Countdown to Christmas - Day 1

Add a little holiday cheer to your day with the Countdown to Christmas. Each day will feature a Bible verse and devotional, a Christmas carol, the holiday TV schedule for the day, a musical gift idea, a movie of the day, a recipe to try and a free download.

December 1st, the countdown to Christmas begins. God is good all of the time, but in December, as we get ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, we are reminded of that goodness with every carol, every sight and every smell.


God loves us so much that He sent us His Son and that is the best thing to celebrate in the world!

Merry Christmas!

Bible Verse of the Day

• Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (New American Standard Bible)

  ³For I proclaim the name of the LORD;
  Ascribe greatness to our God!
  ⁴The Rock! His work is perfect,
  For all His ways are just;
  A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
  Righteous and upright is He.

  
  As we kick off the Christmas season, being reminded of the greatness of God is a good way to start. God is truly faithful and his love for us goes beyond anything we can comprehend.
  

Christmas Carol of the Day

• "All Is Well At Christmas" - Mark Harris - from the album Christmas Is.
  
  • Purchase/Download
  • on Christmas Is

Sharing Christmas

• Mark Harris shared some of his Christmas favorites...
• Favorite Christmas carol - "Silent Night" - I have always loved this song and it's timeless message. It describes visually what it must have looked like in Bethlehem that first Christmas night.
• Favorite Christmas movie - Elf - Although I have many that I like, this movie makes me laugh until it hurts.

• Favorite Christmas goodie - I love pecan pie. It is the only time of the year that I eat it.
• Favorite Christmas tradition - We have this thing that we do at our church called Merry Christmas Gulf Coast. Every December, we give away bicycles and food to less fortunate families. It is always the most fulfilling thing to be a part of as a family and individual. It really helps me, Jodie and the kids remember what Christmas is about. Last year we were able to give away over 2,000 bicycles.
• Christmas memory that stands out the most - I remember as a little boy getting my first guitar. It started me on the path to what I do today. It was not expensive. It was from TG&Y, an old department store, but it was special to me. I banged on it all Christmas day, thinking I was making music. I remember thinking that I was a rock star that day. It seems like for the next few Christmases, all I would ask for was another guitar. Finally, when I was old enough to really play, my folks bought me a really nice guitar that I could take lessons on. When I look back on early Christmas memories it always involves singing and playing a guitar or banging on a toy guitar.

Free Download of the Day

• Start of your December with a free download of Celtic Woman's "Ave Maria" from Amazon.com!

Christmas TV - December 1, 2011

• ABC
  • Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
  • CMA Country Christmas
  
  ABC Family
  
  • The Santa Clause
  
  Hallmark
  
  • Finding John Christmas

Christian Music Gift Idea of the Day

• Until We Have Faces - RED ()
  Rock fans will adore RED's Until We Have Faces. It delivers extraordinary vocals, appealing lyrics and enough rock edge to make the Christian rocker in your life stand up and take notice.
  

Family Movie of the Day

• Veggie Tales: The Little Drummer Boy(Compare Prices)
  Junior Asparagus plays the Veggie drummer boy in this classic tale of generosity, love and the hope for our world.
  
  
  • Watch Veggie Tales: The Little Drummer Boy trailer
  • VeggieTales Fun - Find games, activities, coloring pages, and stories.

Gift Idea For Tweens Who Love Books

• My 11-year-old adores the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney and I adore the fact that she is reading for pleasure. The series, written as an illustrated diary by the main character, Greg Heffley, takes a hilarious look at life in middle school that she can really relate to. While young Greg is far from perfect, he is real and his flaws, while charming, are things that she can relate to, thus causing her to look at his reactions and think through what she would have done in his shoes.

Recipe of the Day

• Almonds are considered a "superfood" because they are packed with nutrients but only have a small amount of carbohydrates in them. Chocolate, while not a "superfood" is super good, so German styled, spiced Chocolate Covered Almonds will be our first Christmas season treat this year. They're fun to make, delicious to eat and make great homemade Christmas gifts for friends and family.

Saying Merry Christmas ...

• In German: Frohe Weihnachten
  (More German holiday phrases)