Merry Christmas Everyone!

Just a few more days until Christmas.  The shopping is done, the packages wrapped and put under the tree.  Must leave a space for Munchie and Noodles though, they love to lay under the tree.

The Christmas program at church was wonderful with the choir singing in the choir loft, Funsize playing the piano, the kids with their little choir robes on sang too and really sang their hearts out.

It’s nice to have the shopping done early so I can enjoy the season and not feel frantic and worn out.  The cooking will begin tomorrow for Christmas Eve Day, evening and Christmas Day. We are doing lots ahead this year for Christmas Day and having a buffet instead of a big formal dinner.  I don’t want to come home from church and then spend the rest of the day in the kitchen even though there are people that help it still takes a long time to clean up when you put on a huge dinner.

 

I’m enjoying the Christmas shows, even the ones that I have seen over and over.  A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my favorites and I went to YouTube to put one of the songs in this post but couldn’t figure it out.  That’s nothing new for me.

It’s fun running into the stores just to look around at all the decorations and listen to the Christmas music.  I am very aware of the stores that do play Christmas hymns and those that don’t. Also the stores that allow their sales staff to say Merry Christmas and the ones that don’t.  LL Be*an staffers were told NOT to ever say Merry Christmas, just Happy Holidays.  Sad. I may not shop there any more. I don’t think that will put them out of business. ha!

 

I even get a kick out of the ads on television that only come out at Christmas time.  Remember the Clapper?  The Chia Pets?

 

I enjoy my Nativity set.  Every time I walk by it it makes me spend some time thinking about the real reason for Christmas. Growing up we had this little Nativity set that had a cardboard stable and plastic people and animals.  I loved that set and could play with it for hours as it didn’t break, thank goodness. I rearranged the people over and over but always had Baby Jesus right in the front.  I don’t know what ever happened to that set, I hope someone in the family has it still.

 

Sunday when we were singing Christmas hymns it took me back again to my childhood and how I loved the Christmas songs.  Away in a Manger was my favorite growing up.  My grand daughter was sitting between me and her Grampie and I loved watching her sing the songs.  We used the hymnals as the screen couldn’t be down as the choir was up in the choir loft and it seemed good to use them.  We didn’t have screens for the first 50 years of my life and I’m still not quite used to them.  I think it makes people lazy, they don’t have to look up the verses that the Pastor is talking about in their Bible as it’s right up there on the screen.  I prefer to look them up, I know, I am old-fashioned.

 

We have been enjoying the lights around town too.  It’s been so mild here this winter it hasn’t been hard to get out and put up the lights and decorations.  I remember one year in my last house my sister Linda and I put the lights on the shrubs in a blazing snowstorm!  We had a blast even though we were covered with snow.  We still talk about it and laugh.  Fun memories.

 

When I look at my perfectly shaped fake tree it makes me think back to the trees we had as kids.  I don’t think they had fake trees back then, Dad used to bring one home from the woods and we would decorate it.  It wasn’t perfectly shaped but we loved it.  I loved the bubble lights that my mother used to have for the tree.  You can get them now, they call them ‘vintage’, I guess that makes me vintage……. :o)

 

My grandchildren have been making up bags for the Homeless Shelter in youth group.  I gave them all the little shampoos and bottles of body wash that are in our hotel rooms that we don’t open.  I learned that from Barbara Bush who said in one of her books that she used to save them and donate them to the shelters.  I think it’s a great idea, just the right size to pass out to the folks that stay there, not too big to carry around. 

 

Doesn’t look like we are going to have any snow for Christmas this year but we are keeping our fingers crossed.  It actually was rather cold today and very windy.  The horses didn’t even go outside as it was so blustery.  They can run around the inside arena for some exercise and still be out of the wind.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!  xoxox