Enjoy this video that I made of timeless Christmas wisdom from years ago.

"The Holy Child" was composed by John B. Marsh and originally published in 1896. Words by Emily S. Oakey.

You can download the free sheet music by clicking here

Within a valley green and still,

Where flow'rs in beauty smiled

In shadow of the swelling hill,

There dwelt the Holy Child;

The openings of His lovely life

Was long ago foretold;

Its dawning had been long desired

By seers, and kings of old.

The angel sang His glorious birth,

The star above him shone;

The wise men bow'd with precious gifts,

Before the Sinless One,

The wise men bow'd with precious gifts,

Before the Sinless One.

The hopes of all the sorrowful,

'Round Him were clustering;

With loving looks He walk'd the earth,

A Child, and yet a King!

For us He left His glorious home

Beyond the starry sky;

For us to labor and to live,

To suffer and to die.

Then love Him, and obey his voice,

This Saviour, kind and true,

And follow Him, 'till all shall be

The Holy Child in you,

And follow Him,

'till all shall be the Holy Child in You.

You can download the sheet music by clicking here

I enjoy looking through old catalogs - especially vintage Christmas Catalogs.

They are fun to look through for several reasons:
- the "Oh my gosh - can you BELIEVE how CHEAP that used to be!" factor
- for some of us it is PROOF that there WERE things to do before video games and computers
- they are great for dating items that you collect.... "what year is this?"
- it is fun to take a trip down memory lane - even if the memories are "before your time".

- some of the items advertised in old catalogs can be downright wacky - an early kin to some "as seen on TV" items

Do you have a favorite old catalog that you enjoy looking through or a warm memory that was sparked by flipping through it's pages? Share it with the rest of us by posting a comment below.

You can view several Sears Christmas/Wishbook catalogs from the 1940's up to the 1970's by clicking here courtesy of the folks from Wishbook Web.

And check out these other vintage Christmas catalogs that are available:

Glass blocks were first made in the 1800's for use in cellar windows and ships.  In the early 1900's glass blocks started being used in structures.

When I see glass blocks used as windows it instantly gives me a feeling of being transported back in time.  I guess it is because I remember seeing so many older homes with glass block in their basements and some other windows.  I just love the look of them and the memories they conjure up.

I found this really neat craft project that can be done with glass blocks - make them into lit Christmas presents!  It is like giving someone sunshine wrapped up with a pretty bow And they don't cost much to make.  These would definitely make good Christmas presents - or actually gifts for anytime of the year!

You can learn all about making these by CLICKING HERE!

Check out these pictures:

To make these glass block Christmas presents you need to:

Carefully drill a hole in what will be the bottom of the glass block.

Insert a small strand of Christmas lights into the block.

Decorate the "glowing present" (block) with gorgeous ribbon and such.

And voila!  Sunshine in a box!

Try a new twist on these by including a music box in their too! - maybe hide it with the bow.

You can learn how to make these unique gifts by CLICKING HERE!

I found this great site called Etsy for all sorts of vintage and hand-made items. It is GREAT!

Take a look at some of the vintage Christmas items they have available:

A 1950's looking apron made from a vintage Christmas Tablecloth,

Vintage Choir Boy figurines - Joseph Originals,

Vintage Christmas Cards

Vintage Christmas Postcards

Vintage Christmas Decorations