Preserving a Legacy of Family, Faith, and Food – November 1 – December 31

Written by Holly Delahaye

It was December 2010. My Husband had just gotten out of the Marine Corps after serving five years and we moved back to my small hometown. The local economy and job market were horrible and my Husband had no job prospects in sight. This was tough to digest, especially around the Holidays. Not to mention, my husband’s back injury was flaring up again and I had pneumonia.

Even though the holiday season is about joy and cheer, we felt like we had nothing to be joyous about. It was a very bleak time for us. Uncertainty and stress filled our home. Then the epiphany came.

I found Isaiah 9:6 in my Bible and read, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (KJV)

The mighty God, The Prince of Peace?! We had completely forgotten what the holiday season was truly about! Now that the realization set in, I felt an immediate sense of relief and joy. No matter how hard or uncertain life can be, we can have true peace in Jesus.

I thanked God for this wonderful gift and immediately went to the garage to pull out the boxes of our Christmas decorations. I was determined to change the atmosphere in our home to one of contentment, joy, peace, and fun. Needless to say, my plan worked.

I walked in carrying a box and got started on putting together the faux tree. My Husband saw what I was doing and with a smile on his face came over to help me. The simple action of decorating a tree and having an attitude of joy changed our entire outlook that day. We were a family, enjoying one another’s company and decorating a tree- joyous and enjoying the true peace which can only come from our Prince of Peace.

That Christmas will always have a special place within my heart. I keep a photo of our tree from that year on our wall to remind me that there is peace in Jesus and I do not have to worry about a single thing. It also serves as a reminder to make my home an atmosphere of joy, peace, contentment and love.

[tooltip text=”TOOLTIP TEXT”] Holly lives in California with her Husband and 4 year old son, Noah. She enjoys spending time with her family, history, baking, organizing and helping others understand her son’s Autism. She blogs semi-regularly about her life at: http://delaclassique.blogspot.com. [/tooltip]