Tis the Season

Christmas is a funny holiday. The cause of much unneeded controversy, the root of much unneeded stress, with the reason for the holiday being misunderstood by many. This said, I love Christmas! I love the celebration of it. I love the elegance that can come with entertaining. I, though one who is not a fan of surprises (at least ones I can see coming), love the thrill of Christmas morning seeing all the presents piled under the tree and the anticipation on everyone's face. It brings me back to a time of innocence and sweetness.

I love the excuses the holidays give me to cook and eat delicious things. I love painting ornaments and making gingerbread houses. I love the search for the perfect gift for a person (though I do not love crowded malls and stores), I love receiving a really thoughtful gift from someone. I love the generosity that comes with this holiday.

I love driving around and looking at the obnoxious twinkling Christmas light displays. I love egg nog... or soy nog nowadays. I enjoy decorating my Christmas tree, as you may have read previously, but more than just the hunt, I find it a time of reflection.

I can look at my ornaments and remember the circumstances that surrounded each one, whether good or bad. I find myself smiling at the happy times that produced these beautiful little pieces.For some thinking of the sad memories of lost loved ones and bitter moments, but the beauty that comes in the healing and growth that those moments bring.

I love the first day after Thanksgiving, when my Christmas music comes out again. I love a white Christmas and peppermint hot chocolate... though I hate snow and can't have dairy. I love traditions, both old and new. I love the build up to Christmas in church, where it seems every year I am told the story of Christ's coming in a different way. Whether learning about advent, or just from a different perspective.

I love Christmas eve services. So much so that this year I attend both a Christmas eve service, and a midnight mass. I love church choirs... both off key and on. I love Children singing. I love candlelight services. I love singing carols to Christ. This year I watched a pastor actually act out skit, in a green and red flannel shirt, as Joseph the carpenter. Telling the story of Christ's birth from Joseph's point of view. It took a minute for my cynical side to adjust to the cheese factor, but through all that was a sweet story of a man's love for a woman and his son, and his willingness to obey God. I love that this pastor was willing to put himself out there like this. I later found out that the reason he does this was because on Christmas just a couple years ago he lost his young son, and he has done a skit every year since at the Christmas eve service, because it is easier to be someone else in this situation. But I love the fact that he still shows up, when we know he would rather be at home mourning his lost child and comforting his wife, than sharing this story year after year to so many that he will not see again until Easter... or possibly next year.

I love sitting around a table with friends who have become family, just laughing about everything. Reminiscing on old times, fantasizing about new times, and just enjoying each other's company. I love each year seeing a family that truly loves each other and not just because they have to, but because they truly enjoy each other's company. It gives me such hope and inspiration for the family I hope to have one day. I love dutch blitz, apples to apples, Mexican train, sequence, phase 10, and Australian comedies. Mostly I love spending a weekend each year just feeling truly at peace and filled with joy. I love that they made me a special enchilada, without cheese, and I didn't even ask for it. I love that all these little things put together make such a big impact on my life.

I am so very thankful for my friendships, and the generosity of the beautiful people in my life. What may seem like nothing to them, is so huge in my life. I praise God for providing such great people in my life.

All this said... I also love that this highly controversial, universally misunderstood, and crazy holiday is over. I am ready to pack the ornaments away. I am ready to find spots for my fun new things. I am ready to move forward to the new year. With maybe for the first time in a decade, truly a fresh start. This last year has been a whirl wind of crazy. So many life changing moments. I am almost scared of the new year. So I praise God that I was able to end this the year 2007 with so much relaxation and Joy. I go into 2008 with optimism and hope. I wish you a very happy new year, filled with dutch blitz, Australian comedies, generosity, reflection, growth, friendships, love, and laughter.

I leave you with a need for prayer. My friend Ryan is in Iraq. He is the younger brother of my best friend Kristen, recently his mess hall burned after a fuel tanker blew up. They think someone may have snuck in and blew up the tanker. Thankfully he is OK. But he is definitely still in much danger, So much so, that he is actually in the picture above. As we start this new year I just ask for prayer for him, and all those serving in this ongoing war, that they be brought home safely. Thankfully, Ryan loves Jesus, but there are so many there that don't know Him. So as we make new year resolutions, mine is to pray more. And to pray for these men and women to come to know the Lord. When I was in Bellingham over Christmas there was a sign in a front yard asking for peace on one side, and counting the deaths in Iraq on the other. It was very nearly 3,900 deaths. My brother was there for a year. I praise God every day that he was brought back safely, and pray he wont have to go back. I will continue to pray that each of these men and women are brought back to us safely and that this number will not grow any larger, please join me.

Peace be with you in the New year. And may God bless you and your loved ones.

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree

So now that almost every one I know in the Blogging world has posted Christmas tree stories (OK that's a lie... like 3 people) I would like to post mine. It all started with the above photo. I spent Thanksgiving in Portland. It was four wonderful relaxing days. On the last day... we went on what turned into a long trip...due to many wrong turns.... to the tree farm. We cut down the tree (only after I hugged it) and I was left with the Christmas spirit. Tith and I went to stores to look for ornaments for his tree. I found a little kitchen mixer ornament. I only needed a tree to hang it on. I immediately made arrangements to go the next day and get my tree.

So this year as I have in the past I went to Alpine U cut for my tree. I like them.... good prices...lots of trees... and so on and so forth.



So anyone who knows me knows that A... I like things a certain way. B... I have high expectations. and C.... I have the attention span of a peanut... It is because of all three of these things, that I found my Ford focus, myself and my friend Maggie off roading in really long weeds that were scraping the bottom of my car. Allow me to explain. I like trees that are big and round and go to the ceiling. I expect to find this tree for a good price and with little or no problem. I did zone out during the guy who worked at Alpine's lesson on which tree is which... and did find myself driving in circles singing "oh Christmas tree" and rolling down my window to ask the trees if they were Douglas firs (these were the ones in my price range.) Oh and something else few may know: D.... I can't read a map. Give me step by step directions and landmarks and I am your girl.... draw me a map and I may never see you again. Anyway I digress... continuing on.



So after much searching... and I mean quite a bit... Maggie was starting to think I was crazy. We finally met Douglas.... my perfectly symmetrical... to the ceiling... in my price range tree. Note how mean I look with the saw... at least that is what I was going for.... America's next top model.... here I come.



Oh I forgot things you should know about me # E..... I am a complete wuss. Last time I went to Alpine there was a cute guy that worked there and he cut my tree down for me.... This time not so much.... but my adorable friend and coworker Maggie was there to the rescue. Now don't get me wrong. I cut part of the tree at least a good inch.... but to hear Maggie tell it, I sat in a lawn chair drinking a martini and pretended I was on vacation, stopping only to get up and pose for pictures to make me look like I cut the tree. Complete and utter nonsense I say.... I worked hard. And I would put those pictures of me on here... but I am not quite as adorable and flattering under the pressures of working hard.... moving on.



So here is the final cut of poor Douglas... Maggie did make it go timber. I was just cutting it slightly more symmetrical.

So once poor old Douglas got cut down. We put him in my Christmas tree bag....and took him back to the main office of Alpine. This was actually a fairly hard task. The bag became a balloon and we were still sort of off roading.... but we made it.

So then the man... you know I really wish I had learned his name... I need to work on that... maybe that will be my December resolution... learn...and remember more people's names. Anyway the man... he sort of seemed like a Hank...yeah Hank. Anyway Hank took Douglas and put him on this machine that shook out all his extra needles.
Then Hank put Douglas through another machine and bundled him all up.


And there you have it. The big adventure of the Christmas tree named Douglas... and the man aptly named Hank who took my money for him. This is Douglas all wrapped up and ready to go. And me and my buff face...which looks a lot like my mean face.... no wonder I am so misunderstood. Don't be fooled by the neatly wrapped Christmas tree. By the time I got home it was almost falling off and the bag was dragging on the ground. There of course are many pictures untaken of this memorable event.....like the one of me and Maggie walking into my house with the tree belting out oh Christmas tree at the top of our lungs and my bah humbug roommate almost immediately leaving the house in record time. Or the picture of the ornaments people I know have made. My roommate would like me to plug her weird plaid fabricky feathery one that she prominently displayed at the top front of the tree by removing one of my special ones. She is very amused by herself and by the velocity of which it was removed and relocated and all sanity was once again restored in the universe.... sigh... it is all OK.


So there he is in his glory... he is kind of a feminine tree....but I love Douglas unconditionally. All in all a fun morning... did I mention this process started at 9:30 am. Anyway thanks for reading. I promise I wont wait too much longer to post a deep soul searching life changing blog... But a lot was accomplished here. I satisfied the curiosity of friends. Those close to me that are far away finally got a quick glimpse of both me, my apartment, my car, and my tree. I have that whole December's resolution thing.... you know learning and remembering names. And Hey Hank got a name. Wow. Well done me. Have a great day. and Merry Christmas from the Crystal and Douglas the tree family to yours.