Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning, afternoon, or evening! December was fair. I had a few things that disarranged my routine, so I fell behind, and I also continually felt like I was moving around and preparing for stuff. However, it was overall nice. From attending (and hosting) quite a few Christmas events and even putting together a quintet song piece for my church, my month was pretty nonstop. My word for December 2022 is “incessant.”
psst… I’ve added some new parts and pieces to my monthly recaps, so be sure to scroll to the end to see what’s new!
– incessant –
[ ihn – sehs – uhnt ]
DEFINITION: continuing without interruption; unending; ceaseless:
via: Dictionary.com
>> Special Happenings <<
– Christmas “Party” –
Every week, I attend a young adult Bible study led by my pastor. It’s for the young adults at my church, but quite a few people from other churches attend. For our last study, before we took a break, we did some Christmas festivities! I wore my “Baby Yoda” Christmas sweater, a jingle bell Christmas bow clip, and a pair of Christmas tree earrings. A few folks brought cookies and did a cookie exchange, then everyone brought a gift for a big gift exchange (I got a bacon cup maker but traded it with my best friend, Lydia, who got a French press). We also played a few other little games. It was a fun time and a great way to think more deeply about the meaning of Christmas.
– Christmas Dinner #1 –
At my church, we have something called Parish Groups, where members of all ages from each township, area, etc., are separated into groups to meet together. My Parish Group meets together once a month, and this month, we had a Christmas dinner. I wore a Christmas sweatshirt, kept score for an insane Scrabble game, played a stressful and frustrating game of Scattergories, and tried some amazing, homemade caramel sauce. It was loads of fun with folks from my church family, and I’m looking forward to more and more Parish groups as time goes on and I become more familiar with those people.
– Christmas Brunch –
I helped plan, set up, and execute a Christmas Brunch for the women in my church. It started at nine o’clock in the morning on a Saturday, but since I was helping, my older sister and I had to be at the church at 7 o’clock… in the morning. I am not a morning person. It was hard. However, the brunch turned out great, and so many attendees loved it and complimented our work, so it felt good. The color scheme was also blush pink, sage green, white, and silver, so it was super aesthetic.
– Friendsgivingmas –
Last year, my older sister and I hosted a get-together between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we called it “Friendsgivingmas.” This year, we decided to host it again, and it was loads of fun. Now, I made a post all about how I planned it and shared a ton of pictures (which you can read here), but I suppose I’ll gush about it a little more in this post 🙃. We had a hot chocolate charcuterie board/bar as well as a gingerbread-home-making area with another charcuterie board holding all the “supplies.” Nearly everyone brought food, so we had a full table of entrees and sides and almost as many desserts. It was overall a great time with friends, and I can’t wait for next year.
– Dress Shopping –
My older sister is getting married in March, and she went dress shopping! She brought along our mom, her future mother-in-law, me, and my fellow maid-of-honor and best friend, Lydia. We went to the bridal studio of a former neighbor and had the best time (psst… it’s This Magic Moment Bridal Studio). She tried on about ten dresses and ended up finding the perfect dress! It was stunning. It’s still surreal to me, though. I feel like it won’t quite hit until the actual day of the wedding. Also, Lydia and I had a fun little time taking photos at random spots in the studio, so feel free to scroll down to see some of my favorites 😂.
– Christmas Dinner #2 –
At my church, the week before Christmas, we had a Christmas dinner. It had tons of good food, we sang some hymns, and I ate myself sick. It was great. I sat with my older sister and some of our friends and had quite a few burst-into-laughter moments, which made me forget how much I had just eaten and the impending, looming food coma that was slowly taking over my body. We stayed a while after the meal was done, singing more Christmas hymns and talking, which left me even more exhausted, but it was worth it.
– Christmas –
Christmas was on a Sunday this year, and my family wanted to open family gifts before church since my sister would be leaving right after the service… so we planned to open presents at 8:00 AM sharp. I’m not a morning person, even on Christmas. From my parents, I received a curling iron, God Will Use This For Good, by Max Lucado; from my grandparents, I got an Amazon gift card. From my aunt, I got a Bath and Body Works gift card; from my aunt and uncle, I got some cash. Then I got a calligraphy set from a man I did some overnight caretaking for. Since I have so many siblings, we do a “Secret Sibling” where each of us draws a name out of a bowl and has to shop for that sibling. I got one of my younger brothers and gifted him a shirt, a potty-humor sign, and candy. My older brother had me, but my gift has yet to come in, apparently 😂
>> Some Fun Photos <<
>> This Month’s Favorites <<
– Songs –
- “Lorelay” by Blackmore’s Night
- “I Saw Three Ships” by Pentatonix
- “Cartouche” by Blackmore’s Night
– Podcasts –
- Zane and Heath: Unfiltered
– Blog Posts –
- “Get To Know Me Tag Writer’s Edition” by Laughs and Literature
- “Christmas Wallpapers- 12 Days of Blogmas” by Light Bulbs From Eeshani’s Mind
- “let’s discuss 2022 ~ a wrap up of the last couple months” by A Curly Sue’s Ramblings
– OOTDs –
>> Some Fun Stats <<
– Movies & Shows Finished –
- The Witcher (1:1-2)
- The Christmas Chronicles
- Wednesday
- Columbo (1:1)
- Elf
- Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper
- Barbie & The Diamond Castle
- Black Widow
– Currently Watching –
- The Witcher
- Outer Banks
– Books Finished –
- Flourish by Margaret Feinberg
– Currently Reading –
- Joy by Lydia Brownback
- The Power of Christian Contentment by Andrew M. David
- The Lamb of God by Nancy Guthrie
>> Blog Posts Published <<
>> Some Fun Brands <<
– Elevated Faith –
Wear jewelry, apparel, accessories as a daily reminder to elevate your faith and to share the Gospel with others!
Use code: CBoylieer15 for 15% off
(case sensitive)
psst… this is an affiliate link! I get commissions every time you use my code or shop through the link I provided 🙂
– The Bible Memory Project –
Focus on and memorize FOUR Bible verses a month based on a theme in Scripture!
Use code: CALLIE13 for 10% off!
(case sensitive)
>> YouTube Videos Posted <<
>> Gratitude & Reflection <<
As I look back upon this month and post answers to these questions, I encourage you to join me and reflect on how your month went!
1 || What blessings made me appreciate life more?
Nature. I feel like many people don’t stop to really think about how much of a blessing it is. We could have lived on a plain dirt ground, but instead, God created vibrant green grass, and beautiful, colorful flowers and they even smell nice! Think about the stars… again, we could have had a plain black sky, but instead it’s sparkly! And those sparkles make shapes! I just think creation is such a blessing to have in this world. And, this world is sinful and corrupt; just think about how amazing the new Heavens and Earth will be. When we’re all made new and everything is perfect, just think about how truly magnificent perfect nature will be!
2 || What’s something that stuck out to me this month?
Live slow. Just exist. I’ve been watching a lot of Emma Chamberlain recently and that’s something she really displays and shows and I’ve really been trying to implement it into my life. I get so caught up in trying to be productive, trying to do things with my time, trying to work towards and have a productive, successful future, and I forget to just… be. I can’t bring myself to read anymore because I feel like I could be doing something “more productive,” but life doesn’t need to be productive all the time. Life is meant to be lived. Take it one thing at a time, do something “unproductive” each day, and allow yourself to just exist.
3 || What made me laugh or smile just today?
I’ve actually been quite sour and bummy today so, unfortunately, I have to think a bit about this. However, I was scrolling through TikTok earlier today and smiled a few funny videos. Also, during worship today, my pastor made some funny comments during his sermon and recently, the hymns and songs we sing have made me really feel something and I catch myself smiling.
4 || How can I go out of my way to be a light in the world next month?
I can try to reach out to my friends more and initiate conversations.
I can try to grow in my faith and confidence inwardly, so my outward actions, deeds, and words show Jesus and become “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks me for a reason for the hope within me” (1 Peter 3:15).
5 || How can I grow more next month?
I can pray for the strength, hope, and perseverance to pursue God despite my mental health and sinful nature.
I can push myself to read even just one verse of the Bible each day, to make a habit out of that and go from there.
I can try to read the books I have that can help me grow my faith and possibly even apologetics.
I can remind myself that it’s okay to just exist and not have to be productive, and it’s okay to be myself, despite what I fear other’s will think of me.
>> How Can I Pray For You This Upcoming Month? <<
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
>> every day holds something enchanting <<
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