Our hosts, Mike and Anne, love their garden. So they used as many objects as possible from their own garden. The pictures show a huge, magnificent wreath of Holly and Ivy. Anne's own words describe the features of this display:
- "the Christmas wreath, made from garden bamboo canes shaped into the Star of David, to represent Jesus' Jewish nationality;
- visual and audio images representing the chorus of the carol;
- oil burners scented with pine - to remind us of creation in our winter where the pine is evergreen;
- pots of daffodils yet to sprout - to represent winter dormancy;
- water feature - with the sound of running water as a reminder of nature;
- Palms - a taste of the Holy Land with its many palms - formed in a path as we remember the journey of Mary and Joseph towards Bethlehem;
- Star of Bethlehem - to help you know where the Advent garage is: also to remember the star above the stable where Jesus was born;
- Candles - so that you can see the path;
- Drinks and nibbles - as a gesture of hospitality, especially at Christmas!"
Mike and Anne also explained the background to this lovely carol and how, over the centuries, despite its pagan origins, it came to describe how Mary gave birth to the "sweet Jesus Christ".
Amazing, isn't it, how God uses common and simple things like Holly and Ivy to remind us of His grace and love in bringing Jesus Christ to dwell among us and provide us with a way back to His goodness!
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