A Cell Phone?

Dear Diary,

My daughter is barely nine years old and she asked for a cell phone for Christmas. I guess this is where the ho ho ho originated from--Santa's daughter asked for a cell phone and once he started laughing he didn't stop.

Did we get her one? Uh--not. But what we did manage to find was a product called "Chat Now." Chat Now allows you to call your buddy or buddies as long as they are within two miles of your phone. It's also a digital camera and text messager. So, when she's over at a friends house, she can call mom anytime she wants. Basically it's a walkie talkie that looks like a cell phone and rings like one. The digital photos appear black and white on the screen and of poor quality, but the kids think it's way cool.

Listening to the radio the other day, I found out that cell phones are popular with eight year old girls now. This is too weird. She came home one day swinging her rat purse, asking for a laptop, a cell phone or an ipod for Christmas.

Sheesh--kids aren't cheap these days are they? What ever happened to the days when kids scribbled "Baby Giggles," "Kerplunk" or "Etch a Sketch" on their wish list? Where do they get these ideas? I don't know, but I've got to run, the cell phone's ringing off the hook, some email just came in, and I've got a few songs I still need to load on my ipod. :)

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Merry Christmas

Iris from Sting My Heart suggested that we post our nativity scenes this Christmas. So, here is mine, in part, with the wise men worshipping our Lord.



Visit other participants to view their nativity scenes by stopping in at Sting My Heart.

My "Husband's" Favorite Christmas Story

Dear Diary,

Michael and I were sitting down for a chat today, and just when I thought I had heard every one of his stories 10 times over--well,maybe 8--he comes up with yet another--A Christmas Story.

Waaaaay back in the day, little Michael got the role of a Shepherd in the church Christmas play. The crowd was arriving, the cast was in costume, Mary was in the early stages of labour, and the baby Jesus was nowhere to be found--in all of the hub bub of decorating the set, someone forgot the star of the show.

Being the quick thinker he was, my then very young--and I might add cute--husband offered to dash home and grab his sister's doll--his house was right around the corner. So off he went. Robes trailing behind him, the shepherd left in search of a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Returning just in time, he laid the babe in the manger, where it stayed till Mary and Joseph arrived on the scene. All was well.

Pushing her veil aside from her face, Mary affectionately drew the baby into her arms to cradle and rock him to sleep. The room fell silent in adoration of the child.

It was silent, it was holy, all was calm, and all was bright. All eyes were fixed on the Virgin and child, and all ears were fixed on the "Baby Doll Giggles."

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I Found Jesus!

Dear Diary,

If you've been following my writing for a while, you may remember what happened at our place a couple of years ago...

Just as I have learned so many times before, ‘it’s all fun and games till someone loses their head’. And someone did. Unfortunately, we found the Virgin Mary’s head on the living room floor. Apparently, in all the hubbub, she got broken. Nathaniel was appalled, and for some reason, he chose to blame me. I have no idea why this little three-year-old would blame me, I am not sadistic, I do not torture little animals, and I don’t rip the heads off barbies--anymore.

Nathaniel offered to buy Daddy a new one, but Michael pointed out to him that he didn’t have any money, so I guess Crazy Glue will have to do. I didn’t have the heart to tell Nathaniel that we couldn’t find the baby Jesus, not after the way he reacted to the broken Mary. I found a little boy doll, on the floor, and suggested to Brendan that we put it in it’s place, but Brendan said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mom--uh... that’s a Bratz doll!”

Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be anything holy enough to put in place of that little dude. Perhaps a grain of Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice will have to do.

There's been a turn of events at our house this year, and with it some good news to proclaim--He was lost, but now is found! Maddy set up the nativity scene on our fireplace mantel, and lo and behold when she pulled on a piece of tissue paper, out rolled the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. He's a one ounce bundle of joy and I can't wait to show him to you.

Iris at Sting My Heart is asking blog friends to share their nativity photos on their blog this Christmas day. So if you come by, you'll get a chance to see the wonderful set that we have and the little baby that we lost and found.

I know that our nativity set just wasn't the same without Him, we had the shepherds, Mary and Joseph, and some cool looking wise guys, but all the while we knew that something was missing in the group--Christ. How wonderful it would be if the world could open their eyes to the season around them and feel that missing something too.

"And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." ~ Luke 2:12

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Still Time to Bless and Be Blessed

I cried when she told me the story. I could almost see him as he read the note to the class--his too short jeans crowning his worn out shoes, his faded t-shirt slung on thin shoulders, and his radiant face lighting the room. I could almost feel the warmth of the children as they pressed in close to share in his Christmas joy. I could almost hear the excitement in his voice as he cleared his throat to read aloud:

You have been blessed by our own angel network in celebration of the twelve days of Christmas. Santa’s elves will be by your house at dinnertime with KFC. Each day following, up until Christmas, you will receive a note in your mailbox telling your family what the gift of the day will be.

I imagined those little hands reaching into the bucket in search of the crispiest, most golden piece of chicken he could find. I imagined the family from the north end of town anxiously waiting for the next note to arrive, and I imagined the warmth they felt in their hearts knowing that somebody cared.

I wondered who this person or people might be who were willing to give of themselves this Christmas—to take what could have been theirs in excess to give to a family who has never lived in excess for even a day. I wondered what was next on his list, what gift would appear in his mailbox, and I wondered why I hadn’t found time to open my heart like that to someone this Christmas.

As I see the difference someone made in the name of Santa’s elves, I see that someone cherished Christmas more than I did, and I’m guilty. I can’t help wonder what kind of difference I could have made in the name of our Lord, if only I too had listened to the real spirit of Christmas. The good thing is, there’s still time to bless and be blessed, and I’m not going to miss this chance.

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
~ Calvin Coolidge ~

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” ~ James 1:27

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Anxiously Waiting

Dear Diary,

Maddy sat in the car looking out the window as we passed the snow covered mountain tops of the banks that lined the winding road. The chill in the air was warmed by the feeling of Christmas and the excitement that the birth of our Lord was the celebration at hand. Maddy snuggled into her cherry red coat, her hat dipping forward to cover her brow.

"Are you excited about Christmas?" I asked, knowing that she was, but wanting to see the world through the eyes of a child again. That world is a wonderful place filled with newness and excitement, where Christmas candies glisten like gold by the light of the tree, and colored sheets of paper wrap their arms around gifts waiting to be a part of that one special day.

"Yeah, I can't wait!" she grinned.

"I can't wait until the day we're in heaven. You'll be able to go outside by yourself anytime because Jesus will always be watching, and you'll be able to go to the river and play with Him in the water all by yourself." I said, turning into our driveway.

"Yeah, and we'll be eating there," Maddy added, remembering the feast of the Lamb when all the saints will be gathered with their Lord.

Turning off the car, we sat in the garage for a while sharing excitement, and our hope for all that heaven holds. I wanted to know her thoughts on it all... Will we sleep? Will we need to eat? Will we serve, or will we be served? So I asked, "What do you think, will you be serving at the supper, or do you think you'll be served by others."

Immediately her eyes lit up, and sitting straight in her chair with a smile she replied, "I'll be serving." I could feel her excitement as she added, "I can't wait!"

Children glisten as gold by the light of the tree, where like colored sheets of paper--little arms wrapped around their gifts--they anxiously wait to be part of that day, when they will serve them to our Lord.

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him, and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. " ~ Matthew 2:11

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