working admins and all treepers
and a happy, healthy new year! 🤙🎄🍾
Thank you, Sundance . . . and a very Merry Christmas to you!
What Christmas is all about
Feisty 🙂 nice to see you .
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas.
Hallelujah! And … check out Isaiah 55:1-5 for comparison. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all you fine people here in the CTH arena…. God Bless sundance!
Praise be to our Heavenly Father and Jesus our savior!
Didn’t know The Band recorded a Christmas Song! Have a Blessed, Holy, Merry Christmas to all Treepers!!!
Merry Christmas Bubby! I love The Band and this song made me happy!!
The Band 🙂
Have their album The Last Waltz.
Amazing the musicians that join them on that wonderful work of music.
I went to buy a lottery ticket today at my place of work. Before leaving, I shouted Merry Christmas at one of the store. Pointed to a gentleman dressed as Santa Claus who was hohoing and saying Merry Christmas, and I said I love you! Then at the other end of the store, again I shouted Merry Christmas and shouted remember the reason for season, before exiting.
There where many who shouted back Merry Christmas.
Hopefully my good cheer was infectious enough to spread throughout the day.
And by shouted, I mean in my best command voice possible. I can make your ears hurt. 😀
Amen, Sundance!
Merry Christmas Eve to everyone!
Tis the reason for the Season!
Merry Christmas to you Sundance, and God bless you!
Why did “O Holy Night” make me cry?
Because it is full of love.
Always….
Merry Christmas to you and family, dear Sundance! And to all the members of the Treehouse family!
May the Magesty
of our Lord and Savior
be felt and known from limb to limb.
✝️-Blessings to all.
Merry Christmas 💞
Merry Christmas Patience
☘️
Thank you, ☮️ 💞
🎶 Mary Did You Know?
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=mary+did+you+know+song&t=iphone&ia=videos&iax=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUiUeg_alAkc
🌲 -Peace, A blessed and very Merry Christmas to you … and (all) yours❣️
✝️
ahem……..
MERRY CHRISTMAS SUNDANCE AND CREW AND ALL TREEPERS……
Merry Christmas my friend. 🙏❤️
Thank you dearly for this, the moss.
100 likes!
Merry Christmas to all with a special thanks to Sundance….
May all your wishes come true…
Merry and Blessed Christmas, Sundance, to you and yours.
Merry Christmas to all! May all our prayers be heard. God bless you all! Thank you Sundance for opening so many eyes.
Still remembering how Charles Schulz (RIP) was both simple, bold, and brave. He knew what he wanted “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to be. The network executives didn’t even want to show it to anyone. How utterly wrong they were. Not a soul now remembers those “network executives.”
Raymond Arroyo had a radio special today about Christmas songs.
He told several details about this production.
I hope I can find it again.
This was broadcast on the radio.
Apple TV owns that production now. I suppose you need a subscription to see it.
Merry Christmas!
“We love him, because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19 (KJV)
Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year to you and yours, Sundance, as well as to all the wonderful CTH staff and Treepers. God Bless you all! I appreciate you!
Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia
He points the way to Christ.
The Saint Nicholas Center website has a great collection of materials about Saint Nicholas.
The site is unlike no other.
http://www.stnicholascenter.org
Watching the episode about St Nicholas on Expedition Unknown. Very interesting!
light came into darkness.
the witness of heaven is not just who HE was/is….but what HE would do or fulfill.
SAVIOR.
CHRIST.
LORD.
truly good news of great joy for ALL the people.
merry christmas.
HE still brings his light into the dark.
Merry Christmas to all of you and your loved ones. God bless everyone.
Lovely as always, Sundance!
Merry Christmas!
A Merry Christmas to all Treepers, and a grateful thanks to Sundance for all he does.
W. H. Auden wrote long poem about Christmas like a radio play with the different people expressing their confusion, fears and hopes. It has a Narrator who opens and closes the poem.
I like the way one of the final lines sums up Christmas:
“Everything became a You and nothing was an It.”
Merry Christmas Sundance, Mods and all the Treehouse members & their families. God bless you each and every one.
Merry Christmas from Ordinaryman in North Carolina as we swelter in 50 degree temperatures.
The Incarnation of Jesus … Greatest miracle of history….EVER! May God continue to bless you Sundance, and your family and those who follow your brilliant work.
I asked my best friend if he could choose to meet anyone in recorded history who would it be? His answer, Jesus. Thanks be to God for life and CTH. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Sundance and to all who perch in these precious branches.
❤️ 🎄 Love to you all.
Speaking of Christmas…….about that first photo quoting Luke 2: 10-12
How many of you read that while hearing Linus’ voice?
Merry Christmas to everyone, especially those in the treehouse.
This morning at 6am I was assigned to read Luke 2:12 during my Sunrise Bible Study on Amateur Radio.
“And this will be the sign to you : You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
It was a blessed honor to read it.
Merry Christmas with love!
Merry Christmas to all!
John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Thank you Sundance and All Treeper’s on the branches of this Treehouse. My love to you on this day and always.
Merry Christmas to all my Treeper Friends 🙂
Oh, Sundance, what a beautiful gift. That video and song by the always amazing Josh Groban brought tears of love to my eyes and heart.
May God bless you, Sundance, and all of my fellow Treepers. You’re all gifts to me.
Dear Lord, thank you for the many blessings you continue to pour into my life and into our country. Please protect our dear President Trump and his beautiful family, his entire administration and the people of this country. Help us to be worthy and hopeful for a safe and prosperous country that we may help the world that needs your help to awaken to their peril.
Amen.
“The message in the story of Christ’s birth is pure love.”
I believe my wife is basking in that love as I write these words. She died earlier this month and there is no Christmas present I ever received as precious as the memories she gave me.
The self-help sections of bookstores have lots of titles by well-meaning authors intended to help people like me through their loss, but Why Bad Things Happen To Good People isn’t a question I’m inclined to ask.
Better for me to remember that my wife was never mine, she was a gift from God, on loan to me for over sixty years. So I feel only gratitude for that, never bitterness or regret.
Love God, love your family, love your country and may all of you find peace during this Joyous and Holy Season.
Merry Christmas to all!
Oh dear, Lion. What a beautiful tribute to your beautiful wife. I am sorry for your loss, but as the AA saying goes, “Let gratitude change your attitude.” You have demonstrated that beautifully here. Merry Christmas.
Thank you so much, Deborah. Merry Christmas to you and all who you love and who love you back..
The gift of your wife was so nice to feel.
My hubby just got a pacemaker, I tease him about being my bionic man.
He is my gift of 40 plus years.
Death, God went to prepare a place for us and I know
the next breath we take after passing will be in Gods presence.
love to all
Lion huggs.
I’ll take those huggs, BE, and return them in kind. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and your bionic man.
“Better for me to remember that my wife was never mine, she was a gift from God, on loan to me for over sixty years. So I feel only gratitude for that, never bitterness or regret.” Thank you for that beautiful thought. My wife of nearly 50 years is in those devastating stages of dementia which try us all. Your words are what my family believes, but you put it so succinctly. Thank you for that gift. May God Bless you.
I feel for you, DD, I do! ‘The times that try men’s soul’ are in the here and now for you and all I can offer is my prayer that you, your lovely wife and all who are affected by her affliction find a measure of peace to balance the pain you’re going through. I hope it helps you to realize the woman you’ve loved for all those years is in your heart, not the in the chemical imbalances that have her saying and doing things that aren’t in her true nature.
Thank you, LTB. It’s those times that the light in her eyes or those special momentary smiles confirm to me, regardless of how her brain is misfiring, that I am in her heart, too. While our game clock is undeniably running out, we’ve been a mighty effective team for nearly 50 years and we will continue to do our best.
I remember reading over 60 years ago some philosopher (whose name I’ve long forgotten) wrote: “Every night at least three people you don’t know are praying for you.” I thought that was a strange notion, but as I’ve lived these many decades I realize that sentiment is correct; and so reassuring. Thank you for your support and I will pray for God’s Grace to be with you.
My condolences- may our loving God grant you comfort.
Thank you, TJ. Only a loving God could have created these feelings I have for her and she had for me. And that does give me comfort.
Re the Incarnation – someone put it this way (author unknown) –
“He who never began to be, but eternally existed,
and who continued to what He eternally was,
began to be what He eternally was not.”
…and the reason for the Incarnation is provided in II Corinthians 5:21: “He who had no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Profound mystery into which angels long to look–into which we are invited.
Merry Christmas, Sundance and thank you for this refuge!
Merry Christmas, Treepers! Love and joy to all of you <3
Have a blessed Christmas my fellow treepers.
Live your best life as unto the Lord.
huggs and MAGA
Merry Christmas.
Peace is but a river. May it flow through out all your lives that coming year. Merry God given Christmas to all.