Merry Christmas + Cinnamon Bear Episode Links

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio 

 
This is my son Cai and I playing the Ukrainian Bell Carol my older son made the video. Its our musical Christmas Card. Wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas. 

Here's the final Cinnamon Bear episode 
http://www.radiolovers.com/shows
/C/CinnamonBear/CINNBEAR371224e2632-22-mono12m08sNorthPole.mp3

Crazy Quilt has stolen the Silver Star again. Santa says "its probably just a case of too much temptation." Is he a good guy or a bad guy or a bit of a confused mixture just like all of us. We want to do the right thing but we often fall short of our own expectations. Often we feel like the Lord is shaking his finger at us or writing our name on the naughty list, when in fact if we believe that Jesus accomplished the task of reconciling us to the father we can relax and allow he who has begun a good work in each of us to carry it out to completion. 

Romans 7:20-22

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.²¹ So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;

Was it all a dream or was it a real adventure? I guess you will have to decide for yourself. In any case I hope you have enjoyed this adorable story and the devotionals that have sprung from it this month. 

I've included the links in case you want to get back to any of the episodes or want to share them with friends. 

I had fun painting these ornaments and writing these devotionals this year. This project has been a big part of this past year from my first time listening to each episode to drawing the initial sketchs. One by one the characters came to life in my mind and in each little painting. I've had fun re-listening to each episode as I have written each accompanying devotional.  I took one day off from the Cinnamon Bear story because of the tragic shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. I wrote the an article that day called Where is God when Tragedy Strikes. As I was doing this re-cap it looks like I might not have ever got it posted. 

The Cinnamon Bear was a radio show that was first broadcast in 1937. The idea was it was designed to be listened to every day except Sunday's between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many years ago I had done illustrations as a Christmas gift for some very dear friends. Then I lost touch with those friends for more than 30 years. Thanks to facebook I reconnected with those friends a couple of years ago. My friend Eleanore shared that the ornaments that I had made for them had been lost to water damaged and commissioned me to make a new set. I had pretty much forgotten about the story but as I listened to each episode the characters came back to me along with some wonderful memories from that time in my life. I completed the paintings in September of this year and packed them all up in a small chest in layers between colorful pieces of felt.
So as the family listens to each episode they can add an ornament to the tree. I don't know if they will do it that way or if they will put them all on the tree at once.

I thought when I sent them off that it would be fun to use the stories and illustrations as part of my Devotional Blog. Here are the links to each episode. 

Episode 1  Paddy O Cinnamon
Episode 2 Dealing with the Weary Willies in your life
Episode 3 Crazy Quilt Dragon 
Episode 4 Shame and Secret Ink a boo boundary lines
Episode 5 On the brink of the immense ink well
Episode 6 Desires and Fears
Episode 7 Oh the things we pull out of our hats
Episode 8 Candy Pirates and Candy Canes 
Episode 9 Troubles with the Rolly Polly Policeman
Episode 10 Professor Whiz
Episode 11 Fee Foot The Giant
Episode 12 Yet I Will Rejoice in the Lord
Episode 13 Wintergreen Witch 
Episode 14 Queen Melissa 
Episode 15 Snapper Stick The Crocodile 
Episode 16 Oliver Ostrich Get Your Head out of the Sand
Episode 17 Muddlers 
Episode 18 Cockle Burr Cowboys
Episode 19 Wooden Indian
Episode 20 Flying Hat
Episode 21 A Look at some Christmas Traditions 
Episode 22 The Origins of Santa and Xmas
Episode 23 The Bad Dolls 
Episode 24 Whiter Than Snow
Episode 25 Merry Christmas

Prayer: Lord I pray that each reader has encountered you in some new and fresh way this holiday season. That they would find some special times to be with you in the final days of this year.