Christmas Time is Finally Here!

I have not seen children this excited about Christmas in all of my days. My kids are REALLY looking forward to tomorrow. Since my wife and I have had a tremendous flurry of extracurricular activities to deal with this month, we just got around to decorating the outside of our home yesterday (I may post pictures later if I get the energy). Our six-year old daughter kept asking us to decorate the front door with lights this year, and since I am wrapped around her little finger, her wish became my command. As we were working on the lights, I had to replace three fuses (old strings of lights) and two or three of our "net" lights for the bushes were simply not working at all.

Even though I was ambivalent about doing exterior decorating on the 23^rd of December, I got much more interested when I saw my three children and their joyful reactions to the lights. We had to make a trip to Target to get some new lights, and we ended up getting several new items as well. Overall, it looks really nice now, thanks to a team effort.

My mom came down today and we will be going to our church's annual candlelight Christmas Eve service tonight in a couple of hours. I always look forward to this service, and singing "Silent Night" as they darken the room, then the light spreads throughout the room as they begin to light the candles. I pretty much always cry when I think of the significance of this song and what it means to us. I suppose Easter is an incredibly important time of observance for us as Christians, too, but there would be no Easter without Christmas.

For those of you familiar with the Bible (or even with "A Charlie Brown Christmas"), you may know these words already, from Luke 2:8-14:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Please take two minutes and 10 seconds to enjoy this video of the great Andy Williams singing "Silent Night" (the lyrics are below it):

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS HERE AT ACTIVE RAIN!