Imagine the conversations that must have been flying at top speed that first Christmas morning. I wish I had been there, at least for a moment to feel it myself. I can’t wrap my mind around the mixture of ideas that must have been flying around. Do you think Mary had lots of guests those first weeks? Did she have a chance to recover. Chuckling I try to picture her eating chocolates on that first notable day of celebrating Jesus. Perhaps she had things much deeper than that to satisfy and fill her heart.

I imagine some of the conversations must have gone like this:

“Guess what?! Jesus is born! Yes, it’s true. And they say that it is the Messiah that was promised for thousands of years.”

“They said he came to save us from our sins, because God cares about us.”

And then there was the stage the went through of being mindful to keep Jesus from Herod so he would not destroy Jesus. Ouch, that danger must have cut deep into those new parents.

I’ll be keeping this short and sweet so many people are still busy with holiday activities. I’ll leave you with my friend’s easy homemade chocolate candy recipe in case you find a moment to make some over the next week. Daniel used to make some with his family on Christmas afternoon. But perhaps you can make some for New Year’s. Enjoy and have a blessed Christmas, knowing He came for YOU.

CHOCOLATE BARK

12 ounces dark chocolate

12 ounces milk chocolate

1/2 cup coarsely chopped, dried cranberries

1/ 2 cup chopped pecans

Sea salt

Orange zest

In a double-boiled, melt dark chocolate. Pour melted chocolate into the middle of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread into a rectangle 3 – 4 inches from the edge of the tray. Place tray in freezer to chill.

In a double-boiler, melt milk chocolate. Remove tray from freezer and pour 3 /4 of the milk chocolate over the dark chocolate spreading to the edges of the hardened chocolate. Sprinkle on dried cranberries and pecans. With a fork, drizzle the remaining milk chocolate across the rectangle, then sprinkle with sea salt. Finally, grate on some fresh orange zest. Place in the freezer until set, then break into pieces.

Box to gift to someone for a gift or freeze for later.