Cookie Cutter Christmas
Around a certain time in most peoples lives, you hear words to this effect "I don't want a cookie cutter {fill in the blank]. They're all the same." The specific item could be a house, a car, or even a life. This comment is usually connected to a desire to be seen as unique, to be something new, better, different, more exciting. And there is a time in life when this is a healthy expression, signifying a growing up and a growing into your own individual personhood, separating from the family life that you were raised in. It can signal a growing awareness of the possibilities of your own life, as distinct from those of your parents.
But there's also a risk that this can be taken to the extreme. In baking, a cookie cutter gives shape to the formless mass of dough. What starts out as big blobs becomes a shaped surface that can be decorated into a thing of beauty, into something that has meaning and communicates to all who see it. What this series shows, through portraying a dear little mouse engaged in various activities, is that, in fact, we need a healthy dose of the "cookie cutter" in our lives. We need those boundaries that push us into place, those healthy disciplines that form us. And what we find, even inside those boundaries that are perceived as rigid, is actually freedom to develop and enjoy so many of the "little" things in life. It's one of the paradoxes of the Christian life - one gains freedom through discipline, one gains life by giving it away.
Each of the ornaments below answers the question: What's so great about living a "little" life?
But there's also a risk that this can be taken to the extreme. In baking, a cookie cutter gives shape to the formless mass of dough. What starts out as big blobs becomes a shaped surface that can be decorated into a thing of beauty, into something that has meaning and communicates to all who see it. What this series shows, through portraying a dear little mouse engaged in various activities, is that, in fact, we need a healthy dose of the "cookie cutter" in our lives. We need those boundaries that push us into place, those healthy disciplines that form us. And what we find, even inside those boundaries that are perceived as rigid, is actually freedom to develop and enjoy so many of the "little" things in life. It's one of the paradoxes of the Christian life - one gains freedom through discipline, one gains life by giving it away.
Each of the ornaments below answers the question: What's so great about living a "little" life?
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1.cookie tree
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Nina Aube #1 in series 2012 How about living with the excitement of a child? Enjoying a "little" life means taking the time to thrill to a twilight ride down the hill in the park, anticipating an evening of hot coca by the fire. Remember the sharp smell of the cold? The burn of the cold air as it rushes past you? This little mouse does! Living a "little" life means finding the magic in ordinary days. 2. cookie heart
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Nina Aube #2 in series 2013 How about living a life of childlike belief? When it is important that Santa (or Mom and Dad, or God) knew you had been "good?" When you believed in something because people you trusted told you it was true? Living a "little" life means being faithful and good in the very small, unseen things. Extra- cookie shell
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Nina Aube KOC Event Extra! 2013 How about having the ability to rest? Living a "little" life means you have a Sabbath mentality. God is God, and you are not. Being able to rest means choosing to unplug. It means recognizing that humans are part of creation, and we need to care for ourselves, too. It means appreciating the gifts God gives us, and using them well. 3. cookie bell
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Nina Aube #3 in series 2014 How about being excited to make others happy? Christmas caroling in the dark and cold is for one person - the person who is listening. But it warms the heart of the caroler as surely as if he is standing by a fire. Living a "little" life means finding joy in making others happy. 4. cookie star
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Nina Aube #4 in series 2015 How about being able to sleep well? That's not a small thing at all! Living a "little life" is one that is not filled with grandiose plans of pomp and majesty, featuring yourself as the main character. It's about being content with where you are and with what you have, even if that's not a particularly great place or even necessarily where you want to be. It's about breathing deeply and having patience that "all will be well, and all things will be well," in the words of Dame Julian of Norwich. Every life has its own problems and crosses. That's part of being alive. But the great comfort of living a "little" life is that you know you aren't facing the problems on your own. So, you can lay your head down and rest. 5. cookie mitten
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Nina Aube #5 in series 2016 How about finding joy in being able to move? Just feeling the blood pumping through your veins! The ability to just get around is such an overlooked and unappreciated gift that we just take for granted, until we are hurt or injured. From simply being able to get up out of a chair on your own to drive a car, run to catch a train or even just fold the laundry, easy movement is an enormous gift to respect and maintain well. Living a "little" life means noticing and appreciating one of the most basic gifts we have, and being grateful for the ability to put one foot in front of the other. 6. cookie stocking
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Nina Aube #6 in series 2017 How about finding joy in community? Decorating a Christmas Tree is usually a group effort. Whether that's with family or a few close friends, it is usually done in community. The mouse in this ornament is putting the final touch on his tree - the shining Christmas star. His mouth is open and his eyes are squinting, reflecting his deep joy and happiness felt in the moment. This is a glimpse of being healthily unself-conscious. He trusts that the others gathered around him will not snicker or laugh his singing, nor at his decorating abilities, but instead will also enter into the moment of rejoicing and gladness. Living a "little" life means you don't have to be the center of attention, especially when with others. You can celebrate the joy of simply being together. 7. cookie fish
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Nina Aube #7 in series 2018 How about being willing to help others find faith? Of becoming a "fisher of men?" Living a little life means embracing the virtue of meekness. Meekness does not mean weakness! Being meek means that you are approachable, and that you know who you are. You are comfortable with yourself, so that you are not threatened by others, on the one hand, nor feel the need to belittle people and promote yourself, on the other. As this ornament also shows, being one of God's fishermen often involves being willing to sit in the ice - to be patient with coldness of heart and disinterestedness. But if you can be patient and still long enough, success! |
Photo used under Creative Commons from Didriks
