We all agree that we had a very nice Christmas this year despite the fact that we sat in the chapel with a simulcasted Christmas Eve service that featured a Lutheran minister in character as a stable boy in Bethlehem who was wearing a distracting amount of purple eye shadow. Once I got past the visual, the message was touching and meaningful, but it made us pine for the good old days when a Christmas Eve service at Sharon Center United Methodist Church involved a crowd of no more than 200; a bluegrass band; time for "Joys and Concerns;" a choir with a 2-person, husband/wife tenor section; and a 24/7 unlocked church where I could walk across the yard from our house (which was the parsonage) with an urge to play Christmas carols on the piano or organ any time of day or night. God, we loved that place. But we went to a big city church and enjoyed the music, the people, and the message.
I mentioned in a previous post that Santa came around 4:30 A.M. And thus began the 2006 Christmas of No Sleep. We had a wonderful time with family but, as always is the case, we are glad to be home. We are also thankful that our babysitter does double-duty as a dog/house sitter. Peggy was well-loved while we were away. A highlight of the trip was a visit to Eddyville, the tiny town where Grandpa and Grandma Hanson grew up.
Would you like to see some pictures? They are here. (Click on any individual picture for a brief explanation of what you see.)
Merry Christmas.
Purple eye shadow?! Too much! We did attend a Christmas Eve day service at my old Methodist church, with about 50 people in attendance. The time for "Joys and Concerns" was nearly as long as the sermon. The good ol' days.
ReplyDeleteYour children are absolutely beautiful. Maybe next year they will sleep until 6:00 am (like ours).