Christmas

I love Christmas!

Probably all of us love Christmas, I suppose. Whether its the secular Christmas (presents, shopping, Santa, reindeers, elves, etc) or the true Christian holiday (Luke 2, Advent, the coming of the Messiah, Mary Did You Know?, etc), there's something truly special about this time of year.

I have some great memories of Christmas as a kid. I remember David and I getting matching "laser machine guns", the kind that make the obnoxious "d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d" noise when you pull the trigger. I remember Santa stopping by our house the week before Christmas and giving me a Dymo Labelmaker. I think I labelled everything in my room that year!

When I got a little older, and Angela came on the scene, I started to learn that joy could be found in GIVING gifts, not just RECEIVING gifts. One of my favorite gifts I ever gave was the Play-Doh Fuzzy Pumper I gave Angela when she was maybe 5 or 6. Basically, you packed Play-Doh into a little barber chair and inserted a little figurine with a bald head with holes in it. Then, when you pushed a button or lever, the Play-Doh would come squirting out the head holes like hair! You then gave haircuts using the little plastic scissors. Angela loved that toy, and I loved seeing the joy on her face when she played with it.

Fast forward ten or so years, and I found myself in the role of a stepparent with two young Christmas-loving boys. Now, Christmas at our house had RULES. For example, if one boy received a large gift, the other boy better darn well have a large gift or he was going to be upset! If one boy got, say, 10 gifts, the other boy better not end up with only 9!

Brandon and Zach's favorite gifts for a number of years were those little GI Joe action figures. Each figure came with a few weapons (little plastic knives, guns, flamethrowers, etc), but the boys generally dumped the weapons out on the floor and just took out the GI Joe. I have fond memories of walking around in my bare feet on Christmas morning and feeling a small plastic dagger insert itself into the tender area between my toes! Ouch!

Another memory is the year I bought the boys one of those electric slot car tracks. Not because they wanted, it, mind you. They had no idea what slot cars were...I wanted it because it was one of the presents I wanted but never got when I was a kid! I think they played with it twice, and I sat there for hours using it. Cathy just rolled her eyes (at least one of her "boys" was happy!).

This year, the boys are grown and there are no small children around. The "magic" of Christmas will be found not in the exaggerated expressions of delighted children, but instead in the still quiet voice that whispers the real meaning of Christmas. In Luke Chapter 2, in the eyes of the awestruck shepherds, in the wondering eyes of a young Mary, in the joy on the old lined face of Simeon as he proclaimed:

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

May you have a blessed Christmas -- God is with us!

Linus

Tonight, Cathy and I watched my favorite Christmas program of all time.

The Charlie Brown Christmas special.

Made in 1966, a year before I was born, this Christmas special gets better every year I watch it. It could very well be the perfect Christmas presentation, IMHO. It was Charles Schultz's masterpiece.

First, the music. From the classic Peanuts piano jazz intro, to the "loo-loo-loo" version of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", to the relaxing swishy snare drum brushes... Just one minute in to this show, the music has taken me back 35 years. Awesome.

Second, the dance scene. Come on, you know you love it. You can picture all the dancers in your head... The twin smiley girls swishing their hair from side to side... The guy doing the running man in the back... The guy doing the shoulder-shrug dance... PigPen thumping the upright bass...

Third, and most importantly, the message. At the beginning, Charlie Brown expresses to psychiatrist Lucy his feelings of alienation and confusion. What is Christmas really about? Lucy tells him he needs "involvement", so he signs up to direct the Christmas play. But involvement doesn't bring him any happiness - the other kids continually tear him down and label him a loser. Even Snoopy has given in to materialism, with his neon-glowing doghouse.

In perhaps my favorite TV scene of all-time, Charlie Brown asks Linus if there is anyone who knows what Christmas is really all about. Linus says calmly, "I'll tell you what Christmas is about, Charlie Brown."

And for the next minute, Linus gives the complete account of Christ's birth from Luke Chapter 2. And from that point on, Charlie Brown realizes what Christmas is all about, and leaves with a completely changed attitude.

That scene always brings a tear to my eye. It is such a beautiful, simple, non-threatening, childlike presentation of the greatest news ever told. It occurred to me that this scene may be the ONLY presentation of the gospel message that some people will ever really hear. I mean, when was the last time you heard a Bible account on prime-time TV?

My Christmas wish this year? I hope that as the years go by, the TV executives will still choose to air this wonderful Christmas special. I hope that millions will watch it, hear the simple message of Luke 2, and come away changed like Charlie Brown.

Kudos, Mr. Schultz.

Update

Wow, one month until Christmas!

Some random things going on over the last several days:

• Last Road - We started recording our first "studio" CD last Saturday, at OMG Studios in downtown Greenville. It was a long, tiring process, but exciting as well. Unfortunately, of the 12 songs we hope to record, we only laid down the music to 3 songs that day! We may end up having to charge $50 per CD in order to re-coup our investment! Ha!
  
  
• Mandolin - Went to Owings jam session last night, and enjoyed getting to play the mandolin a bit. My 2002 Gibson Adam Steffey F5 is an awesome instrument -- low action, easy to play, huge volume and tone. God is good!
  
  
• Christmas trees - Put up our fake-o tree Friday...bought and put up an 8-ft real tree on Saturday...helped Brandon and Megan put up their real tree from NC on Saturday as well. Look like a forest in here!
  
  
• Christmas music - Charter cable has a great music channel with traditional Christmas music (Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Sinatra, etc). The channel is called Showcase, and its #924 for us. Every year, I begin to appreciate the crooners a little more.... I must be getting old.
  
  
• Work - For the last four or five months, I have been in transition between jobs (within Michelin). I've been doing 50% of my time in each job (feels like 80% in each!). Anyhow, I officially become full-time at the new position on December 10th.
  
  
• Fun - Zach and I have a tradition of playing 2-player, tactical shooter games (in co-op mode) during the holidays. Worked through some levels of Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six this weekend...good fun.

I'm really tired, and the four-day weekend is officially over, so I'll post again sometime this week.

Later!