Only One More Day

Hey, everybody, tomorrow is my daughter's birthday. Yea, the one who is a lawyer. If you are reading this post, you probably know who I am talking about. Ask her how old she will be. She thinks it is an eternity already, but she has only just begun.

Gift Returns/Exchanges

Well, I waited an extra day before facing the crowd at the mall for gift returns/exchanges. Anticipating the worst, I made sure I had all the correct receipts matched to the correct gifts, lightened my purse, and shed my coat before entering the mall. Having only two items to exchange, I went about my business locating the "correct" color and size. Then, I headed for the line marked RETURNS/EXCHANGES. When I stepped in line, I became the fifth person. The other two lines were open for regular purchases and had one or two in line. It took a while, but it was finally my turn. The salesman was kind, but not at all talkative. Guess he was having a long day. My only complaint about the whole thing was that the belt I purchased on Dec. 23 was marked down 25%. That made a nice savings. I had to replace it and decided to buy two belts since the sign said 50% off. Well, it rang up as buy one and get the other for half price. Now I know that figures out to be 25% off of both belts, but you would think that AFTER Christmas, the savings would be more.

Christmas Shopping and Giving

I really enjoy Christmas. It's my favorite time of the year for several reasons. But it is also a season of depression from so many people. And no wonder. The pressure to get everything done by a certain date is overwhelming. There are indecisions about what to buy for each person and whether that purchase is the best buy for the money. I do not have everything finished--the planning, the shopping, the wrapping. Just got the tree up and finally decorated because I couldn't find all the decorations. But it was well worth it when my granddaughter tenderly touched the tree and uttered a long "Oooooooo!" She points out the decorations and tells me about them. She pulls some off the tree and hands them to me as if I had asked her for them. Of course I was wise enough to place child-proof ornaments on the lower branches. Some of the ornaments have traveled all over the house and a few are in her toy box. She is fascinated with the nativities--yes, we have more than one. She tries to hold all three pieces of the ceramic one in her small hands. All is well until she taps them together. At just 14 months, she does not understand why she cannot do that. I introduced her to the styrofoam-covered cups, styrofoam balls, and yarn nativity that is 32 years old. I made it the first year I taught, and it has sat on my desk every year for the school children to look at, touch, rearrange, and talk about. The one shepherd has lost his pipecleaner eyebrows while one shepherdess has a smaller chin, thanks to the help of a curious cat. The value of the styrofoam nativity is beyond measure to me because of my sentimental nature. But the scene of her hugging the shepherd while trying to say the word is priceless. So, yes, she will get to hold them again.

What Was Your Best Gift?

Our school gave a writing assignment the other day to all students. They were to write about their best gift ever. It was interesting to read the responses of the children. Some stories were long and flowery. You got the message and more. Others were short, but full of real emotion. Several students wrote about a gift received, but further elaborated that having their family with them was the best thing or it was what made their gifts even more special. That is amazing that children know what is the most important thing about giving and receiving gifts--being with family.

Tidbits

Did you know that in Conneticut there is a law punishable with a fine for using any lights but white lights for Christmas? Wonder if there is a fine for not putting up lights? Did you know that in some cities across the USA it is punishable with a fine putting up your lights and for leaving your Christmas lights up past February? I wonder who sits around and determines such laws. In our neighborhood, we have a variety of lights. Our house has a handcrafted plywood, life-size nativity of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, a donkey, and a ewe, illuminated in the front yard. We also have 4 Christmas carolers on the porch, lighted, and 3 small trees with white lights. We leave the lights on from dusk to dawn so that all who travel our busy road, especially the children on school buses, will be sure to see Jesus. Our next-door neighbors go all out. They have a 2 1/2 story red-brick Victorian home. This year they have trees with red lights in every window. Each window ledge has greenery, burgundy bows and white lights cascading. On the ground level, the bushes lining the front porch are covered in red lights. The porch shows off oversized shiny, wrapped presents and a life-size nutcracker. The total effect is beautiful, as always. Their next-door neighbor uses the large colored lights to string the edges and the point of the roof. Simple, old-fashioned, but very tastefully done. This is the way decorating used to be. I'm sure there are many younger folk who have never seen it done this way and think it is a new way. Each house decorates for the season and celebrates Christmas. Each house makes a statement, and it is well said. Merry Christmas!

Mission Trip

The men have safely returned from their mission trip to Honduras. All three are filled with stories to tell us about their work and about the work still waiting for others. 1,000 pictures will be shared to show us just what it was like. Can you believe that in this day and age that they visited a village that had never seen a Caucasian person? That is hard to comprehend. We usually think of countries such as the outback in Africa for stories such as this. I hope to be able to share some of the adventures with you.

Snow Day

What a beautiful sight! We have received about 7 inches of snow in 7 hours. Now for some areas that would be nothing, but for our area, that is a record snowfall. Schools are closed, businesses closed, plans altered because of the blanket of white. As I look out my window to my back porch, I notice that the rusty milk can has been transformed into a beautiful tin soldier with a pointed hat. The foxtail (weed) stands out as a gorgeous work of art as it barely holds onto the piles of snow bending its stem. The pile of leaves that we never got around to moving is quickly out of sight. Isn't it amazing how things change when covered with snow. We, too, are changed and made beautiful because we are covered with Christ's blood.

White vs Multi-colored lights

What kind of lights do you like? Multi-colored lights soften the glow. They add a little mystery to the tree or what ever is decorated. They say, "Come on in. Sit down. Kick your shoes off." However, white lights show everything off, eliminate the darkness. Makes me think of the song I learned as a child, This Little Light of Mine. One verse says, "Hide it under a bushel, NO! I'm gonna let it shine." Light does not allow things to be hidden. Jesus is our light. Our sins are not hidden nor do they show because Jesus paid for them to be gone. Thank you, Jesus.

Shopping

Went shopping today for over 4 hours. My head is swimming with prices, sale prices, and percentages off. I feel like I should get a grade for all the math that I did today. I didn't buy much. Would not wear most of the clothes I saw today, even if you gave them to me. I can remember wearing them some years back, and I didn't like them then either. The big stop to shop today was the new Metropolis Mall in Plainfield. What a beautiful concept! But not on a day when it is spitting snow and blowing with a windchill in the single digits. Brrrrrrr. Hope the rest of the shopping season goes well for the new mall with much better temps.