The Holidays
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Maybe because it is pretty much void of the commercialization that has become attached to Christmas. I do love Christmas too though. Now granted, my wife does about 95% of the shopping for our family to give gifts to one another and then to friends, and co-workers, but then again, she is very good at it. This year I have even purchased a few gifts for the kids--probably because I can surf the net and don't have to go to a mall.
I think what I enjoy the most about the Christmas season is that actual story of the birth of the Christ-child. I know it wasn't snowing in Bethlehem and that there well may not have been three wisemen (we know there were at least two of them because they were wise "men" and not a wise"man" and we know that there were no women in the group--otherwise they would have made the guys stop for directions and would have gotten there earlier than the 6 months to 2 years that it actually took them...) The Christmas carols, the decorations, the lights.
But I am becoming more and more concerned that the actual Christmas story is becoming intentionally ignored more and more. I am not a scrooge (at least I don't think I am), but a case in point: We went to see the movie "Fred Clause". Pretty predictable , but pretty fun movie for the fam. But at the end I left dismayed. Why? They basically close the movie with the song "Silent Night". But when they come to the part to sing about the actual Christ child, they changed the words to adjust the focal point of the entire song. How disappointing.
So our family is getting ready for Christmas and we have a Christmas tree and all kinds of decor around the house. There are no exterior lights because I am from southern California and anything below 50 degrees is too cold to be outside doing any kind of work, but don't let that make you think we are not excited about Christmas. I am already looking forward to the morning of December 25 when our family will gather in the living room near the tree, read Luke 2:1-20, and then have prayer. It's a tradition that started with my parents and we have continued to this day.
And then the kids can open up the two small gifts I got them while Dana did 95% of the work and I'll feel good about all of it.
"Unto us, a child is born, unto us a Son is given."
"Christ the Savior is born."
"...and they called his name, 'Jesus'".
Merry Christmas.
I think what I enjoy the most about the Christmas season is that actual story of the birth of the Christ-child. I know it wasn't snowing in Bethlehem and that there well may not have been three wisemen (we know there were at least two of them because they were wise "men" and not a wise"man" and we know that there were no women in the group--otherwise they would have made the guys stop for directions and would have gotten there earlier than the 6 months to 2 years that it actually took them...) The Christmas carols, the decorations, the lights.
But I am becoming more and more concerned that the actual Christmas story is becoming intentionally ignored more and more. I am not a scrooge (at least I don't think I am), but a case in point: We went to see the movie "Fred Clause". Pretty predictable , but pretty fun movie for the fam. But at the end I left dismayed. Why? They basically close the movie with the song "Silent Night". But when they come to the part to sing about the actual Christ child, they changed the words to adjust the focal point of the entire song. How disappointing.
So our family is getting ready for Christmas and we have a Christmas tree and all kinds of decor around the house. There are no exterior lights because I am from southern California and anything below 50 degrees is too cold to be outside doing any kind of work, but don't let that make you think we are not excited about Christmas. I am already looking forward to the morning of December 25 when our family will gather in the living room near the tree, read Luke 2:1-20, and then have prayer. It's a tradition that started with my parents and we have continued to this day.
And then the kids can open up the two small gifts I got them while Dana did 95% of the work and I'll feel good about all of it.
"Unto us, a child is born, unto us a Son is given."
"Christ the Savior is born."
"...and they called his name, 'Jesus'".
Merry Christmas.
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