Christmas has become an interesting time of year for me. I guess I'm a bit grown up, because I was more excited to give my wife gifts than about what I might be getting.
My brother and sister-in-law were in from Portland Oregon and we had a blast. My aunt & uncle were down from Minnesota with their 3 kids. Its great, we played lots of Settler's of Cataan. Great game.
I held back and didn't give any presents to Katrina early, but I really wanted to.
I got a great game called Dominion. You build an empire with cards. Its easy to learn, fast to play and great fun for 2-4 people.
This Christmas was nice. I got to spend time with people I loved and I was very thankful for that. It helps me realize how truly blessed I am.
I'm so thankful for a family that loves and cares like mine.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 26, 2008
Family
Its the Christmas season and its been crazy. My brother and his wife are way out in Portland Oregon (and stuck there due to snow) and I miss them. They've had a rough Christmas due to inclement weather and just the annoyances of life.
My wife and I have had to deal with a furnace going out ($305), a drain backing up and flooding our basement floor ($190 and counting), getting the house in order and a myraid of home repairs I'd been putting off. Those NEVER go as planned.
Then you have Christmas Eve where we rushed out to Tremont to go with my parents to see my Grandpa Schurter. Had lunch there, rushed back to Tremont to go with my Grandpa Stuber to pick up the seafood platter and then back to Pekin to wrap gifts to take to Tremont to exchange with my mom's side of the family.
Also my sister-in-law Andrea and her boyfriend Mike are staying with us and are wonderful houseguests, but its still a bit crazy having extra bodies around.
So Christmas with the Stubers, then back home to relax and watch a movie. Then Christmas day with Katrina's family and all the excitement that entails.
It was a crazy 2 days of Christmas. But you know what? It was great getting to spend it with family.
The love and joy at family members seeing each other who hadn't for awhile. At my young cousins who both have battled a life-threatening genetic disorder and the joy at them making it through another year and staying healthy. It was wonderful.
Christ brought hope to a lost world when He was born. The joy brought about celebrating his birth should remind us all of Him, and lead us to give thanks.
My wife and I have had to deal with a furnace going out ($305), a drain backing up and flooding our basement floor ($190 and counting), getting the house in order and a myraid of home repairs I'd been putting off. Those NEVER go as planned.
Then you have Christmas Eve where we rushed out to Tremont to go with my parents to see my Grandpa Schurter. Had lunch there, rushed back to Tremont to go with my Grandpa Stuber to pick up the seafood platter and then back to Pekin to wrap gifts to take to Tremont to exchange with my mom's side of the family.
Also my sister-in-law Andrea and her boyfriend Mike are staying with us and are wonderful houseguests, but its still a bit crazy having extra bodies around.
So Christmas with the Stubers, then back home to relax and watch a movie. Then Christmas day with Katrina's family and all the excitement that entails.
It was a crazy 2 days of Christmas. But you know what? It was great getting to spend it with family.
The love and joy at family members seeing each other who hadn't for awhile. At my young cousins who both have battled a life-threatening genetic disorder and the joy at them making it through another year and staying healthy. It was wonderful.
Christ brought hope to a lost world when He was born. The joy brought about celebrating his birth should remind us all of Him, and lead us to give thanks.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Christmas Stuff
Merry Christmas to all! It would be wonderful if everyone could come to know the love Christ brought to earth in human form this day (traditionally) 2,000 years ago. Remember, the love CHRIST brought, his followers are still working on that part (we promise).
Today, my wife and I took a day off and had a Hibernation Day. We got the idea from Jars of Clay's Christmas album aptly titled Christmas songs. Pretty much we got up late and have eaten junk food and watched the first two Godfather movies. It's been wonderful! We'll be switching to Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season two here shortly! Yay!
This Christmas I'm not sick and jaded by the whole commercialization of it, mainly because I did most of my shopping online, but also because I have realized this is NOT a new problem. In the spirit of Christmas I watched the 1940s version of Miracle on 34th St. with my wife. It was illuminating because there it was, the 1940s, and Christmas had become too commercial.
Does this make me feel better about how any true meaning of Christmas has been pretty much stripped from society. No, but at least its not a new problem. Funny how so many "new" problems really aren't new, just repackaged and conveniently forgotten by a generation.
We live in a secular society. That's fine with me. I suppose I just want people, whether private or public figures, to be able to speak/act/show support for Christmas freely. People are far too touchy about things. If a Jew wants to tell me Happy Hanukkah, great for them! If I'm told, Happy Kwaanza, I have no issue with that. So on and so forth. So why, WHY do people get upset about Merry Christmas?
Is Christ really THAT scary? (Some of his followers might be, but he's not, I swear!) Ah well, I'm sure I'll touch more on that another time. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Today, my wife and I took a day off and had a Hibernation Day. We got the idea from Jars of Clay's Christmas album aptly titled Christmas songs. Pretty much we got up late and have eaten junk food and watched the first two Godfather movies. It's been wonderful! We'll be switching to Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season two here shortly! Yay!
This Christmas I'm not sick and jaded by the whole commercialization of it, mainly because I did most of my shopping online, but also because I have realized this is NOT a new problem. In the spirit of Christmas I watched the 1940s version of Miracle on 34th St. with my wife. It was illuminating because there it was, the 1940s, and Christmas had become too commercial.
Does this make me feel better about how any true meaning of Christmas has been pretty much stripped from society. No, but at least its not a new problem. Funny how so many "new" problems really aren't new, just repackaged and conveniently forgotten by a generation.
We live in a secular society. That's fine with me. I suppose I just want people, whether private or public figures, to be able to speak/act/show support for Christmas freely. People are far too touchy about things. If a Jew wants to tell me Happy Hanukkah, great for them! If I'm told, Happy Kwaanza, I have no issue with that. So on and so forth. So why, WHY do people get upset about Merry Christmas?
Is Christ really THAT scary? (Some of his followers might be, but he's not, I swear!) Ah well, I'm sure I'll touch more on that another time. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
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