The Art Of An American Christmas

Come Let Us Adore Him
Jon McNaughton
(1965-

Old Kris

N.C. Wyeth

(1882-1945)

Christmas At Home

Grandma Moses
(Anna Mary Robertson)

(1860-1961)

"Surprise"
Garth Williams

( 1912-1996)

"On The Banks Of Plum Creek"
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Santa's Big Ride
Jack Sorenson
(1954-

Christmas In Corgiville
Tasha Tudor
(1915-2008)

Christmas Kewpies

Rose O'Neill

(1874-1944)

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown

Lois Lenski

(1893-1974)

Christmas Dance
Norman Rockwell
(1894-1978)

Ave Maria

"A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman...who can find her?
 She is far more precious than jewels
 and her value is far above rubies or pearls."
   Proverbs 31:10 

The Annunciation

Henry Ossawa Tanner

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
 and between your offspring and her Offspring.
 He will bruise and tread your head underfoot,
 and you will lie and wait and bruise His heel."

Genesis 3:15

 Christ fulfilled this beautiful promise of God's love with His victory 

over Satan and death on the cross

"And it came to pass,
 that when Elizabeth heard
 the salutation of Mary,
 the babe leaped in her womb; 
and Elizabeth was filled 
with the Holy Ghost: 
And she spake out 
with a loud voice, and said,
 "Blessed art thou among women, 
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And how have I deserved
 that this honor should be granted to me,
 that the mother of my Lord
 should come to me?
 For lo, as soon as the voice
 of thy salutation sounded in mine ears,
 the babe leaped in my womb for joy."

Luke 1:41, 42, 43, 44

 Sweet story of Jesus,
 the tender and meek,
Who came in His mercy 
lost sinners to seek,
Sweet story of Jesus! 
though oft it is told,
We love it, we love it—
it never grows old.

-Fanny Crosby

Sistine Madonna

Raphael

Madonna In The Rose Garden

Stefan Lochner 

(1445-50)

 "My soul magnifies and reflects the Lord,
 And my spirit rejoices 

in God my Savior."

Luke 1:46-47

 A  young Jewish woman living
 in the little country town of Nazareth,
 Mary receives a visit from an angel 
who announces that she has
 found favor with God
 and has been chosen by Him
 to be the mother of His Son.

 Mary is troubled by the angel's message, 
 because she has never known intimacy with a man.

 The angel reassures her that the Holy Spirit 
will come upon her and the power of the Most High
 would overshadow her like a shining cloud 
and the holy babe born to her will be called the Son of God.

 Mary's responded to the angel saying,
 "Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord;
 let it be done to me according to what you have said."  

Saying "Yes" to God's plan for her life,
 knowing full well of what could happen to her,
in a society where women unwed and pregnant
were often stoned to death for adultery,

   makes the memorable story of Mary of Nazareth
 one of tremendous courage and remarkable faith.

“Your Name and renown
 are the desire of our hearts.” 
Isaiah 26:8

Illustration by Cecily Mary Barker

Jesu, joy of man’s desiring,

Holy wisdom, love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,
With the fire of life impassioned,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying round Thy throne.
Through the way where hope is guiding,
Hark, what peaceful music rings;
Where the flock, in Thee confiding,
Drink of joy from deathless springs.
Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure;
Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure.
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown.


Words By Martin Janus 
(1661)
Music By Johan Schop 
Arranged by Johann S. Bach
for the chor­us clos­ing his Can­ta­ta 147

Christmas Joy

Creator of the stars at night,

Thy people's everlasting Light,

Jesu Redeemer, save us all,

And hear Thy servants when they call...

Thou camest, the Bridegroom of the Bride,

As drew the world to evening tide,

Proceeding from a Virgin shrine,

The spotless Victim all divine.
  - from an old Latin hymn

The Nativity
(1912)
N.C. Wyeth

"But Mary was keeping within herself all these sayings, 

weighing and pondering them in her heart."

 Luke 2:19

Madonna With Child And Two Angels

Fra Filippo Lippi
 Uffizi Gallery 

Florence, Italy

Bird of Dawning

Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes

Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,

The bird of dawning singeth all night long:

And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad;

The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,

No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,

So hallow and so gracious is the time.

-William Shakespeare

Red Cardinal in the snow

Dashing through the snow,
In a one horse open sleigh
Over the fields we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bob tail ring
making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.

Chorus:
Oh jingle bells jingle bells
jingle all the way!
Oh what fun
it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh, Hey!
Jingle bells jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

"Jingle Bells"
James Lord Pierpont
Originally published under
the title, "One Horse Open Sleigh" 
(1857)

Bringing Home The Christmas Tree
Ruth Sanderson

"Merry Christmas!"

From Dolly and Me

 Shirley Temple Black
"Little Curly Top"
1928-2014
Rest In Peace

A Brandywine Christmas:

Featuring the doll collection of Ann Wyeth McCoy, (1915-2005)
the youngest daughter of the great American illustrator,
N.C. Wyeth, sister of the legendary artist Andrew Wyeth,
and aunt to prolific surrealist and portrait painter, Jamie Wyeth.
Like her famous family members, Ann was also a gifted
artist as well as a musical composer.

At the age of 19, she composed "A Christmas Fantasy"and
entered it in a competition for young composers held by the
Philadelphia Orchestra.  It premiered the following December
under the direction of musical conductor Leopold Stokowski.

 Ann loved the holiday season and described her symphonic work,
 "as an expression of my personal  reactions to Christmas Day in our home." 

  As a child, every year at Christmastime, Ann received at least one large
 beautiful doll, bought for her by her mother, Carolyn Wyeth, who liked 
to sew period dresses and nightgowns for her daughter's dolls.

"They are like real people to me," Ann once said about her dolls.

 "I guess I never grew up."

 Since the 1970's, Ann's collection of  beautiful dolls
 has been on display each year during the Christmas season
 at the Brandywine River Museum and Nature Conservancy
 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, home to several generations
 of the famous Wyeth Family.

        

May you have the gladness of Christmas

Which is hope;

The spirit of Christmas

Which is peace;

The heart of Christmas

Which is love 

-Ada V. Hendricks

Christmas Carousel 

I like days with a snow-white collar,

and nights when the moon

is like a silver dollar

and the hills are filled

with eiderdown stuffing

and your breath makes smoke

like an engine puffing.

I like days when feathers are snowing,

and all the eaves have petticoats showing,

and the air is cold, and the wires are humming

but you feel all warm...with Christmas coming!

-Aileen Fisher

 Please have snow ...and Mistletoe...

And presents on the tree!

Vintage Christmas Tree Fairy Doll





While children wait up for Santa
on Christmas Eve night! 

Waiting For Santa
Norman Rockwell

"The holly bears a blossom,
As white as lily flow'r,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
To be our dear Saviour..."
The Holly And The Ivy

An Old English Carol

"We are better throughout the year for having,
in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder

"Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled

Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
With angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

"Hark The Herald Angels Sing"

-Charles Wesley

Sacred Hymns and Poems

Vintage Christmas Card

“A great company
 of the heavenly host 
appeared with the angel, saying,
 ‘Glory to God in the highest,
 and peace to men on earth."
 Luke 2:13-14

Linus tells the Nativity story
"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
(1965)

"December, month of holly,

pine, and balsam,

Of berries red,

of candles' mellow light;

Of home and

fireside, laughter, happy faces,

Of peace that comes upon the holy night."
-from an old carol

Christmas
Tasha Tudor

"Dear George, Remember no man is a failure who has friends.
Thanks for the wings!  Love, Clarence

"It's A Wonderful Life"
(1946)

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

 "Christmas Bells"
(1863)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Merry Christmas to everyone, everywhere!