That reminds me…as long as it took to get the Christmas Tree displayed in the capitol windows, those colored shades were GONE already today. Wow…makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
This is only a test
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Merry Christmas 2008!
Later in the afternoon, after opening some presents with Grandma, we moved the family to the dining table for the BEST turkey dinner my wife’s ever made. Let’s just sum it up in one word: perfect. Then we read from chapter 2 of Luke from the Bible, watched Charlie Brown Christmas, and commenced play time again.
Anyway, that’s Christmas in a nutshell. Within days I’ll be celebrating the third anniversary of this website. What a time of traditions, eh? Thanks for being a part of it. There’s a tradition worth keeping.
The true meaning of Christmas
One thing I first realized when I became a Christian is that there’s way more to the Christmas story than I’d ever known. Jesus didn’t suddenly spring up and change the way God dealt with man forever; his birth was foretold. Around the time of his conception, you didn’t have to explain to an Israelite who the Messiah was. He was foretold by the prophets. His lineage was known and predicted, as well as his birthplace of Bethlehem. They were literally waiting for him to arrive. Check out Isaiah 53 and you’ll see how important Christ’s arrival is, and what was foretold.
Another thing I realized is that we Gentiles are not God’s chosen people; Israel is. We, however, through the faith in Jesus that his nation didn’t have, are grafted in. In both the old and new testaments, Jesus is referred to as a light to the Gentiles. As Paul points out in Romans, the grace God shows the Gentiles is intended to provoke Israel to jealousy. He made a covenant with them that he will not break, and his wish is that they’d come around.
The Christmas story as told in Luke is simply beautiful. I love to try to picture that starry night (because I’m a starry night kind of guy) and the magnitude of the events that unfolded around Jesus’ birth. People were waiting for his birth. This night was prophecy fulfilled, the opportunity for God’s chosen people to be redeemed. Later on, because he wasn’t the type of Messiah they wanted, they rejected him. When Stephen was stoned in Acts chapter 7, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He was ready to redeem his people, but again they rejected him and killed the messenger, Stephen. Thus we are now in the church age, the time of the Gentiles.
Christmas 2008 has been such a blessing. Little PJ turned two last week, and his brother is now one year old (and walking!). We’ve got a White Christmas, something I’ve been dreaming of for the past few years. My wife and I, although busy beyond belief, occasionally get time to stop and remark how thankful we are for the blessings we’ve been given. Times are hectic, but this too shall pass.
One other down side every Christmas is that my dad disowned me when he found out I wasn’t going to a Catholic church any more. He hasn’t spoken to me since, and it’s been around five years now. I don’t remember the exact time it started. He didn’t attend my wedding, didn’t visit us in the hospital when our boys were born, and he’s never even met his grandchildren. If I come to the house, he leaves the room until I have gone. I can’t really get too upset by dwelling on it, because it’s his decision. The man that told me all through my youth that it’s important not to ever leave a loved one on bad terms, because there’s no telling if something might take them from you, has thrown his own advice out the window. Hopefully little PJ and Jonathan, along with our prayers, will someday help soften his heart.
Today, Christmas Eve, marks the 10th anniversary of the day I brought Scooter home from The Birdhouse, tucked in a little pet carrier box which I stuffed in my coat to keep him warm. This also marks the first Christmas I’ll spend without him. My wife believes that the boys are allergic to him, so he’s been exiled to my parents’ house indefinitely. I turn white hot with anger when I think about it – not at my wife, of course, but at the situation. I love that little bird. I know he’s blessing my parents with his unique personality.
One thing I didn’t get to enjoy this year was caroling, although I did pause to remember a caroling visit to one of the nursing homes back in Christmas 2006. As we walked the halls singing, many residents would stand in their doorways and sing along. I could barely continue through the tears when I’d see a little old lady standing at the entrance to her room, singing the fourth verse of Joy to the World (or any of our other Christmas hymns) from memory. These days most people, myself included, don’t even know how many verses the popular Christmas hymns have, and certainly don’t know the words to those verses. I was touched beyond description. If you ever have the opportunity to go caroling for these folks, don’t let it pass you by. It will leave you a changed person. I’m sorry I missed it this year.
My wife took care of Christmas shopping for our family, although I did make a last minute trip out for a little special something for her. I tend to go to Kirkwood mall once a year (not counting Scheel’s), mostly because I don’t care for having to shield my eyes from the way the girls are dressed down there. This time of year I crank up my iPod, put my head down, and finish my shopping all in one day. Among the random songs came a couple of Christmas songs by gospel singer Robert Robinson, whose voice will send shivers up your spine. I had the privilege of sitting about thirty feet from him at a concert where he belted out What Child Is This…if I’d been standing, I fear my knees would have failed me. Wow. If you saw a guy with watery eyes wearing a motorcycle jacket and an iPod this Christmas, that was me.
Two events that always signal the Christmas week are: James Bond marathons and the 24-hour “Christmas Story” marathon on TBS. I own the DVD of “Christmas Story” after being introduced to the movie in 2003. How I went 20 years without discovering this masterpiece (and Christmas staple) is beyond me…but that has been rectified. And I still watch it on satellite, despite the fact that the DVD sits ready and waiting. What can I say, it’s tradition. We also watched the usual Frosty the Snowman and other Rankin-Bass features, because they’re tradition too. I’m not going to teach my kids that there’s a Santa Claus, but I do find the TV specials entertaining.
We’ve got plans to just stick close to home and enjoy our precious little family (minus bird) this year. Our property is blanketed by a thick blanket of nice white snow, our little boys are finally old enough to partake fully in Christmas festivities, and the Lord has continued to show himself faithful (even when I’m not) throughout another year. I hope your Christmas is as memorable as mine. If you’ve got anything you’d like to share about your Christmas, please enter it as a comment. Merry Christmas!
So how cold is it, anyway? Depends on when you asked
If you’re wondering why we never seem to see those ultra-cold wind chills our parents and grandparents brag about, that’s why. According to this article, the wind chill number was mostly used as a tool of exaggeration anyway. Given the way the media reports everything else, this should come as no surprise. And in light of the fact that climatologists have been caught using false data and putting temperature recording stations next to heat sources in order to get results favorable to the global warming agenda, we shouldn’t be surprised that some methodologies will change from time to time.
Parhelion II
Another funny personalized plate
Back to the license plate. According to Wikipedia, North Dakota is among the top ten states in vanity plate registrations. I believe it; at $25 above the regular fee, they’re a bargain. I have a few myself, actually…and many more in my garage that have expired or are from vehicles I sold. When you start licensing five or six motorcycles plus cars and trailers, the price adds up fast!
Do you have a personalized plate? If not…why not?
What a difference a hundred degrees makes
That big blue atomic looking glow at the Capitol? Yeah, that was me
One guy who’s probably okay with today’s winter weather
One thing that has always amazed me is Bismarck’s apparently lackadaisical approach to clearing snow. I had an epiphany when I moved to Fargo for school back in the 1980s. I looked out of my window during a blizzard to find snow removal equipment working…and it hadn’t quit snowing yet! By comparison, it seems that Bismarck’s crews are told to wait until the snow stops falling. Well, using that logic, why not wait until May, or even forsake clearing the streets at all? Snow tends to melt in the Spring, after all…
Anecdotal evidence and asking around indicates that people think Bismarck is doing a worse job at winter street maintenance every year. I couldn’t agree more last week while skating down an unsanded ice rink called Washington Street over my lunch hour, literally driving around fresh traffic accidents while watching people skate sideways in my rearview mirror.
All grousing about my beloved hometown aside, let me direct your attention to the aforementioned abominable snowman. You’ll probably recognize him from the Rankin/Bass television Christmas specials that air on CBS this time of year. You can see him, along with the Grinch and other characters, in a highly decorated yard on the east end of Kennedy Avenue in northeast Bismarck, just a stone’s throw from the famous Northview Lane. If you head up 19th just a couple of blocks, you’ll find Longley Avenue temporarily renamed “Snowman Lane.” If you’re near the All Seasons Arena or YMCA area, head over to Sioux Avenue and drive down Toyland, one of Bismarck’s oldest neighborhood Christmas displays.
While it seems decorated homes get more sparse every year, these attractions (not to mention Christmas in the Park) are still in place, waiting for passers-by to share in a little Christmas cheer. Just make sure that the Public Works Department has managed to clear the roads, so you don’t get stuck in Winter Wonderland!
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