christmas – Faith Love n Joy

The Ultimate Christmas Budget

Posted on December 1, 2023May 27, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

I’ve worked in corporate America for 25 years. I’ve been a part of so many pre-holiday and post holiday conversations with other parents over the almighty dollar , how much each child’s present was and how much debt they’re in now. I’ve looked at countless worried faces over how to pay those bills and listened to many cry over their kid’s ungrateful attitude over a gift that cost them their bonus.

Even now, I see memes everywhere talking about how kids these days only want iPads, iPhones, iWatches, iTVs….you get where I’m going with this. We think kids just woke up one morning and decided they wanted gifts worth our entire paycheck. And folks who can’t afford these things for their children cry over and over because they measure their worth as a parent by the total dollar amount underneath the tree. They plague themselves with guilt and shame over this and talk about it being a ‘bad’ Christmas.

I’ve been there. I know what I’m talking about.

But guess what?

It’s never a bad Christmas when you can spend time with your kids and make it count. I’m 55 years old and I can tell you that I truly don’t remember each Christmas gift I’ve ever received. I can probably recall a few that were truly magical. Probably my favorite Christmas gift of all was when my Dad painstakingly took all our family photos that were on projector slides and converted them to a disc. My whole life on a downloadable CD allowing me to view these precious times over and over again. (It’s still my favorite gift ever!)

If you ask my girls to list their gifts received over the years, they wouldn’t be to do it. But they can recall memories. They remember when their Grandma came down to Texas to spend Christmas with them. They remember every Christmas party at their Papa’s house. They remember learning family cookie recipes. They remember Christmas mornings in bed with me while we snugged and waited for an acceptable time to open gifts. They remember how my mother danced in the living room to Feliz Navidad and watching Christmas shows on TV with her.

Time. Effort. Joy. Traditions. These are the things that count.

Your presence in their lives is worth so much more than presents under the tree.

It’s the same for decorations. I came across a person who was showing off her multiple Christmas trees, all with an aesthetic. One was blue, another red and white, another green, another for a sports team….each one looking like it came right out of the How To Decorate a Tree at Christmas section of Pinterest. These trees may be pretty but they’re weren’t warm. None of the trees told me a story about the people who decorated them.

I’ve had so many Christmas trees in my life! From my grandmother’s silver aluminum tree to the tree from my Aunt Ro’s house to my Dad and stepmom’s tree to my own, each one is full of memories. Each ornament has a story. My tree is a mixture of ornaments that represent my life. Old Avon ornaments from my mother. Black cats and plastic coffee cup ornaments for my Shelby. Ornaments from all my dad and stepmom’s travels. A few handmade ones. And even one from my mother’s childhood. Each one tells a story.

Who cares if your tree doesn’t look like the one on Instagram?! Putting up a Christmas tree is an opportunity for your family to gather together. Be creative. Have fun.

Create a memory and make it a core memory!

So this Christmas, take a load off. Release some pressure. Make a gift instead of buying one. Spend time with your kids instead of working overtime to buy them the latest technology. Get out those ornaments and put them on your tree and as you do, take a moment to recall the story behind it and tell it to your kids. Put extra lights on tree and have a slumber party under it.

Start a new tradition this year and put your wallet away. Budget time – not money. I promise you’ll have the merriest Christmas ever!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Moments and Musings

My Christmas Carol

Posted on November 15, 2023May 27, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Driving around, taking care of some errands the other day with my daughter, Shelby, and she turned on some Christmas music. The Little Drummer Boy by the Harry Simeone Chorale came on. I was instantly transformed to being 10 and sitting alongside my mom in the car listening to her sing along. This was always her favorite Christmas carol.

This year marks the 5th year celebrating the holiday season without my mother. I miss her. I miss her excitement at having the family together. I miss her making her grocery shopping lists only to still go up and down each aisle “just in case I forgot something”.

I miss her voice. Her presence. Her very nature which turned my house into a home for so many years. I miss the way she’d have a story to tell about the ornaments we still put on our tree. I miss her stuffing, which is famous in my family. (This is my first year making it without her.) I miss her eyes lighting up at the idea of a night filled with Christmas movies and a bit of hot cocoa.

I commented to Shelby how much I hate having this love/hate relationship with the holidays. I love this time of year so very much. The cold weather. The fireplaces. The cinnamon. The cookies. The tree. Family gatherings. Dad’s magic Brandy Alexanders and “religious experience” cookies. I love it all!

But I hate that she’s not here. And so much has changed for me this year. My daughter became a wife and my mother wasn’t here to see it. I’m getting my life ready to buy a house which is something I haven’t done since I was married. So many changes, big and small and she’s not here for any of it. Somehow, I feel it more acutely at Christmas time.

People say, “this is life and you have just keep moving forward” and I do. Lots ahead. Grandbabies to come some day. A new home to build. Family outings and trips to take. That’s in addition to the day to day living I get to do quite comfortably surrounded by the love of my family.

So this year, like the 4 behind me and the many ahead of me, I’ll hold her memory tightly to my chest and let it be a salve to my heart. I’ll put up the tree. Make her stuffing. Hang ornaments, both new and old. I’ll pull out THE family cookie recipe and make a batch or two with Hallmark Christmas movies playing on the big screen.

And I’ll remember her, over and over again. Yet in the midst of the pain, there will be peace.

Who knows? I just might pull out one of her silly Christmas vests she used to wear.

Yes, I know it’s blurry but this was the best Christmas photo I have of her.

Moments and Musings

Hello, 55!

Posted on October 9, 2023October 28, 2024 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Today is my birthday and I’m turning 55 years old.

It looks different than I thought it would look. My mother isn’t here to celebrate with me and my younger daughter is married now and lives three hours away. However, I’m very excited about this particular birthday as I’m now in the pre-stages of senior citizen-hood and I’m looking forward it. I know most people don’t like getting older. However, I’m a firm believer in embracing each year. I run up to it, hug it tightly, welcome it in and offer it some tea. I like to make each year feel right at home.

In the spirit of my birthday, allow a moment of self-indulgence as I list 55 things I’ve learned and discovered over the last 55 years of my life:

Jesus first. Always, Jesus first. Without Jesus, nothing works.
Make your plans and dream your dreams but then give them over to God. He will add His love and perfection to each one and give it back to you more beautiful than you ever imagined.
Life is better with dog.
Sometimes, you need time to sit in silence and just breathe.
Grief is lifelong. Although, its waves aren’t always as powerful as they are in the beginning.
Call people. Stop using apps to stay in touch. (I’m still learning this one.)
Tears are release and healing. Sometimes, I make time for them. When I don’t, they seem to make time for me.
A good ghost story is always a good thing!
There aren’t enough good ghost stories.
Blue is the best color in the world, followed closely by green.
Pray early for your kids spouses. And pray often.
The world may tell you God needs to change with the times but God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. He doesn’t have to.
The best steak is filet mignon and the best way to eat it is medium well.
You can eat anything you want. You just need to watch the portion.
A good walk or a good bike ride is the best physical stress reliever.
A good talk with The Father is the best emotional stress reliever.
A home should have many many blankets.
The British write the best mysteries.
It’s ok to speak the Truth. But it’s not only to be unloving.
I fully plan to be the woman known for cycling through the neighborhood on her bike with flowers in her basket and a straw hat on her head.
Take heart, God is in the midst of it all and He knows the way out.
Crochet is life. Also, I don’t know how to knit.
Embroidery is secondary to crochet. Because I still don’t know how to knit.
It’s better to excel at one or two things than to be mediocre at a lot of things.
I always looked forward to life in a 55+ community.
Moving in with my 2 older sisters means I’ll be living in my own 55+ community. LOL
Fresca is the best soda.
Tea should be a staple in every home.
Coffee should be a staple in every home.
Chocolate should be a staple in every home.
I’ll never understand people who don’t like ice cream.
Hot chocolate should always be topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.
Christmas is the best holiday ever.
We should always make friends with crows. They remember and will bring you stuff.
There’s nothing wrong with counting down to special days.
The next season will always be better than your current one.
Never rush through your current season.
Menopause will make your feel like you’re going crazy. Take heart, dear lady, you are!
Being the youngest in the family doesn’t mean I’m privileged or spoiled; it means I have others to look up to and learn from.
Always spend time with your family.
It’s an honor and a privileged to hold a loved one’s hand while they go home to Jesus.
Funerals and weddings either bring out the very best in people or the very worst.
The world is unkind. Don’t be like the world.
You don’t need to make a difference in the world as a whole; just start with your world right where you’re at.
Prayer isn’t always a labored thing. Sometimes, it’s a moment by moment quiet conversation with God.
The inner voice speaking encouragement and direction to you most likely is the Holy Spirit.
I don’t believe in mean dogs; only mean people who make dogs mean.
Cats are like teenagers.
I believe there’s no perfection to be found in being creative. That’s why I create; to tame my perfectionist ways. Also, so I won’t eat too much ice cream.
I will miss my mother for the rest of the my life. 49 years with her wasn’t long enough.
I look forward to being a grandma someday.
Laughter truly is contagious. One should laugh every day.
You don’t need a big house to be happy. Comfort and contentment can be found in the smallest of spaces.
In any loving home, there’s always room for one more.
Everyone should have cake and ice cream on their birthday.

Happy Birthday to me!

Photo by Robert Anderson on Unsplash

Moments and Musings

Refilling The Glass

Posted on June 23, 2023May 27, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Bishop’s Wife. There’s a scene – my mom’s favorite – where Cary Grant’s character, Dudley, counsels Professor Wutheridge (played by Monty Woolley). They’re drinking wine and Wutheridge goes to refill Dudley’s glass (and his own) only to find it already full. During the scene, we see Dudley waive his finger in the background using his angel abilities to refill not only their glasses but the bottle as well.

I was thinking about this on my morning walk with Percy as I saying my ‘good mornings’ to God. (I don’t have super wordy prayers with God anymore unless I’m led by the Spirit. But I do like to have real conversations with Him during the day.) So there I was, walking and thinking about how this is a brand new day and a lovely morning when suddenly, a quote from Anne of Green Gables popped into my head-

“Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

And I felt a sense of relief and peace. If you’re a Failed Perfectionist, like I am, you’ll know what I’m talking about here. It’s refreshing to learn you get a horde of brand new chances each morning. After all, we probably fell asleep the previous night after using some distraction to keep our brains from highlighting for us all the ways we failed. So waking up to a brand new day feeling like the white board has been wiped clean is pretty important. Then this verse popped into my brain from Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22-23 (ESV):

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

God’s mercy is new every morning. Every morning, there is a fresh batch of undeserved favor available. Without fail.

For someone who is serially hard on herself, I decided to let this run around my brain for a while. I felt the Holy Spirit showing me that, just like Dudley refilled Prof. Wutheridge’s glass over and over, God’s mercy and grace is replenished for us continually. Grace, favor, mercy, love – they never run out. Every time we use a supply of any of these, God instantly refills. And He never waits for morning to do it, either.

I know this might sound simple and contrite to some but God knows me and He knows how I think. I feel like He gives me these examples so my very process-driven brain can fully grasp what his Word is saying is to me. He knows I’m a visual learner and need things to be drilled down for me. He’s aware that lack of understand leads to frustration which leads to giving up.

He knows us perfectionists so well!

Think about this as you go into your weekend. Think about this as you wake up tomorrow morning. There’s brand new, shiny, unused mercy ready for you and it is more than enough for your day. It will never run out. It will never grow stale. You will never reach the bottom of the glass or the bottle. They will always be refilled.

He is a God of more than enough.

Bookish and Bingeable

The Christmas Dress

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

By: Courtney Cole

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

One Dress. Two Women. The Magic of the Holiday Season.

When hopeful fashionista Meg Julliard must return to her hometown of Chicago to manage her late father’s apartment building, she thinks her dreams of making it in the fashion business are over. Add in her father’s eclectic roster of tenants who all need Meg’s attention (ASAP!), a host of building related disasters, and a handsome handyman she keeps embarrassing herself in front of, and this has all the makings for the worst Christmas she’s ever had.

Ellie Wade, one of the building’s longtime residents, is also not feeling the Christmas Joy this year. She is preparing to move into a nursing home (reluctantly), and is in the process of sorting through her belongings to downsize. Every corner of her apartment holds memories, some good, some bad. But there’s one dress she hesitates to pack up as it represents both the best and worst night of her life.

Ellie and Meg strike up an unlikely friendship and the story of Ellie’s dress comes out. Ellie gifts the gorgeous dress to Meg, hoping that it will bring her more luck, on the condition that she wear it to the building’s Christmas party.

The dress magically fits, and while it eventually leads to the best night of Meg’s life, it also acts as inspiration for Meg to follow a life-long dream of her own, a dream that will help save the crumbling Parkview West, and restore it to its former glory, and keep it as a safe home for all of the current tenants.

The dress and the magic of the holiday season helps both Meg and Ellie find their own happy endings.

This book was like a Hallmark Christmas movie wrapped up in a book. It has a girl who’s life is at a crossroads, a handsome boy with a past, a snarky best friend and an older woman full of wisdom.

I loved every bit of this book. After losing her Dad, Meg Julliard moves into the old, dilapidated apartment full of senior citizen formerly owned by her Dad. The building needs an overhaul and of course, money is in short supply. She meets Ellie, one the residents, who gives her an old dress full of magic. A little magic plus a stubborn “concierge” and a hot handyman who likes to donate his talents and time to anything Meg needs makes for a perfect Christmas romance.

One of the first things I loved about this book is the romance is just that – romance. Not sex. I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion but I don’t need a bunch of sex or steamy scenes in order to make a book romantic for me. Innuendo goes a long way for those of us more old-fashioned readers.

Every single character right down to the cat was interesting. I loved each one of them! I loved their stories and how they created a family atmosphere within the building. Each one had their own stories and what I really loved was how the author touched on each story without allowing the story to lag and become inundated with details.

The main character, Meg, sorta comes of age in this story. But so does the building. As Meg grows and grieves and remakes herself, the building undergoes the same, revealing some life saving history that actually probably exists in many of the older Chicago buildings downtown.

It’s true there were some cheesy moments and, like any good Hallmark movie, it’s totally predictable but there were some nice surprises along the way. All in all, this was very enjoyable. A very nice Christmas read for the upcoming season.

My rating – :star: :star: :star: :star: