Chriiiiis-mas Chriiiiisss-mas tiiieeem is heeeeere. . .

Ah yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Only a few more days. The mall is open later, lights have appeared on houses in the neighborhood, nativity scenes are cropping up. Santa Clause makes an appearance here and there, and Christmas music is everywhere. For me personally there are just certain things that represent the Christmas season. Some are fun, some stupid, some nostalgic, and most are memories of Christmas from my childhood that I think about every year. I'll give a few.
1. Alvin, Simon and Theodore - the singing Chipmunks.
2. Charlie Brown Christmas tv special
3. Christmas Cookies - Shannon's are the best. Especially that heart shaped one with icing in the middle - melts in your mouth!!
4. Miracle on 34th Street
5. Macy's thanksgiving day parade
6. The annual church choir's Christmas Cantata/Musical
7. Mom's broccoli casserole, vegetable casserole, sweet potato casserole and pretzel/jello salad.
8. Aunt Vic's chicken and dumplins
9. The nightly news on Christmas Eve and the satellite picture of Santa Clause making his way around the world during the weather broadcast.
10. Dirty Santa game Aunt Julie introduced a couple years ago.
11. That old fake Christmas tree with the great big lights and glass ornaments mimi and poppy had when I was a little kid.
12. A roaring fire in Aunt Vic and Uncle Nelson's fireplace when the whole family gets together on Christmas Day.
13. Wishing it would snow the whole month of December.
14. The look on Drew and Daniel's faces when they open their presents.
15. When we were kids, Kyle and Jace calling each other on Christmas telling each other what they got.
16. Dad remembering footprints around the fireplace that "Santa Clause" made with his boots (placed there by grampa) when he was a kid.
17. Laying in bed on Christmas Eve wondering how Santa was going to get into my house when we didn't have a chimney.
18. Green pistachio salad
19. Having to wait until January or February to get together with Mom's side of the family because of scheduling conflicts.
20. Fond memories of grandparents - Mimi and Poppy (Brookport), Mimi Peggy, Poppy Ralph -- -- and kinda still missing them.
21. Aunt Charlotte always getting me, Kyle and Joel a shirt for Christmas. Mine was always one size larger.
22. Listening to Christmas music while we put up the tree.
23. Christmas morning just after opening gifts, looking around and wondering how I am so blessed to be with the one's I love the most during this time of year . . with both my original and my new family.

Who has time for this?

Who has time to write so many blog entries? I never realized how consuming this thing could get. I worked on that last entry for a couple hours. . . writing, revising. . . writing, revising. . . makes you realize that real writers actually work for a living!!

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

"Are you allowed to say 'Merry Christmas' or must you say 'Happy Holidays' here?" the lady asked.
"No, we say 'Merry Christmas'" replied the cashier.
"Good, then I'll continue shopping here."
This short verbal exchange took place recently in one of my favorite retail establishments. Amazing isn't? A person willing to shop elsewhere because of they way an employee is told to greet customers during the holidays. Forget low prices, customer service, and availability of products. Finally, someone willing to send a message with his or her money based on the principles. Almost like not leaving a tip for bad service. Man, isn't that refreshing! Because really - IT IS THE PRINCIPLE of the thing isn't it? How can we paganize a holiday with a clear conscience by removing the word "Christmas"? I mean visualize this: It's the beginning of the Christmas season, the celebration of the birth of the Savior. The day after Thanksgiving. . .5 am. . . scores of worshippers gather around the low burning lamps of the mall parking lot, or stand around the covered pallets at Walmart waiting for the unveiling. . . And for the next 20-30 days, we plot and plan, pull out the credit card, shop-swipe-sign, shop-swipe-sign, shop-swipe-sign, until our hands are cramped, our hair is frazzled, and we can't wait for all the annoying relatives to crawl back into whatever or wherever they came.
Fast forward. . .Christmas morning. . . 5 am. . . ok 7am. . . coffee brewing, paper rattling, kid's screaming. . . out comes the stuff. . .big stuff, little stuff, expensive stuff, cheap stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff. Kid's calling each other. . ."guess what Santa brought!" . . . Mom's and Dad's whispering "Did we remember the batteries? Oh, no, why can't Home Depot be open today?" Swapping gifts, acting like we really like that ugly sweater or tie that'll go in the drawer and never again see the light of day. . . until the yard sale anyway. We've celebrated Christmas. So dang it, wish me a Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays!
Ok. . . I'm exaggerating. I like the holidays. I like saying Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I do love my relatives. (And guys if you're reading this, don't take my presents back . . .please oh please oh please.) But I do want to make a point.
I'm really sad that our culture is even struggling with this issue. Traditional Christian values and accepted norms we have taken for granted for the past couple hundred years have been pushed to the breaking point. "One nation under God" "In God we Trust" (How did all those references to God get into our documents anyway? Darn aliens - that's just a theory) In this land of free speech groups like the American Center for Law and Justice (www.aclj.org) have to spend thousands of dollars for Christian chaplains to be able to pray in Jesus name. What? (Isn't that what Christian chaplains do?)
So . . what if we convince everyone in the United States to say "Merry Christmas" What if we get everyone to agree to say it our way? Have we preserved Christmas? Or have we won a fight of semantics? All I'm saying is this: Preserve "Merry Christmas". Keep saying it. Fight for it. Keep an official place in the culture for Christ. But remember that just because we may preserve the phrase "Merry Christmas" doesn't mean we've actually preserved the meaning behind it. Isn't that what really matters anyway?

First Internet Posting Ever

Wow! My first internet posting! Here I am with a perfect opportunity to say something really smart, funny, or otherwise pertinent. . . something astounding, revealing, amusing. . . or just plain interesting. . .something that could shock the people of the world or set them in awe with my staggering intelligence. .
Yeah. . .
Hmmm. . .
Nothing really comes to mind.