Letters From Me, To You: Fa Lalalalaaa, La Laa La Laa

Hi.

Well, it was a chilly weekend in Canton, and yesterday we started to get a real taste of winter as it started snowing in the morning and continued until we drove home in a slight snow storm.

The mighty hunters weren't too successful, but we still had a beautiful time with family, including an old-fashioned sleepover at The Farm. (You know besides the whole getting to share a room with a boy part.)

This weekend I ran a few errands with my mom, during which I thought I might find an angel topper for our tree at home. I saw the bottom of a white topper, and thinking it was an angel, went to see my options. It was a snowman. And next to it? A reindeer and a Santa. A Santa.

I recently read a post by a mother who felt more comfortable teaching her children about Santa than Jesus because the concept of Jesus, the son of God being born as a human, was too permanent. She would tell them the story of Jesus, but leave out the whole "son of God" part. He was just a model citizen.

My mom told me that she had students last year who didn't even know what a shepherd was.

And it makes me sad. It is the most beautiful time of year, the most wonderful holiday, a time when good will abounds, but the meaning behind it all seems to be getting a little more lost each year. And I wonder how much I contribute to the problem. How often do I really focus on that baby in the manger?

Yesterday our Pastor brought up the fact that the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was originally a secret catechism during a time of religious persecution. It was a song for Christians to safely sing about what God had given them. I decided to look up the hidden/symbolic meanings.

12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed.

11. Eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful Apostles.

10. Ten lords-a-leaping stand for the Ten Commandments.

9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.

8. Eight maids-a-milking are the eight Beatitudes.

7. Seven swans-a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

6. Six geese-a-laying stand for the six days of creation.

5. Five golden rings stand for the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Old Testament.

4. Four calling birds are the four gospels.

3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope, and love.

2. Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments.

1. The single partridge in a pear tree stands for Jesus.

All of these things were given to us by our "true love," God. How cool is that? Certainly sounds like better gifts knowing the history of the song than if you take it literally.

Anyway, the service made me feel quite convicted over my own appreciation of the season. I love Christmas, but don't spend the time I should reveling in the fact that my God came to Earth as a baby, with the sole purpose to die for me. Hopefully this year I can start remedying that.

The weekend at home was wonderful. I love the magic of the season, and it always feels the strongest at home. I guess because I'm surrounded by all the same decorations I've seen all my life. Here are a few of my favorites:

After everything I just shared with you, it seems fitting that this should be the first one I share. This nativity picture has been in our home every Christmas season for as long as I remember.

(I haven't mastered the art of taking pretty Christmas tree pictures. I'll work on that.) These are our "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments. Katie's is the one in the walker, and mine is in the Jenny-Jump-Up because that was my favorite when I was a baby. (Or so I hear.)

We had several cute, plastic animal ornaments that Katie and I would swipe from the tree and play with when we were little, including this ice-skating mouse.