With the craziness of the season, Haiku seemed the right medium for today….. Then a star, a dark barn donkeys, sheep, a bed of straw emmanuel. jesus. Now bustle. bells. lights. trees. we buy, wrap, cook, decorate what would jesus do? *** It’s so easy to get caught up in the stuff. I want to let go of some of that and focus on serving instead. What one thing could you let slide this Christmas season? Leave a comment…..
Every year since we met (with a couple exceptions…sometimes I suck at keeping up traditions), Mark and I have given each other an ornament. Often, the ornament reflects a theme of the year, or a season in our lives. Sometimes, it’s just cute or silly or pretty. The first Christmas after we were married, I slogged my way through a bout of major depression. And I mean Major. I boycotted the holidays. I didn’t want a tree. Mark and his sister both took a day off work, got a tree and decorated the house while I was at work. I […]
If you are a radical Environmentalist, please stop reading. Skip this post and come back on Thursday. ….waiting….waiting….. OK, they’re gone. It’s safe. Me: “Hi. My name is Christine, and I’m a Tree-cutter.” You: “Hi, Christine!” Every year, we visit a local tree farm and cut our own real pine christmas tree. In my head, this happens on the day after Thanksgiving. I think we’ve actually hit that schedule a grand total of once. This year. But growing up, the Day After Thanksgiving = Holy Tree Acquisition Day, so in my imagination, that’s still when we get the tree. […]
Do you remember lying in the dark, eyes glued to the clock, your 7-year-old arms and legs trembling with anticipation? Waiting for the moment you were allowed to get up on Christmas morning? For me, the Year of the Atari stands out. But I also remember socks. The Lipstick Years, my mom named that era. The time when things were tight, when we chopped wood to heat the house, and she bought herself one lipstick in two years. As I grow older, I understand more and more the sacrifices that both sets of my parents made for me and my […]
Day 13 – Friday, 25 December In our dreams, Christmas dawns still and clear, sunshine glinting off freshly fallen snow, reindeer tracks on the roofs of every small child. In Ukraine…not so much. We have figured out how Santa manages…he distributes his workload in Europe across the month of December, visiting Ukraine (and probably many other places) over New Year’s; he’s not due here for another week. He did a fly-by for us, though, and dropped off some warmer temperatures. As our translator left the apartment around 9:30, she winked and instructed me to look at the window—she thought she […]
I am Christine Royse Niles, and I’m a writer, a recovering project manager, and a corporate refugee with a heart for orphans around the world. My two daughters were adopted from Ukraine at ages 12 and 14.
I post about writing, adoption, chasing dreams, and sometimes share snippets of a story or novel that’s in progress.
I’ve worked with bestselling authors to launch nearly a million dollars’ worth of books and online courses. I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t), and I know what it takes for a growing writer to get your work out and grow as you go.
