Mistletoe and Tinsel

’Tis the Season

By Lisa Marie Burwell

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”–Isaiah 9:6

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! There is nothing quite like making the annual VIE Christmastime edition to get me into the holiday spirit. And, since we’ve been working on it for a few months, we are all well on our way to finding unique and fun gifts for loved ones. We have curated some of our favorites in an expanded C’est la VIE holiday shopping guide—and a few must-have items to put under the tree for ourselves this year! We hope you find some new ideas and inspiration in what has become a tradition for the magazine.

Isn’t that what the holiday season is about—celebrating past traditions while creating new ones with friends and family? It’s one of my absolute favorite times of the year, and I am thankful for this season as it offers a pause, reflection, and rest. Not to mention fun parties, celebrations, and gatherings, eating good food with the ones you love. It’s also about the reason for the season, which I don’t often overtly talk about on the pages of the magazine, but this year, I feel I must. I am so thankful for what this season truly means—celebrating the birth of Christ the King and Savior—and what it means to me. Without Jesus and all He has done for us in redeeming us all from sin, life would not be the same. I can’t imagine a world without Him. On this day, I get to honor my savior and say thank you in as many ways as possible for all He has done for me. It is humbling and precious to me. His love is like no other, and my goal in life is to understand and emulate it.

Gerald and Lisa Marie Burwell with Sucré | Photo by Brenna Kneiss

It’s good to think about good things. It is scriptural, too. This time of year, in particular, fosters that thought process. For many, however, it is not a good time—those dealing with pain, loss, sickness, and loneliness. So this year, if you can, reach out to anyone who may cross your path needing help to lighten their load. I hope you get a chance to be of good cheer for your fellow man. And I hope it happens for me again, as it did two years ago when my husband and I picked up a homeless man the day before Christmas—his name was Alvin, and he looked very down on his luck and in need of food and money. There was something surreal about our encounter. Alvin was happy and chatty in the car, with a zest for life. He hailed from Australia, telling stories of his travels to many countries—with an Aussie accent, of course, which made him seem all the more unreal. I thought he might be an angel, as he seemed not of this world. He was very intelligent and well-read, and as we drove him about twenty miles to get some food and hopefully a place to stay for the night, we gave him what we had—time, a little money, coffee, and a very big hug, even though we didn’t know him and it was during the pandemic. I didn’t care. With his wrinkled hands, it was one of the best hugs I ever had—he was so grateful, and I was sad to leave him.

We said our goodbyes to him at the Starbucks at Grand Boulevard, and we thought maybe he was an angel and God was testing us to see if we would help a lonely sojourner on the road with only the clothes on his back. We were in great need of a certain miracle at that time in our lives, and the next day, we received a huge and unexpected blessing that we did not see coming—one that we desperately needed. It was one of the most significant moments in my recent memory and one I won’t soon forget.

We are all connected and desperately need one another—so much more than we know. I wish you all good cheer and much love. Merry Christmas!

To Life!

—Lisa Marie Burwell
CEO/Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director