Merry Christmas!

2007 in review via photo-collage - enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

A drawing by my daughter Chelsea capturing the Nativity story, pretty brilliant from my perspective!

2007 Bikes For Under The Tree

March seems so far away right now...

Merry Christmas!

In similar fashion to my musings blog, I've decided to post a collage of memories of our 2006 but this time in full-on colour! We haven't done much today other than read the Christmas story, opened a few presents for the kids, and had some delicious home-made waffles for lunch. Aims & Chels both seem to be pretty pumped about there gifts! We actually went second-hand with some stuff and opted for more practical gifts like books! But we did grace Aims with a doll or two! Cornish hens are on the menu for supper - it has been our tradition for the past ten years - turkeys just make you sleepy and who wants turkey sandwiches for the next month?

Chels & I may go tobogganing later - we'll see! I spent part of the afternoon putting together a playlist for my iPod shuffle which found its way into my stocking courtesy of my lovely wife. She in turn got a surprise of the practical gift of new pots and pans in the colour scheme of our kitchen - deep red! And yes - we've exchanged plenty of chocolate!!! I get the dark stuff - she get's the milky kind!

UPDATE: The hens were great - two were spiced by yours truly and second pair had a neat boysenberry rub...served with mashed potatoes, gravy, & veggies. Yep - the family went sledding on the big hill! It was a little breezy but the temperature was great. Both girls had a blast with dad and mom watched us from on top!

Merry Christmas!

Well - this is our family's year in review complete with a sepia-toned collage! It has been truly an amazing year and one that is worth celebrating! The journey of life is filled with its challenges but that is what makes it unpredictable. From times at the cottage, teaching in the classroom, exploring the outdoors, capturing images, playing hard, escaping to Costa Rica, to just coming home and being family, it really has been a great 2006! Wendy is beyond the wife I deserve, my daughters bring me so much joy, and I love exploring play while musing about anything under the sun! Cheers & Merry Christmas!

UPDATE 12/25/06: I redid the collage - the old one had some issues. It's been a relaxing Christmas other than all the meal prep & clean-up today! The girls have been a little wired but that may be our fault for letting them go nuts on the chocolates and the new stuff they are playing with. Lots of new books - which means we get something new to read as well!

Soundtrack of December

I'm not a huge fan of the whole Christmas genre of music generally speaking but there are the few obvious gems like Silent Night or O Holy Night. I personally find that the whole "Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, & Santa" deal gets old fast. My pet peeve is actually Xmas music in stores or shopping centers. Maybe it is the attempt to get us happy consumers to buy more by being in a festive spirit that personally makes me want to hurl or take up Rudoph-hunting as a new sport.

In fact, when it comes to Christmas giving, I'm more in the category of Buy Nothing Christmas or giving more alternative gifts. If you do need to buy something - why not check out Ten Thousand Villages which carries products from overseas that actually support people who really do need economic support more than we need little knick-knacks on our shelves collecting dust. Or why not as a group of friends or family buy a goat or chickens for people living in lesser developed nations - check out World Vision gifts.

If you do need some Christmas music check out Sufjan Steven's Songs For Christmas - it is a great mix to have playing in the background while you deck the halls and pin up the mistletoe. A personal favorite from awhile back is Bruce Cockburn's Christmas album - also a great mix of songs with a good dose of folk-rock. For those into the more contemporary worship scene, I admit to owning City On A Hill - It's Christmas Time and it too is great background music for those family or friend get-togethers. A Very Special Christmas is an interesting an eclectic mix of rock, pop, jazz, & country artists (I think there are at least 6 different volumes now with artists like Sheryl Crow, Tom Petty, Dido, etc.) and interestingly enough the profits go to Special Olympics.

So far my soundtrack of December is pretty sparse when it comes to holiday classics other than the occasional listen to Sufjan's interpretation but I am listening to plenty of instrumental stuff. What's playing for me? Sigur Rós' Takk, The Album Leaf's Into The Blue, & Múm's Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today is Okay. So yeah - that's my current soundtrack for marking during the December season of wrapping up courses and torturing my students with exams.

Tis' The Season

I've been a little slack lately in the area of blogposts but tis' the season of xmas parties, banquets, and in my case marking papers and by the end of this week marking exams. I challenged our student body to examine their personal character over the next few weeks. I asked them if who they feel called to be lines up with who they are currently? Tough question but a good one to ask.

Christmas as a holiday obviously has its roots in Christianity and ultimately celebrates the gift of Christ's birth and life. Who was Jesus and how did he lead His life? How did he manage his life? How did he influence those around Him? There are many aspects of Jesus' character that we can learn from whether we are Christians or not. Are we living lives of integrity? Do we live a life of balance or one of extremes? Do we bring hope to others? Are we reaching out to those in need or are we consumed by our own lives?

If one takes a look at the Gospel's account of Jesus' three-year ministry - you can divide it into three focuses. A third of Jesus' time was spent reaching out to the crowds, the community, those he came into contact. Another third was spend with his disciples, family & friends. The final third, it appears, he spent alone in reflection with God away from it all.

When I reflect, I view my life through a paradigm or lens which I call the four C's: they refer to Character - who I am and who I seek to be; Community - my relationships with family, with friends, with acquaintenances; Communion - my time of spiritual reflection (means to commune with God), & Commission - how am I reaching out to others (perhaps within my community or globally)?

Hopefully, Christmas will be a time in which we get to celebrate the gift of life as a country, in our communities, in our churches. My guess is that most of us will celebrate socially as friends and family. My challenge is for us to actually spend some time quietly reflecting on who we are as people - are we living a life that reflects what we are called to do, a life that is intentional?

G