Merry Christmas

The Gift Goes On

The lyrics to "The Gift Goes On" remind me of the Filioque Controversy. This probably was not Sandi Patti's intention.

Christmas Worship

We had a Christmas worship service at church tonight. Rebekah sang in the choir and I am happy to report that she got all the words right.

Merry Christmas

Joy to the... Moon?

At the Christmas Eve service I was wondering if my wife had ever sung traditional Christmas songs before when in Joy to the World she sang,

"No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the plow."

The plow?

Or on the ride home, Away in the Manger:

"The cattle are lowing,
The poor Baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus,
No dying He makes."

Well, not until Good Friday at least...

Intergalactic Christmas

Here is a great combination of two things rarely coupled: Christmas and space.

The Big Picture has put together an advent calendar, but instead of candy, you get a new photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

It's a call to marvel at the majesty and immensity of the handiwork of God and be grateful for granting us His Son in the most humble of circumstances. It might serve to put things in a little perspective this holiday season...

Christmas Music

Nothing can send me into a blind rage as quickly as Christmas music in October, but since Thanksgiving is over, now would be an agreeable time to talk about my preferences.

There is a serious lack of good Christmas music. For the most part I respect the musical choices people make. But when holiday season rolls around, any standards that are adhered to for 320 days out of the year suddenly go out the window.

This does not need to happen. Here are three suggestions to begin the holiday season while maintaning standards.

1. Bing Crosby: My wife has a nice collection of Christmas songs performed by Bing. Very classy and representative of a person with uncompromised Christmas music standards.
2. Vince Guaraldi: He wrote the music featured in A Charlie Brown Christmas, the best Christmas production of all time. Christmas trees and smooth jazz were made for each other.
3. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Christmas tunes with face-melting guitar licks. What more could you ask for?

Please, please, please don't listen to that lame, non-stop Christmas music radio station any more. You wouldn't listen to a non-stop stupid music radio station in July, so why now?