Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmas Night



It's Christmas night. The house is quiet. Even the crackle is gone from the fireplace. Warm coals issue a lighthouse glow in the darkened den. Stockings hang empty on the mantle. The tree stands naked in the corner. Christmas cards, tinsel, and memories remind Christmas night of Christmas day.
It's Christmas night. What a day it has been! Spiced tea. Santa Claus. Cranberry sauce. "Thank you, so much." "You shouldn't have!" "Grandma is on the phone." Knee-deep wrapping paper. "It just fits." Flashing cameras. It's Christmas night. The tree that only yesterday grew from soil made of gifts, again grows from the Christmas tree stand. Presents are now possessions. Wrapping paper is bagged and in the dumpsite. The dishes are washed and leftover turkey awaits next week's sandwiches.

It's Christmas night. The last of the carolers appeared on the ten o'clock news. The last of the apple pie was eaten by my brother-in-law. And the last of the Christmas albums have been stored away having dutifully performed their annual rendition of chestnuts, white Christmases, and red-nosed reindeer.

It's Christmas night.

The midnight hour has chimed and I should be asleep, but I'm awake. I'm kept awake by one stunning thought. The world was different this week. It was temporarily transformed. The magical dust of Christmas glittered on the cheeks of humanity ever so briefly, reminding us of what is worth having and what we were intended to be. We forgot our compulsion with winning, wooing, and warring. We put away our ladders and ledgers, we hung up our stop watches and weapons. We stepped off our racetracks and roller coasters and looked outward toward the star of Bethlehem.

It's the season to be jolly because, more than at any other time, we think of him. More than in any other season, his name is on our lips. And the result? For a few precious hours our heavenly yearnings intermesh and we become a chorus. A ragtag chorus of longshoremen, Boston lawyers, illegal immigrants, housewives, and a thousand other peculiar persons who are banking that Bethlehem's mystery is in reality, a reality. "Come and behold him" we sing, stirring even the sleepiest of shepherds and pointing them toward the Christ-child.

For a few precious hours, he is beheld. Christ the Lord. Those who pass the year without seeing him, suddenly see him. People who have been accustomed to using his name in vain, pause to use it in praise. Eyes, now free of the blinders of self, marvel at his majesty. All of a sudden he's everywhere. In the grin of the policeman as he drives his paddy wagon full of presents to the orphanage.

In the twinkle in the eyes of the Taiwanese waiter as he tells of his upcoming Christmas trip to see his children. In the emotion of the father who is too thankful to finish the dinner table prayer. He's in the tears of the mother as she welcomes home her son from overseas. He's in the heart of the man who spent Christmas morning on skid row giving away cold baloney sandwiches and warm wishes. And he's in the solemn silence of the crowd of shopping mall shoppers as the elementary school chorus sings "Away in a Manger." Emmanuel. He is with us. God came near.

It's Christmas night. In a few hours the cleanup will begin -- lights will come down, trees will be thrown out. Size 36 will be exchanged for size 40, eggnog will be on sale for half-price. Soon life will be normal again. December's generosity will become January's payments and the magic will begin to fade. But for the moment, the magic is still in the air. Maybe that's why I'm still awake. I want to savor the spirit just a bit more. I want to pray that those who beheld him today will look for him next August. And I can't help but linger on one fanciful thought: if he can do so much with such timid prayers lamely offered in December, how much more could he do if we thought of him every day?

Max Lucado

Isaiah 65:1
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’

Friday, December 18, 2009

How dare I...

I can't believe it. I JUST CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT.
I forgot two of my all-time favourites... the Christmas goodies I have already consumed must have clouded my thoughts...

AHEM - here are two EXTREMELY wonderful Christmas Movies that are on my "must-watch" list:
SCROOGED

Oh, Bill Murray. If you thought "What about Bob" was good, wait until you see this! Honestly, He's one of my favourite actors... he has the kind of humour that I just adore.

A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

Instead of commenting, I'll sing along: "It's true wherever you find love it feels like Christmas!" "DOOMED, Scrooge! Doomed for all-time! Your life is like a horror story written by your crimes!" "And after all there's only one more sleep till Christmas!" "There goes Mr. Humbug, there goes mr. Grim. If there was a prize for being mean, the winner would be him!"

LOVE it.
My apologies to both of these movies for not including them originally. There's no excuse.

Merry Christmas, dear friends. May your days be merry and bright, and may you know the love of the Lord Jesus this holiday season!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

a few of my favourite things...

I LOVE Christmas, and although I had originally intended on listing some of my favourite Christmas songs for you all to enjoy, I found that trying to narrow down the list practically threw me into a panic! SO, I've decided to list Christmas movies that I MUST watch every year (and I'm sure you all have a similar list). Let's do "top 7" shall we?

#7 - White Christmas


Let's face it, hollywood has taken a major dive in the areas of talent and class - compare someone like Lindsay Lohan or Seth Rogen to stars from the 1950's like Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye or Rosemary Clooney... see my point? This movie is a classic - "Vermont's beautiful this time of year... all that snow!"

#6 - Home Alone

There is something about watching robbers who get "poned" (as they say) by a little kid that is unceasingly hilarious. LOVE the theme song from this movie. McCauley Culkin deserves MAJOR props for being a flipping amazing actor at such a young age.

#5 - The Grinch

Brilliant. Whoever thought of combining Jim Carey and Christmas deserves a gold medal. I can almost quote every line from this movie and it's STILL not old (nor will it ever be!). "Kids these days... so desensitized by movies and television."

#4 - It's a Wonderful Life

Beautiful. Jimmy Stewart will always be an integral part of Christmas traditions... what an amazing actor. My favourite line? "this is a very interesting situation!" (as he holds the robe beside the bush). Man, life is good.

*Before I list the next three, please note that this was a VERY difficult decision...

#3 - A Charlie Brown Christmas

"I can tell you what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown! Lights please?!" This little movie speaks for itself... Charles Schultz, thank you for "Peanuts".

#2 - A Christmas Story

Can you believe that some people don't even KNOW about this movie?! I can't imagine Christmas without it! "Fra-Gi-Le... must be Italian." "I think it says 'fragile' sweety", "So help me God, yellow eyes!", "I like the Wizard of Oz"... Who wrote this? I want to get a tattoo of their name.

#1 - Christmas Vacation

"I don't know about the dog Clark, but I sure am enjoying it!" This is probably the funniest movie of all time. I honestly can not think of a movie that I enjoy watching as much as this one... "She'll see it later honey, her eyes are frozen".

And there you have it! If you have not seen any of these movies - shame on you! Go out, right now (put on a toque because it's VERY cold), and rent... no no, BUY them immediately.

Merry Christmas friends - stay posted for a Max Lucado story...

Friday, December 4, 2009

Rash Report

Hey Team -
Just so you know, I don't look nearly as hideous now as I did in the picture below - however, I found out from the doctor today that they expect my allergy test results to take ANOTHER week to three weeks. Lame. That would make it 4-6 weeks of waiting... (which, in the grand scheme of things, is practically no time at all but feels like forever when your mouth feels like it's on fire everytime you eat!)

On another note, I'm super stoked for Christmas! (I've been celebrate since Nov. 1st, but it's getting pretty legit now). Stay posted for a wonderful blog post on my most favouritest Christmas Songs... (coming soon to a computer screen near you).