Images of Christmas

Merry Christmas!

"No, Not At This Place"

She went from one place to another, but they kept saying "No, we don't' have it here."

I pondered today Mary and Joseph's journey for a place to stay as I went from one place to another looking for ....cabbage leaves!.

Apparently, they are a hot item this time of year, and very few stores carry them at all. I must have visited more than half a dozen places and called a few others, but just kept hearing "Sorry, we don't have it here any more."

I, too, had to make use of the other alternatives that were available...

If You Live in Central Texas...

... you might spend the first day of winter outside in short sleeves.

And you might spend hours pulling out weeds that grew like crazy (even 20"!) in the last few months on your otherwise dormant lawn.

You might even run out of buckets before running out of weeds.

Sheesh!

Don't these specimens know they are not supposed to go nuts until at least March!

I just hope that Texas farmers have as much success with their crops as I had with unwanted plants.

Gaudete Sunday

Since my family didn't celebrate Christmas while I was growing up, I don't have any inherited holiday traditions. So, I try to establish some as I go along. Which is not always easy when you live in a single-person household.

During the Advent season, I try to focus on the internal preparation, but at the same time outwardly building up the anticipation of Christmas season (with a focus on season, not a day). As the title of this book I recently heard of "Happiness is an Internal Affair" suggests, I try to remind myself that the joy of this season does not come from all the outward signs.

The first Sunday of Advent (Hope) I put up an advent wreath.
That is all the decorating I want to do for that first week. I say a blessing and light the first candle during dinner, if I set it up early enough. Most years, the start of Advent catches me off guard, with how quickly it has arrived, that I take the wreath out of the box just at the end of the day. I don't even get a chance to take all other boxes down from the attic. It happens during the next week
I am usually very hopeful that this year I am really going to work hard on spiritual preparation. I think of new ways to spruce up the faith life this season.

The second weekend of Advent (Faith) I try to put up the lights on the house.
Somehow, the weather always seems to be really cold, rainy or windy when I do this. I often realize that a week has gone by without much internal preparation. The lights represent my renewed faith to allow the Lord to slow me down and let Him into places of my life that need His coming the most.

The third Sunday of Advent (Joy) I have reserved in the last several years for putting up and decorating a Christmas tree.
I get all excited about this one. Just like that pink candle we lit on this Sunday is slightly different, I make this day just a bit closer to Christmas and less about waiting. For those few hours while spreading up those tree branches, putting up small tree lights, and working on a pattern with ornaments, I allow myself to listen to just Christmas music. (I try to avoid Christmas music on the radio, flip the stations to find something else, until Christmas season, but by then most of them stop playing it.) I put a small nativity set under the tree, and hide the baby Jesus until His birth on Christmas. This year, I may have started another tradition. I invited my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner, and I made a feast out of it. I made my favorite whole grilled trout, "Restovani" potatoes, carrots, asparagus with lemon butter, spinach and strawberry salad, and my signature "birthday" cake. We had great wine, exchanged gifts and placed them under the tree, and ended the night with a cute movie.

Yeah, I think I like this new tradition. Spending this Sunday with the family adds even more happiness to this joyful Sunday.

Need vs. Want

Yesterday I was playing little St. Nick's helper.

At my company, every year before Christmas we have a giving tree campaign. Next to a 2-story tall and well decorated Christmas tree is a table with couple of small trees adorned with tags of families in need of help. They apply through several charities in Austin, like Shoes for Kids, Salvation Army, and many others.

I came in on Saturday to look through the tags without rushing. Each Salvation Army tag had child's age, gender, shoe and clothes sizes at the top, and then space for Wants followed by the Needs section. Most wants listed some toys and games, the wishes that probably came from the child. The needs would usually list clothes, shoes, or some school supplies; something that the parent recognizes as the need, but cannot provide.

I was surprised at how many tags listed things like video games, Xbox, roller blades, mp3 players and such on the Needs list. Those people have clearly confused what the needs are. They either don't need help providing for the child, except for the toys, or they are so overpowered by the thought of disappointing their children by not getting them the toys they wanted, that they are neglecting any real needs that might be there. That also started me thinking in my life what is really a need vs. my want. I, too, sometimes burden myself by missing something that I want, and think I need.

The tag that spoke to me the most was of a little 8 year old boy, who likes transformers, cars, and wrestling. Those reminded me of my brother when he was that age, and how much he loved playing with little cars. The boy needed shoes and clothing, too. So, I went shopping for those items, and felt quite out of place in the kids isles. I observed the other kids there as they were picking toys from the shelves, while their parents weren't watching, to figure out which toys kids like better. The shoe size on the tag said 14, and since this store didn't carry that size, I had to ask for help figuring out what size equivalent to get. The pants also gave me trouble, as different models were even 5 inches longer in the same size.

I ended up getting two of each: two toys, including a set of little cars, one outfit for play with transformers on the shirt and dark tennis shoes, and one nicer outfit, for school maybe, with brown shoes. I put them all in a red mash bag, provided with the tags, and my heart was full of joy for that little boy who will be getting few more surprises from this little St. Nick's helper. :)

Snow day in Austin

It's not quite like the snow in Canada, but it's a rare event for us in Texas, and we enjoy it while we can.