Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (with Alena Pitts)
*Give Away has Ended*
It’s Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways! If you’re just joining in, be sure to start at Day 1 here.
Today is a bittersweet day in our series. One of my guests in this series in 2017 was Wynter Pitts, author and founder of For Girls Like You, a resource ministry for tween girls and their parents. Sadly, Wynter passed away suddenly in July of 2018 leaving behind a husband and four daughters. Her passing was an unexpected shock that left many family and friends devastated. However, Wynter’s husband Jonathan has determined to trust God despite this tragedy and today, I get to introduce you to their oldest daughter Alena. A budding actress and singer, you may recognize her from her role in the movie The War Room. I have asked her to share one of her favorite memories of her mom during the holidays.
Here’s Alena…
I’ll never forget the holidays with my mom over the years. We were alike in so many ways and one of the things that made us most similar was our love for sleeping. It’s pretty embarrassing to share the amount of time we would spend taking naps together over Christmas break but for both of us it was super refreshing. She was an introvert and so am I. She enjoyed being around people during the holidays but she would need time to refuel just like I do. You could always count on one of us to be hidden somewhere alone, or both of us together, buried underneath a warm fuzzy blanket. I imagine her in heaven under a fuzzy blanket even now, enjoying her rest with the Lord. In honor of her, I’ll be taking plenty of naps this holiday season. And I’ll take some moments alone too, so I can refresh my soul. Hope these resources might help you do the same as you take some time to replenish your soul over the holidays. ~ Alena
*********************
Day 2 Giveaway
Alena is giving away two of her mom’s books: Emptied: Experiencing the Fullness of a Poured-Out Marriage, co-authored with Alena’s father Jonathan, and I Am Yours: Prayers for God’s Girl.
Giveaway rules are listed below. Enjoy!
*********************
Alena Pitts is a 15-year-old actress, author and vocalist. The Kendrick Brothers’ WAR ROOM marked Alena’s professional acting debut and launched Alena headfirst into the spotlight at the age of eleven. Shortly after, Alena started on a new journey and co-authored a three-book fictional series aptly titled, Lena In The Spotlight (Zonderkids, 2017). The books are written with her mother, Wynter Pitts, author and founder of For Girls Like You Magazine. Though having experienced unbelievable success, Alena’s journey has not come without loss. She tragically and unexpectedly lost her mother on July 24th 2018 at the age of fourteen. Though heartbroken, she is not without hope and is using Wynter’s passing from death to life as an opportunity to share the hope and love of God in Jesus through her voice and her writing. Alena is the oldest of four sisters, Kaitlyn (12) and twins Camryn and Olivia (10). She and her family reside in Franklin, TN. She enjoys all things music and competitive volleyball. Connect with Alena here.
*********************
12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Rules
- U.S. Addresses only please.
- You can comment on all 12 days (once per person) up until midnight Pacific time, Sunday, December 22. Each day will be linked below for easy reference.
- One daily winner will be chosen from each day’s comments.
- To enter to win the Grand Prize (worth over $150 and includes a $75 Amazon gift card, and two admission tickets (with meet-and-greet) to a concert with award-winning country music artist, Granger Smith, comment on, and share, all 12 posts. You can use the share buttons below or repost and share on Instagram (my fave!) and tag me @karenehman.
- All winners (including Grand Prize) will be announced here on the blog on Monday, December 23, and contacted via email. Please allow 4-6 weeks to receive your prizes.
- If you’re not already subscribed, click HERE and you’ll receive an email notification each day of our series, plus my Bless Don’t Stress devotional.
DAY 2 GIVEAWAY QUESTION:
Do you have a favorite holiday memory of your time with your mom, or another loved one, growing up? What is it?
Let us know in the comments and you’ll be entered in today’s giveaway. Remember, if you want to enter to win the grand prize, you must comment on and share all twelve days.
Affiliate links may be included. We only recommend products we know our readers will love!
Day 1 with Candace Cameron Bure
My favorite Christmas memory with my Mommy was sitting on the piano bench with her Christmas morning and singing carols as a family while she played the piano!
Decorating Gingerbread cookies with my mom.
One favorite memory is decorating the tree with my parents. My Mama usually watched as Daddy hung the lights and then, we all gathered the ornaments and placed each one in a special place on the tree. My parents are in Heaven now. I miss them very much.
My favorite holiday memory is when we would go see my grandparents around this time . I miss my family and being so close to home.
One of my favorite mom memories is watching “It’s a wonderful life” on our small black and white 19″ tv in the kitchen while baking cookies.
As a child, I remember hanging tinsel on our tree. My mom did not throw it on by handfuls, but instead, placed each strand carefully on the tree, so the whole tree shimmered with tinsel. When I got married, I had to teach my husband to carefully place the tinsel on the tree! :-)
My favorite holiday memory with my Papa is every Christmas afternoon, we would go to the upper ranch for a few hours and go sledding. He would never forget to come get my cousins and I to go have some fun!
I have a favorite memory with my great grandma and that was going over to her house and baking tons and tons of cookies!
My favorite holiday memory with my Papa is every Christmas afternoon, we would go to the upper ranch for a few hours and go sledding. He would never forget to come get my cousins and I to go have some fun!
Making a birthday cake on Christmas eve for jesus
Food, food and more food!
I had a difficult childhood. My family was extremely dis functional and holidays were not like what my friends got to experience. My grandma did the best she could to make my. Christmas’s special. She would invite me and my brothers over to her home every year and we would have hot chocolate, eat cookies, listen to Christmas music and decorate her tree! Then we would eat s’mores we made from the fire in her fireplace. Some of my most treasured childhood memories.
I used to love going over to my Nana and Papa’s house to decorate their tree. Then we’d make Christmas cookies together
Making homemade ice cream with Grandpa and Grandma was always the best.
My mom has passed away but I remember her smile when I opened up gifts that she put under the tree on Christmas morning. I also remember all the wrapping paper scattered around the floor.
Baking with my grandma.
Christmas Eve service. Singing Silent Night with all the lights turned off holding candles.
We like to do crafts a lot. I remember giving my dad shaving cream for a gift and using white tissue paper to design a snowman as the outside wrapping.
Favorite holiday memory: going to our family friend’s house. She wasn’t a grandma but she treated me like I was her granddaughter. She made homemade holiday foods, including desert, which was my favorite. She always magnified the love of Jesus. Her generosity and love for God and everyone was always evident.
I remember one year my mom made almost all our presents & all were beautiful! That year it snowed, which is very rare for our area to have an actual white Christmas. We played in the snow & then came inside for hot cocoa & a game of Monopoly. To this day it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without the family playing a game together. I just adore that bonding time!
The year our oldest son was born my husband bought me a glider rocker for Christams so I could rock him.
Favorite memory was getting bikes on Chritmas!
My grandmas honey cookies. They look just like sugar cookies! Sugar was scarce at one point and this recipe was treasured by her because she was still able to make shaped Christmas cookies for her kids. She has used the same cookie cutter for the past 50 years. It’s a cookie cutter that is oddly shaped and we never knew until we were older it was Santa with a backpack of toys! She would decorate them with white icing and sprinkles so it was hard to figure out what exact shape of the cookie! We laugh about it every Christmas now as we bake her honey cookies from the treasured recipe!
Christmas families’ times are always precious memories!
My grandpa’s last Christmas it snowed ( it never snows here) and it was magical snow on the ground and all of our family at my grandparents’ house. A good memory.