The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas is over, but we made some wonderful memories. The weekend was busy with church. Christmas Eve was on Saturday and we had 2 Candlelight services: one at 5:00 & one at 7:00. Andy and I attended both services because we had responsibilities. But we didn't mind because we saw dear friends at each that we would have missed if we had only attended one service.

There was also a service on Sunday, Christmas Day. I didn't think many people would venture out on Christmas Day itself because of spending the day with their families. However, I was wrong, and the church was full. It was a blessing to be there with other believers on this very special holiday. I got to thinking that all the blessings we enjoy: family, church, material things - would all not be possible apart from the generosity of the Lord. But even without the material blessings we experience, the spiritual benefits of knowing the Lord would not be possible apart from the Christmas Day many years ago. Because Jesus came as a baby for the purpose of bringing us salvation we enjoy life to the fullest and have everything we need for life and godliness.

On Sunday after our church service, I drove up to get my mother and bring her back to our house. When she got here, we played a couple of games, then I had some prep work to do for our family Christmas the next day. She stayed overnight with us and was able to celebrate with our girls and their families.

So we celebrated our Christmas on Monday, Dec. 26th. Everyone arrived a little before 10:00, with one family (who will remain nameless - except that they had the least distance to travel!) arriving about 20 minutes later. The table and kitchen were overflowing with food. We had French toast casserole, quiche, baked oatmeal, bacon & sausage wraps, hash brown casserole, apple juice, orange juice. And that was just for brunch.

After eating, we opened our presents. I had bought a Tape-to-MP3, portable player and converter a couple of months ago and proceeded to convert all the cassette tapes the girls had as kids to cd's. I was able to get about 8 done for each family. So all the kids have lots of stories and cd's to listen to now. I still have lots to do, so I'll be busy with that project for a while. Everyone had decided to get the kids a gift, but the adults did a while elephant exchange. That was fun.

Waiting patiently.

Christy got a t-shirt that said she supported gun control.

Ricky got earrings.

The kids with their presents

After opening our presents, some of us went to Boundary Creek Park in Moorestown along the Rancocas Creek for our traditional hike on Christmas Day. It was nice and sunny, not too cold and a beautiful day for a hike in the park.
After the hike, we all came back to the house and ate some more. We had lots of munchies: cheese ball and crackers, fruit and dip, cookies, mocha punch, popcorn; and made tuna melts for those who needed something a little more substantial.

Around 3:00 the party started breaking up. Amy and Ricky left with their family and were kind enough to take Mother home. Dawn and Tommy left a little later and last of all, Christy and Christian left a little before 5:00.

It was a very fun day with lots of warm fuzzy feelings and happy memories. I got to hold Claire a while. I think she's getting to know me!Speaking of warm and fuzzy, the kids all went together to get Andy and me new robes.
What a contrast, though, to Jesus' birth. The manger was anything but warm and fuzzy. Having grown up on a farm, I know what mangers are like. Yuck! But because Jesus was born in so lowly and humble a place, salvation is accessible to all.

The "N" Word

December in our family means Nativity. But it's not just a little manger scene. It's so much more. Andy is the main player in getting it set up, which involves directing a crew of about 40-50 men and women the last Saturday in October and the first three Saturdays in November. It's pretty exciting to see a whole town of Bethlehem take shape. Andy and I kid around that I become a Nativity widow because all his Saturdays are spent on - yes, you guessed it - the "N" Word! It's a lot of work, time and expense, but in the end, it's so worth it. Where else can families bring their children to an activity that focuses on the real meaning of Christmas. Every year gets better and better. I make it a point to go through every year just to be reminded of the reason for the season. The Bible story comes to life and I am always blessed by the truths presented.

I've been thinking this season about how the God of the universe made Himself so small that He was able to enter the egg of a virgin woman. The God who hovered over the waters at creation, entered the waters of the womb. Amazing...what a miracle. And just as amazing is the spirit behind the act. The God of heaven emptied Himself and became a servant. He did not come to be served, but to serve.

We've had record attendance this year. The weather was mild which probably contributed to the higher attendance. Usually, out of the seven nights we run the Nativity, there are at least one or two nights that have to be canceled because of the weather. But not this year.

The first weekend, Kira took a turn at playing toddler Jesus. In that scene, the wise men bring their gifts to present to the King of the Jews. It's a cute scene and she did well.

The second weekend, Amy and Ricky came down to go through it. They brought Ricky's family and 2 deaf friends. I had lined up 2 deaf interpreters to go with us and interpret the dialog for Ricky's mom and dad and their friends. That worked out very well and they were able to enjoy the Nativity, too. After we saw the scenes, the cousins enjoyed being together and we all enjoyed the togetherness.

A big cookie for a little girl

Ummm...hot chocolate

So what is my role during the Nativity? I answer the phones in the office. This can be very interesting. These are the calls from people who are on their way and are lost. Every year there are some poor lost souls out there who call and want me to tell them where they are. Whew! It can be challenging to try to figure out where they are, then guide them in to the Living Nativity. There are moments of quiet so I take along a book to read. It's also a good time to get our Christmas letter written, addressed and stamped. People like to stop in and "visit" with me so it's really not a boring job even though I feel somewhat out of the action.

This year we had good weather and didn't have to cancel any of the 7 nights. That makes for record attendance. It was our best year ever with a total of 16,462 people who saw the Living Nativity in 2011.

A Day at Longwood Gardens

It was a beautiful day today. Although a little chilly, the sun was shining brightly - a perfect day for a trip to Longwood Gardens. Dawn and Kira rode in our car with Andy and me and we met Amy there with Chase, Joanna & Katy.

Joanna wasn't too interested in having her picture taken today.
When the camera came out, she disappeared.

Aha...got her.

The treehouses were awesome.

Group shot

Window on the floor
Somebody is a little worn out.

Eighty

Andy's dad turned 80 recently. Of course, that kind of milestone must be celebrated. So we set the date for Saturday, November 19 at 2:00 pm. We had a good time of eating together and enjoying family time. Andy's brother asked a photographer friend to come take pictures and she did a good job of capturing some wonderful candid shots.

We also had a time of sharing stories of Dad and what he means to us. Dad (and Mom) have a generous spirit, always willing to help out and give to those in need. Almost as soon as Dad came to know the Lord, he became active in teaching at the Camden Rescue Mission every Sunday afternoon. He not only taught Bible lessons, but he also became involved in the kids' lives, going into their homes and having kids to their home. He took Camden kids camping and exploring in the Pine Barrens, just loving and caring for them.

Dad and Mom also have always been very generous to us. We have lived with them 4 different times in our married life, the one time for as long as a year and a half. That time, they gave up their whole first floor living area and moved to their upstairs apartment. When we bought our first house in Richland, Washington, they loaned us the money for our down payment (which we paid back in monthly payments). Dad willingly serves us by working on our pipe work and has helped Christy and Christian, Dawn and Tommy in their houses, too. When we built the in-law addition on our house, he installed all the pipe work for the water and heating/air conditioning pipes by crawling around in the crawl space on one of those mechanic's carts. He never complained but always seemed to be happy to help out.

Words that describe Dad would be steady, faithful, giving, caring, generous. I thank God for my father-in-law.The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength... (Psalm 90:10)