The Christmas Wreath

Christine Johnson here today talking about something many of us do every year—hang a Christmas wreath. Some years ago I made an artificial one that I put on my front door every year.

Sometimes I’ll trade it out with a wreath I somehow inherited—the memory is sketchy on exactly how—but I’m partial to the pine green and red of a more traditional wreath.

Do you know the tradition behind wreath-making? Their origin is uncertain, perhaps stretching back to Roman times when wreaths symbolized victory. In Christianity, the circle of the wreath represents eternity or life unending. Some believe the Christmas wreath got its start in the advent wreaths of medieval Germany, adorned with four candles and a fifth in the center which is lit on Christmas Eve to represent the coming of the Christ child. Others look to the early 19th century, when evergreen wreaths and crosses were often laid on gravesites and then brought home for Christmas to add to the decorations.

In my upcoming Christmas book (and last with Love Inspired Historical) ,Would-Be Mistletoe Wife, war widow and school teacher, Louise Smythe, goes on a wreath-making campaign to brighten the town in the hope of drawing more business from travelers, especially from Chicago. When the Great Fire of 1871 decimates that city and the area around her small town, the mission of boosting business turns to one of lifting the spirits of those left homeless. Since one of the results of the fire is the closing of the school, she will soon become one of them unless another avenue opens for her. If only the assistant lighthouse keeper, Jesse Hammond, would overlook her age and petite stature and recognize that she is fully capable of becoming a lighthouse keeper’s wife.

Now, it’s your turn. Do you hang a Christmas wreath? Do you hold with tradition and choose an evergreen one, or do you have a favorite artificial wreath?

Christine Johnson

Would-Be Mistletoe Wife (LIH, Dec 2017)

http://christineelizabethjohnson.com

Seeing the Light by Christine Johnson

Lighthouses that is. These structures hold a special place in my heart. I grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and would look for the light of the offshore lighthouse when it came on after dark. There’s something comforting about that reliable light warning ships and boats away from danger as well as guiding them to safe harbor.

During my sailing days when I was much younger, a lighthouse was a fixed point by which I could measure progress. Each one passed was a milestone. Others indicated where safe harbor could be found.

So when this Labor Day weekend our bicycle ride ended up at a lighthouse, I was overjoyed! We didn’t realize the bike path ended there, so it was a double treat. It was also a lighthouse that I had not visited yet. This one is located on the shores of Lake Huron. 

Forty Mile Point Lighthouse was built in 1896 and, to my delight, still has the foghorn building, bunkhouse, and oil house onsite. The lighthouse is now a museum and open to the public.

Note the foghorns above the door

Lighthouses are often a symbol of the Lord’s guidance and one symbol that I treasure. When life’s storms hit, we need that Light to guide us to safety. His Truth held me above the waves during recent battles with depression and anxiety. I would have been lost and broken apart on the rocks without His presence and guidance. 

I love to include lighthouses in my stories, so I'm thrilled that the real-life location for my Boom Town Brides series had a lighthouse. Actually, it had more than one over time. The first lighthouse collapsed when the sand eroded. The second lighthouse was built farther from the water atop a dune and is the one that existed at the time of my stories. See this article for a picture of it. 

http://www.lakeeffectliving.com/Feb11/Lighthouses-Saugatuck.html

I mention the lighthouse throughout the series, but look for it to play a larger role in the third and fourth books of the series. Book 3 is currently slated to be released in June of 2017.

Have you ever visited a lighthouse? Which is your favorite?

Christine Johnson

Mail Order Mommy (Nov. 2016)

Honor Redeemed  (Revell, July 2016)

Mail Order Mix-Up (April 2016)

http://christineelizabethjohnson.com