Christmas

Additional Worthwhile Christmas Music

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pentatonix-christmas-album

I may or may not have mentioned that I have one of the most awesome collections of Christmas music ever. If not, then I do have one of the most awesome collections of Christmas music ever.

Although I prefer the older Christmas music, I still occasionally pick up new recordings by newer artists from time to time.

Here’s a list of some of my most recent acquisitions that I think are pretty darn good:

1) Sting – If On a Winter’s Night

2) Barbra Streisand- A Christmas Album

3) Johnny Mathis- Merry Christmas

4) Pentatonix- That’s Christmas to Me

5) Bing Crosby- The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Recordings

6) Richard Marx- Christmas Spirit

7) Mahalia Jackson – Mahalia Sings Songs of Christmas

8) Shawn Colvin- Holiday Songs and Lullabies

9) Mary Chapin Carpenter- Come Darkness Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas

10) Barry Manilow- In the Swing of Christmas

That’s not a definitive list of all my new favorites. First of all, I don’t have that kind of time to list them all. Second, I don’t want to come across as the world’s biggest nerd. But that is a sampling of what I’m listening to these days.

To me, it’s not really the Christmas season without Christmas music. So I hope this will help you add to your enjoyment of the season of celebrating Christ’s birth.

At Just the Right Time

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“When the right time arrived, God sent His Son into this world (born of a woman, subject to the law) to free those who, just like Him, were subject to the law. Ultimately He wanted us all to be adopted as sons and daughters” (Galatians 4:4-5).

Notice the first five words: when the right time arrived. That’s the key. It wasn’t a moment too early or a moment too late. You can always trust God’s perfect timing.

For so many of us, it’s hard to trust God when the circumstances seem to suggest His lack of involvement. That’s when you look back and remember all those times God has come through for you in the past.

That’s what thankfulness and gratitude are for– to help you remember that the God of the now is the same God of the past. As in the past of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The past of Moses and the Red Sea. The past of King David. The past of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The past of the apostles. And not to mention your past.

So let’s do a little math. God’s track record of keeping His promises + God is the same yesterday, today, and forever = God will keep His promises and do what’s best for you now. I like that kind of math. I don’t like word problems, but that’s another topic for another day.

What God said He will do, He will see it through. End of story.

Christmas is a reminder that God hasn’t forgotten His people who cry out to Him day and night. He remembers. And so should you.

 

 

Christmas is for All the Creepy Rob Lowes

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directv-painfully-awkward-rob-lowe-large-3

I admit it. I love all those Rob Lowe commercials for Directv. The painfully awkward, crazy hairy, creepy, and less attractive Rob Lowes are all hysterically funny (at least to me).

But I also admit that I have at times been some of these. Thankfully not the crazy hairy version with the arm hair curtains. But I have been the painfully awkward Rob Lowe before. Probably you have, too.

The good news is that Christmas is for all of the Rob Lowes out there. It’s for all of us. Even those with the arm hair curtains.

When you end up looking like an idiot in front of your friends or (egads) in front of that someone you’re interested in, then rejoice and be glad that Christmas is for you. Even those of you with cable TV.

Jesus didn’t come for the well-off and popular as much as He came for the poor and downtrodden and outcasts. Those who feel more at home on the Island of Misfit Toys than a Fantasy Island. He came for those who can never seem to get their act together or say the right things. He came for you and for me. He came not for those who could help themselves but for all those who know they can’t.

Maybe the next ad will feature a fashion impaired Rob Lowe. I’d like that.

 

 

 

Tacky Christmas Sweater Update for 2014

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tacky xmas sweater

This just in. I have a somewhat tacky Christmas sweater for any and all upcoming ugly Christmas sweater contests.

As I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to these things, I’m not completely satisfied. The aforementioned sweater does not light up or make annoyingly festive sounds of any kind. It is however, loud and obnoxious. Plus, I think the row of creepy Santa faces takes this sweater up a notch. In my opinion.

So the quest will continue. My size is still Large. If you see any extremely tacky and obnoxious Christmas sweaters, let me know. I will continue to keep at least one eye open whenever I am frequenting the local Goodwill or any of the other fine thrift stores in the general Nashville area.

That said, I at least have something to wear that has a slim to moderate chance of earning me a 3rd or 4th place award. It’s also sufficiently Christmas-y and is both joyful and triumphant.

The whole point isn’t really to win. The point is to be as obnoxiously and annoyingly festive as possible.

The Last Christmas

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I had an unusual question pop into my head today. It’s not something I think about too much and I tend not to be morbid, but I thought I’d pose this question anyway: if you knew this was the last Christmas you’d spend with someone, what gift would you buy him or her?

Again, I don’t mean to be morbid, but I’ve thought about this a bit.

Maybe the best last gift you’d ever buy someone is the gift of you. More specifically, I mean you taking your time and spending it with that person. Taking about what they want to talk about. Going through old photo albums.

It doesn’t have to be your 88-year old grandmother. It could be anyone. After all, no one is guaranteed a tomorrow, much less a next Christmas.

So who would it be? And what would it be?

Maybe that’s what you should get that person for Christmas. In case you’re stuck for what to buy him or her.

 

My Mac Fund

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macbook-pro

Note: the following is in jest. I hope you won’t take any of this seriously (unless you’re feeling REALLY generous).

I’ve started my Mac Book Pro fund. Obviously, the idea is for me to FINALLY buy a Mac and end the days of PC frustration forever. Also, I will be 20% more hip. Alas, me not being able to grow a proper beard cost me 20% hipsterness so these would cancel each other out.

I accept all major forms of payment (and even the minor ones, too). I accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Checks and (most of all) CA$H. I do like CA$H.

I’m hoping that writing these blogs on a Mac will make me 20% more creative and witty and (hopefully) profound. I’d be able to get my Mac on (and not in a super-creepy stalker-y way- nooooooooooo)

But seriously, what I want for Christmas is to be content with what I have. To live in gratitude and thanksgiving. To know that if I have God and nothing else, I have as much as if I had God and everything else.

I’d also like some whirled peas. Think about it for a minute and you’ll get it.

 

Christmas Decorations

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SONY DSC

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is decorating the ol’ family Christmas tree.

Most people have ornaments from places like Pier One and Hobby Lobby and all those trendy places, but most of the ornaments on this tree are anything but trendy.

A lot of these ornaments look like they were crafted by kids, because a lot of them were. Leigh (my sister) and I are represented on the tree by lots of those paper ornaments that probably wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else. But they mean a lot to me.

Many of the decorations have the year on them from when they first became a part of the infamous Johnson Family Tree. Some go back to the 80’s. A few even go back before that. Some are even older than I am.

We have ornaments for all the dead pets, too. That amounts to three dogs and one parakeet for those of you who are keeping score.

Each one taken individually, they are not really all that pretty. But each one holds memories that can’t be bought, so to me they are priceless.

Somehow, when they are all put together, they look beautiful.

I guess that’s kind of like the Church. Individually, we may not look like much. We may not even amount to much in the eyes of most people. But put together, we become something amazing and beautiful and powerful. We become the very hands and feet of God. We are the very body of Christ present to the world.

What most people would look at once and throw in the garbage, Jesus takes and makes into something grand. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are heaven’s poetry etched onto human lives.

All that from some old decorations. Wow. Maybe I’ll look at those old ornaments differently this year.

 

Revisiting the Christmas Movies

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It’s that time again. By that, I mean it’s time to dust off the Christmas movies and watch them all again. For some reason, it doesn’t feel right to watch them before Thanksgiving, but starting at 12:01 am I can officially start. Not that I ever start at 12:01 am. I’m just saying I could.

I have my list of annual must-see Christmas movies and I have those that I’d like to watch but the world won’t end if I don’t get around to those.

So far, I’ve seen Elf, The Polar Express, and The Santa Clause, so it’s a good start.

I prefer the older black-and-white movies like the ones they show on TCM, like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, and A Holiday Affair. Not to say that I don’t like the old color movies like White Christmas. I like ’em all.

I have all the major television specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas and all the Rankin-Bass classics. Hopefully, I can get around to watching those this year because they always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Kinda like the tryptophan effect without actually consuming all those turkey calories.

I hope you have your favorites, too. I hope you have your family traditions for Christmas. Most of all, I hope you remember that Christmas isn’t really about presents and wrapping and decorations or even those great old movies. Christmas is about the child born in a stable and laid in a manger almost 2,000 years ago. That is what Christmas is truly all about.

 

‘Tis The Season . . . Almost

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Thanksgiving is 4 days away. 4 days, people!

I have a hard time comprehending that, even though I have a short work week coming up.

After that comes the Christmas season and Advent and all things tinsel.

I hope that I won’t get caught up in all the commercial hype and get carried away by all the glitter, but remember that Christmas is about the arrival of the Christ child over 2,000 years ago.

I hope I will instead prepare my heart to receive the infant Jesus and remember that it really is His birthday we’re celebrating.

I hope I won’t get so caught up in the Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays debate that I forget that this Christmas spirit isn’t about one day out of the year, but about all the days of the year. I personally would rather have someone who says “Happy holidays” and is kind and considerate as opposed to someone who says “Merry Christmas” and is rude and impatient.

I’m looking forward to reading my Advent devotionals and seeing the candles lit and being reminded again that Christmas is really about the birth of Hope.

Plus, I’m looking forward to wearing my brand-new tacky Christmas sweater.

 

Halloween Is Over

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great_pumpkin

Technically, Halloween lasts for another 23 minutes. But really it’s over. I can’t imagine too many kids are still out there trick-or-treating.

And I personally don’t have a problem with Halloween.It really is about kids getting to dress up and have fun and get lots of candy. I mean really what other time will you get to interact with your neighbors and their kids and show them the love of Jesus? When else will you get such a perfect opportunity? Just thought I’d throw that in there for what it’s worth.

The best part about Halloween is what comes after. It’s almost like I can really start anticipating Thanksgiving and Advent season and then, my favorite of them all, Christmas.

Part of me still wishes that retail stores would hold off on the inevitable Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. At least until after Halloween. But then again, as I get older this part of the year tends to fly by so much faster with each passing year.

I can’t wait to bring out my colossal collection of Christmas movies and music. I have to admit that when it comes to all things Christmas, I like the old stuff. All the old movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife, White Christmas and Christmas in Connecticut really make me feel all Christmas-y inside. And there’s nothing like Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole to put me in the perfect holiday mood.

Part of it is pure nostalgia. All the old music and vintage decorations really bring me back to when I was a kid and all those people I’ve loved and lost were still a part of my life. It’s like I can remember them more vividly at this time of year than any other time.

Plus, fall is my favorite season. All the crisp weather conjures up visions of bonfires and hayrides and s’mores (with burnt marshmallows) and hot dogs (that are hopefully not burnt).

Oh, and I really like that all those Starbucks out there now have pumpkin spice everything on their menus.