Midweek Worship: Peanuts' Christmas, O Holy Night

It's Christmas Eve.

Only 24 hours of last minute hustle and bustle, getting the kids off to bed and then negotiating with them to stay there, wrapping presents and putting them under the tree.

Tomorrow, we'll begin with an early morning family prayer. Then, unwrapping presents followed by a big homestyle breakfast. The boys will immerse themselves in their new gifts and playing together while I clean up and turn my attention toward dinner. We'll eat, relax, and reflect on the wonder of God's greatest gift to humanity, His son, Jesus.

So today I'll share songs I associate with this season. First, what would Christmas be without Charlie Brown and the Peanuts?

And then, my all time favorite Christmas song. Couldn't embed it here but you can follow the link to hear David Archuleta sing "O Holy Night".

M E R R Y     C H R I S T M A S

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Focus On What Matters

The cookies have all been baked--8 dozen--and eaten. 2 1/2 doz to one son's school. The rest? Hey, my family likes my cookies. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the fact that they enjoy my baking.

I had such a wonderful time in worship at yesterday morning's service. I'd been kind of down, more up and down, which might even be worse 'cuz folks around you don't know what they're going to get from day to day. In truth, this won't be a big Christmas for us. The finances are not there and may not be in time. We may not even have a Christmas tree, although I'm still holding out hope.

Oh, I know that these things shouldn't matter. And for me, they don't. Really. I've known "the reason for the season" for a very long time.

But for my boys, they matter a lot, and my boys matter a lot to me. Thus, my funk.

In worship, however, I put all of that foolish stuff out of my head and concentrated on the precious Lamb of God. And when I did, I felt such a release in my spirit.

So now, things still may not be exactly as I might want them for my children but they will have a merry Christmas, in ways that truly matter. We'll be together as a family, laughing and loving. We'll open the presents that required more thought than grabbing the latest, greatest toy off a store shelf. We'll gather together around the blessing of a wonderful meal cooked by me, with a little help from Oldest One, who's going to learn how to make peach cobbler. We'll remember that not everyone is as fortunate as we are, no matter what we perceive ourselves to be missing.

And we'll thank God for the greatest gift of all, His Son.

Now behold the Lamb,
The precious Lamb of God
Why You love me so,
I shall never know.
The precious Lamb of God.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Christmas Crunch Time

Ok, Christmas is officially seven days away.

Seven.

If you're like me, you have yet to...

-- Make a shopping list
-- Buy any presents
-- Purchase gift wrappings, boxes, bows, tapes
-- Get a Christmas tree
-- Decorate said tree
-- Purchase groceries for Christmas dinner
-- Pull together a Christmas card list
-- Write out Christmas cards
-- Mail said Christmas cards

Why do I do this to myself?

Mostly because I hate all the obligations of Christmas.

Don't get me wrong. I'm no Scrooge. In fact, I really enjoy buying gifts for family and friends. I just hate shopping malls and strip centers that are bursting with people. I tend to do the online thing.

I usually catch the "last day to shop..." in order to get gifts before Christmas, all of which get wrapped on Christmas eve, but this year, I even missed that.

So off to those dreaded stores!

I'll get it together. I'm out of days off from work this year. Whenever that happens, I'm at my worst as far as getting into the spirit of things but everything always comes together in the end.

The things about the Christmas season that I love?

• Baking cookies and other sweet treats (I'll try not to overindulge)
  
• Putting up and decorating our Christmas tree
  
• Driving around to look at the decorated houses
  
• Visiting the Santa display in nearby Dover (it's a huge, highly decorated farm that people come from miles and miles around to see)
  
• Listening to Christmas carols and songs
  
• Watching Christmas specials on TV
  
• Reading Christmas-themed stories with my sons
  
• Teasing my sons with the countdown to Christmas
  
• Looking at the lighted tree, especially after everyone has gone to bed
  
• Seeing the happy smiles on the faces of my children on Christmas morn as they open their gifts
  
• Receiving Christmas cards and year-in-review newletters
  
• Reading and reflecting on the story of the birth of Christ in the Gospels
  
• Attending Christmas services
  
• Hunting down and attending a good Watchnight service on New Year's Eve to close out the sesason. (And it's a hunt down here in FL)

Perhaps we'll get started this weekend.

Are your Christmas activities all completed or planned out? What do you enjoy most about Christmas?

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia