Topeka Zoo Lights

 

 

I shared a lot of these on Facebook already, but I decided I wanted to include them in the blog, too. During Thanksgiving weekend, Jill arranged for tickets for the whole family to go to the Topeka Zoo Lights. 

Their family had gone last year and had enjoyed it. With even more lights promised at the zoo this year, it wasn't a hard sell to include in our holiday weekend. (The Zoo Lights are offered through December 26, but you must have reserved tickets.)

We have lucked out weather-wise on our excursions to light shows. It was the perfect crisp fall night.

 It gave plenty of Joy to Our World.

And it was perfect company.

The lights reflected on water were especially pretty.

We have enjoyed the Topeka Zoo in daylight many times. It was the perfect size when the girls were littler - not so spread out, but plenty of animals.

Even though there wasn't an animal to be seen, the lights provided the perfect start to the Christmas season for our family.

 

Happy Howlidays, everyone!

Christmas in a Small Town

Stafford Christmas 2015 - Intersection of Main and Broadway, the "main drag"

With its millions of lights and perfectly-crafted displays, a trip to Botanica is like entering a fairy wonderland of Christmas finery. All the parts and pieces fit together like a symphony orchestra building up to a crescendo. I loved it (as evidenced by the photos I shared earlier this week).

But there is beauty in simplicity, too. Too often, I get distracted by the hubbub and the "noise." The thing that is "squeaking" the loudest captures my attention first. That to-do list with items still not crossed off seems to scream the loudest right now.

Stafford may not have thousands of visitors clamoring to see synchronized light displays. But there is beauty nonetheless. And isn't that the meaning of Christmas? Christ didn't come to Earth in amazing 3D technicolor.

Mary was a young, unwed mother. She had her first baby - not in a well-appointed delivery room - but in a stable with animals all around. She laid Him in a manger filled with straw, not a crib with sheets that matched a nursery theme. It wasn't all that pretty.

How can we, in the midst of our culture's conspicuous consumption and demand for perfection, turn our focus on the Child who was born into poverty as a sign of hope and salvation for a broken world? While it may seem the world demands perfection, the Gospel message demands nothing from us. Rather, God invites us to gather around the manger just as we are: unfinished lists, burnt pies and all. No matter our imperfections, great or small, God invites us to peek into the manger and gaze at the real Christmas message: That Christ came for us all to be a beacon of hope for the hopeless and to bring peace.

Rev. Amy Slater, 

Stafford UMC newsletter, Christmas 2012

When I went to choir practice last week, the Christmas tree in the church foyer was like a beacon in the darkness.

 Through the multi-paned door, I also caught a glimpse of the cross hanging at the front of the church.

Inside, in the dark foyer, it looked perfectly appointed. But I remembered the little hands that hung the ornaments only a few weeks ago at our annual Hanging of the Greens. Without a little creative rearranging by adults, there might have been a "blizzard" of snowflakes on the lower branches of the tree. They guided the helping hands to other parts of the tree. The cooperation and guidance lit a dark night.

O God, prompt me to shine a light on Christ’s coming through my words and actions.

From Sight Psalms

So maybe not every single treat will get made. Perhaps the dusting won't stand the "white glove test." And it will still be OK. It will be better than OK ... 

... especially if I sit in the living room with my glasses off. It's the only time that being really nearsighted is a benefit.

Maybe I should be nearsighted in another way, too. Rather than looking at the big picture, I should remember the central message.

A treasured nativity from friends

"Noel!" Christ is born!

These two photos taken at Stafford United Methodist Church

 Let the list go and enjoy the time with your family! (Now, if only I can take my own advice!)

Hope, Peace, Joy and Love: My Wish for All of Us

 

Hope, Peace, Joy and Love: It's what the Advent season should be about. So often, I get distracted by my to-do lists and the "must-do" requirements I place upon myself in order to have the perfect Christmas celebration for everyone.

But, a couple of weeks ago, our church choir sang a song called "Hope, Peace, Joy and Love," with words and music by Joseph M. Martin. Those words have been swirling around my stuffed-up head this Advent season. And it's my wish for all of us during this special time. Here are the words. Many of the photos are from our church, Stafford United Methodist. Others are from my Christmas decorations at home:

Hope is like a candle burning in the night

Hope paints every shadow with its gentle light.

Glowing like a promise till our faith is sight,

Hope is like a candle in the night.

Peace is like sweet music sounding pure and strong

Singing songs of comfort when the night is long.

Turning drums of hatred into heaven's song,

Peace is like sweet music pure and strong.

Joy is like a flower blooming in the soul,

Sending forth its fragrance to heal and make us whole

And when bitter winds are blowing

When birds refuse to sing.

Joy can turn our winter into spring.

Love is like a diamond wrapped in purest gold.

Nothing is more precious, nothing bought or sold.

Pearl of heaven's glory wondrous to behold,

Love is like a diamond wrapped in gold.

Joy is like a flower.

Peace is like sweet music.

Hope is like a candle in the night.

I'm looking forward to having my kids and granddaughters arrive today. We'll be with my family on Christmas Eve to celebrate my Mom's birthday and Christmas together. (My folks have gone from 5 great-grands last year to 8 this year. The family is growing!)

So ...

If you'd like to listen to the song I illustrated, this church's YouTube version had a large choir and full orchestra. We may not have sounded exactly like that. But we did have Kristen Knight on flute!

AWOL

I didn't really intend to be AWOL from the blog for nearly a week. But neither did I intend to catch the holiday bug de jour.

You know, you teach your kids to share. Then they teach their kids to share. And you think it's a good thing. And it is ... until they share their germs.

Kinley was sick right before Thanksgiving. She shared it with her Mommy. Her Mommy shared it with Randy. And Randy generously shared it with me.

Jill still isn't back to 100 percent after more than 2 weeks. Randy is still struggling after more than a week. I'm figuring that listeners to KFRM radio's Central Kansas report think there's a new reporter, since my voice is about an octave lower than normal.

And, yes, Santa: We all had flu shots. 

Early last week, I carried the Christmas tree and all the tubs filled with Christmas finery upstairs myself, since Randy was sick. The evening after I took him to the doctor, I decorated the tree. I'm really glad I did. The next day, the congestion and headache hit its next victim - me!

And, I must admit, those sparkling Christmas lights made laying on the couch a little more tolerable last week.

Right now, there's nothing under the tree. But, thankfully, that doesn't reflect my level of preparation. I have wrapped nearly all my gifts. I now just need to gather the energy to cart them all upstairs.

Since I'm handing out blame to Jill, I'll also hand out credit. She was ultra-organized this year. She wanted her own Christmas purchases made and wrapped before she returned to work from maternity leave. Thankfully, her promptness inspired me to "get 'er done," too. I am very thankful for that right about now!

And another thing? I wouldn't trade those days with the kids and grandkids - even if they came with a few side effects!

How A Decapitation Changed Christmas

 

Our outdoor Christmas display was decapitated six years ago. It was a casualty of the 2007 December ice storm that left us without power for 12 days.

The poor snowmen were no match for the falling, ice-laden branches.

We "inherited" the snowmen and sleigh when my in-laws, Melvin and Marie, died. It had decorated their farmhouse 2 miles to the north for several years. Since it said "Season's Greetings from The Fritzemeier's," we were the logical choice for taking the sleigh home.

Truth be told, the punctuation on "The Fritzemeier's" drove me to distraction. But I decided it wasn't worth risking the paint job to correctly remove the apostrophe ... especially since I'm pretty sure I'm the only one it bothered.

Still, I really liked it, both for sentimental value and the fact that we had a nice outdoor display item that we didn't have to pay for. Bonus! During the day, it was visible from the road and, at night, we lit it with a flood light.

So, I was disappointed that the snowman and his wife were accidently beheaded by one of the thousands of branches that fell from our majestic old trees in the December 2007 ice storm.

Since then, I've kept my eyes open for a replacement display. I think Marie had purchased the sleigh from an Oktoberfest vendor years ago, but I never found anything similar.

Honestly, we don't have a lot of traffic down The County Line. Having outside lights is more for me than for the person who randomly travels down our road after dark. I tried some lighted Christmas trees, but they fell apart after one season. (Perhaps I should have looked for higher quality instead of lower price.)

But, this year, I saw a house in Stafford lighted with colored floodlights. And I thought, "We could do that!" We have a unique old farmhouse that I think is a real looker. And what could be easier than sticking a couple of floodlights in front of the house. (Well, the first green bulb didn't work, and Randy had to round up a timer. But it was still relatively painless.)

From our house to yours, we wish you blessings and JOY this Christmas season.

Ho! Ho! No! No! No!

A Christmas Story

By Kinley Marie

Give me a tiny Mickey Mouse hat for my head.

 

Give me a tiny horn to toot.

Make me fluff the Christmas tree. (I'll hold my mouth just so!)

Make me examine old Christmas tree ornaments from my Mommy's and Daddy's past.

I'll hang the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ornament that Grandma and Grandpa brought me (after I carry it around awhile).

 

Yes, I'll even stand on my leg to work, even though it's in a cast. 

I'll supervise the parents' decorating efforts while I rest my leg and check email on Mommy's phone. 

But do not make me go see that big guy in the red suit and the beard. Ho, Ho, NO, NO, NO!

Last year, Mommy & Daddy made me sit on that guy's lap.

This year, they said I could decide for myself. (I heard my Mommy tell my Grandma that I didn't need anymore trauma when my leg is already in a cast.)

And I decided, "No, no, NO!" (even though Santa probably would have liked my Christmas sock and my jingle bell. He probably would have liked my cast, too, now that I've switched to pink. It's just a lighter shade of red, you know, which the Big Guy seems to like.)

Santa seems to be popular. There was a line to see him at the mall. I graciously decided that someone else could take my place.

This year, I think I'll just stick to a Christmas portrait with Mommy and Daddy.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Until next time,
Kinley Marie