Christmas

IMAGES OF CHRISTMAS FROM THE VICARAGE 2025

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The Christmas season is past and I am now staring headlong into 2026. As I plan forward, I want to take just a moment to gaze back at the wonderful season I and my community have just come through.

The season started nearly a month ago with the town tree lighting. One of the things I really enjoyed about this year was that I got to have a lot of wonderful experiences but I never felt particularly rushed.

I got to spend the night of the tree lighting with my daughter Melanie and my granddaughters Daniella and Abigail.

The community was so active this year. Parties at the CAC and caroling with the Beals Memorial library.

The season was beautifully lit with snow and Christmas parties. Each Sunday our church hosted a different missionary and each Sunday we concluded the missionary’s visit with a Christmas party for them hosted by different groups from the church.

On Christmas Eve Cornerstone joined forces with The United Parish of Winchendon.

Then on Christmas Day my sister Brenda and my daughter Amanda and I started the day with a breakfast of stuffed French toast, bacon, sausage, Nissu and strong coffee. Later in the day we went to my son’s house and enjoyed a wonderful ham dinner. I have to say it was a wonderful Christmas.

How was your Holliday?

AND THE TREE LIT!

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Last night was Winchendon’s annual tree lighting sponsored by our town’s Parks& Rec department.

Santa came. And the tree was lit!

Santa led Christmas songs with the kids.

And lots of our church folk came out.

Trinity and Genesis.

Melanie and Daniella and Abigail.

Tracy and Adam and David

Ben and Lydia and Naomi.

Gabe and Andrew and Aaliyah.

Then me!

I missed pictures with Savannah and her family and Shaina and her family. All told it was a great event.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR CHRISTMAS NEIGHBORHOOD THIS WEEKEND?

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND BLESSED

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Well it was a wonderful birthday and Thanksgiving weekend.

Everyone pitched in to bring about a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner. We said the blessing and then tucked in to eat.

After lunch the young men went upstairs to play cards, the ladies watched some TV and this old man went to take a nap.

Friday was a day of rest rather than shopping (I never go to the shops on Black Friday). Then the evening was given to Book Club. We finished discussing our most recent read.

And decided on our next read

The holiday did knock me out of my rhythm as holidays so often do. I cannot tell if that is a good or bad thing, but out oof that uncertainty came a determination to get right back to the normal rhythm of life; So Saturday morning began again at 1:30 A.M. and by the time everyone else was up I had already put in a half day’s work.

This morning I am once again up by 2 A.M. and by 6 I hope to be well launched into the business of Christmas.

Oh! We set that into motion on Thanksgiving Day as well.

HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND?

THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY

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Nine bells just rang at the Old Murdock Senior Center, and I am just finishing my day. Snish is falling outside. Walking the dogs and putting the chickens to bed was a cold wet business tonight, but at last it is all done. I am dressed in the Christmas PJ’s the kids’ mom sent up just before Thanksgiving for all of us.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JAMES FRANKLIN, ABIGAIL FRANKLIN, MELANIE FRANKLIN, DANIELLA FRANKLIN, PASTOR AMANDA LILLIE, SEVII LILLIE(JOSEPH E LILLIE VII), KRISTINE BARRAMEDA LILLIE (IN FRONT KNEELING), PASTOR J LILLIE(JOSEPH E LILLIE V), JOSEPH E LILIE VI

This was the beginning of our Christmas journey as a family. A lot of familial water has flowed under the bridge of life since this picture was taken.

There were all my birthday celebrations and Thanksgiving with the kids, grandkids and nephews. What a blessed day that was.

ABIGAIL FRANKLIN (FOREGROUND CENTER), TYLER NEWTON (FAR LEFT FRONT CHAIR), SEVII LILLIE (HOLDING BALL), RYAN NEWTON (RECLINER), JOSEPH LILLIE, KRISTINE BARRAMEDA LILLIE, DANIELLA FRANKLIN, PASTOR AMANDA LILLIE, MELANIE FRANKLIN… THANKSGIVING 2024

There was the decorating of The Vicarage.

PASTOR J AND THE GRANDKIDS

And the decorating of the church.

JOHN RUSSELL, BUILDING AND GROUNDS, PUTTING UP THE BIG TREE AT CORNERSTONE.

Then the celebration began in earnest.

SEVII AND SANTA

There was breakfast with Santa and the Cookie Crawl.

FRANCINE (AKA PASTOR AMANDA) AND ABIGAIL START THE COOKIE CRAWL

And the town tree lighting.

MRS. CLAUS, SANTA CLAUS, MEALNIE FRANKLIN AND THE GIRLS

This week has been a whirlwind of parties. It started Saturday with our Deacon, Staff and DLT leader Christmas party.

DEBBIE PARKER AND PASTOR AMANDA
JOE AND JODY CLAPP
THE FEASTING TABLE

Yesterday was a full day of connection and celebrating. It started at 9 AM with a meeting of the town, pastors at Sippin Serendippity.

Then it was on to Cornerstone’s weekly staff meeting. With the upcoming holidays, this will be our last staff meeting for 2024.

After that, I went to one of our DLT groups to join their Christmas party, and to discover the prophetic words from God they received during our sabbatical.



The SOUL SISTERS AND PASTOR J

Then, after a brief rest, I was off to the cornerstone youth Christmas party.

FUN AND GAMES

Today, I spent the day finishing up the decorations at the Vicarage and cooking for a dinner party we hosted this evening with some missionary friends.

This weekend, the Vicarage is hosting a cookie swap for the Tenney side of our family. I have to say I am really enjoying this Christmas journey.

What does your Christmas journey look like?

TOY TOWN FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 2024

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Last weekend was Winchendon’s Festival of Lights.

My volunteer position was as a greeter at The Breakfast with Santa. It was mostly traffic direction and helping one of the vendors carry her boxes up to the craft fair.

The dining room stayed full for most of the morning, and Santa was kept busy taking pictures with the kids and handing out candy canes.

Ms. Grinch also put in an appearance.

While the breakfast was going on downstairs at The Toy Town Senior Center, The great hall upstairs was hosting a craft fair.

My daughter Melanie is on The Parks and Recreation Committee which hosted the whole day.

The town wide Cookie Crawl started at 9 A.M. and went until 2 P.M. Area business provided cookies that could be gathered in these boxes.

The town held a gingerbread house competition and a letters to Santa time. Then the whole night was capped off with the tree lighting at Grout Park on our local Bike Path.

How does your town or family ring in the holidays?

CLEANING AND CHRISTMASFYING THE VIACARAGE 2024

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Today I am spending the day prepping for ministry tomorrow and cleaning and Christmasfying the Vicarage.

The fam helped me decorate the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving. But the tree is just the beginning of the Christmas plans. I am going to do a little bit every week as we get ready for this year’s Christmas festivities.

This morning I set the mood with a scented candle.

Nature helped out by sending us just a touch of winter.

I can tell you that the chickens were none too happy about the snow. They wouldn’t even come out of the coop for breakfast until I spread an extra covering of hay to cover up the white stuff.

But the grounds of the Vicarage are filled with Christmas cheer. While the chickens may not like this weather, it has the sparrows gathering by the dozens in the bushes just waiting to be fed. The squirrels were waiting eagerly too by the edge of the wood waiting for their daily allotment of birdseed.

I switched out the autumn porch hangers for the winter porch hangers. A dear friend of our family by the name of Cheyenne has volunteered to make the Vicarage a new wreath for the front door so I am waiting for that to be delivered today.

I am cleaning up the front room and doing laundry today too in between prayer sessions and sermon practice sessions. So a busy day at The Vicarage!

What does your Saturday look like?

THE REGION CELEBRATES

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The holidays are upon us, and with the holidays comes holiday preparations and celebrations! Our region is becoming more and more like a Hallmark movie every year.

Gardner is hosting a special Thanksgiving market this coming Saturday. I think I shall have to go and take a peek.

Meanwhile Winchendon is hosting its annual Festival of Lights on December 7th. Here is a list of all the events happening.

Don’t Miss The Festival of Lights: Saturday 12/7! 🎄✨🌟

🎅 Kick off your holiday season with a day full of family fun and festive cheer! Here’s what we have planned for you:

📸 Pictures with Santa by Rustic Lens Photography:

⏰ 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

🍳 Breakfast with Santa:

⏰ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

💰 Suggested donation: $8 per person

🖼 Holiday Craft Fair:

⏰️ 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

💰Come support local vendors

🍪 Gingerbread Man Decorating:

⏰ 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

💰 $8 per kit

GNOME PAINTING

⏰ 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

💰 $8 per gnome

📜 Letters to Santa:

⏰ 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

💰 $10 per kit

🎄 Tree Lighting at Grout Park:

⏰ 5:00 PM

📍 (The park with the big metal bicycle near the bike path!)

🎅 Mr. & Mrs. Claus Appearance:

⏰ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

📖 “The Night Before Christmas” Reading:

⏰ 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

📍 Old Murdock Senior Center

🎤 Caroling at Grout Park:

⏰ With Mr. & Mrs. Claus

Also on December 7th is……..

Yippeee! I love the cookie crawl.

WHAT FUN THINGS DOES YOUR TOWN DO FOR CHRISTMAS?

Memories Of Christmas 2023

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Christmas 2023 created so many wonderful memories for me. It was a season of old traditions and new experiences blended together. We started the Christmas celebration with Christmas Eve service and communion followed by a quiet family dinner. We had shrimp with cocktail sauce and roast beef pinwheels, Eggnog and Christmas cookies, and chips with salsa and cream cheese dip as usual. But this year we added lumpia to the mix.

It was Sevy and Kristine’s first American Christmas so we blended American tradition with Philippine tradition.

Christmas Day we started the day with stuffed French toast and bacon.

For lunch I made lasagna, cole slaw and buttermilk biscuits. Kristine made more lumpia….soo good!

maja blanca….soooo good!

and lechon….sooooooooooo good!

The day was ordered around keeping Sevy on track with the Christmas plans. We knew it was time to move onto the next tradition when Sevy started climbing the walls.

Opening presents with four generations was one of yesterday’s great blessings. It is not every family that has the privilege to have four generations living under one roof.

The Christmas season has come and gone and now we are rushing headlong into the New Year. My word for 2024 is “Prepare”. I believe next year will be a year of great upheaval and change. Holding on to our hope, peace, joy and love is going to need that preparation.