The signs are everywhere.Yes, I know its only September 20th. Yes, I know we haven't had Halloween or Thanksgiving. I know the football season just got started.
And yet filling the store aisles comes the tinsel and ornaments.
I love Christmas. I love the trees and lights. I love the stockings and candles. I love the season celebrating the birth of our Savior.
I look forward to this time of our year.
And yet I dread parts of it.
I love to find gifts for my family and friends, sharing the reminder of their importance in my life. But when did the gift-buying become a sport? When did Christmas become a three month commercial on TV with the newest in electronic gadgets? When did it become a season of acquiring (one for you, two for me!)?
I'm praying for a better focus this year!
Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child
Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home
Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world
Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world
-Chris Rice
9 comments:
I'm a big Chris Rice fan, too. I just downloaded the Cartoon song for the grandkids, it's the only song you hear on the radio that isn't on an album. In fact, I think he's retired it.
Christmas makes me tense. I wish it was just celebrated by a quiet family meal and sharing what Jesus has done in our lives in the past year. Instead it's stressing about decorating (although last year all I did was cut out paper snowflakes and tack them up all over the house like on the movie Elf) and gifts for everybody and their uncle Bob, and coordinating a time when we can all go to the same church service together, and...(sigh). But then it's also about a birthday cake for Jesus and Mike reading the Christmas story aloud from a children's book and watching the kids open their gifts and worshipping a Savior that makes it all worthwhile.
I'd like Christmas to be a quiet meal at home with family and small gifts too. I do love the trappings of the decorating... as an announcement of a celebration coming. But the hub-bub of the season tires me.
Actually Cartoons is on an album. Its not on the playlist...but hidden at the end of Deep Enough to Dream album (I think that is the one!)
Cartoons is very very fun. I heard that it caused quite a controversy which is so silly. The premise is terrific!
I am getting my list started as we speak...
This year my family is doing something a little different.
I bought my son a load of craft supplies last weekend to make something for me and his mother for Christmas.
I also bought my son a model Apache helicopter to build for his aunt who flies them.
This Christmas will be, for my family at least, a step back away from commercialism.
For some reason, I don't have "Cartoons" on my Deep Enough to Dream CD. hmmm...
What frustrates me is that most of us in our family really don't NEED anything for Christmas, yet it becomes a present opening marathon. I feel exhausted when it's over. I really feel like we lose sight of the reason for our celebration. I'm not a Scrooge - I really do love Christmas, but my favorite thing is not the presents part.
And by the way, I just so happen to have some homemade chocolate cake at my house! Come on over!
Oops, do you have Past the Edges? I think its on there...hidden at the end and not on the table of contents.
Chocolate cake sounds yummy!
Did someone say chocolate cake??? I might be on my way over! Mom, want to go???
Come on over! We can listen to a little Chris Rice and indulge in chocolate cake to ease our woes. But hurry, the cake is going fast around here!
I knew I had the Cartoon song on one of his albums! Since it isn't listed, I didn't have time to listen to all of my cd's to see which one it was on! Thought I was losing it! Squeal got an MP3 for her bday from Grammy & Grandpa BU Lee and I downloaded it to upload it to her player.
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