Today’s Thoughts (11/30/10)

Here are some thoughts rattling around on the last day of November, 2010:

–        It is only three short weeks until Christmas week. EEK!!

–        Speaking of that, I am hoping to take Friday, the 10^th, off from work so I can bake Christmas cookies.  My annual cookie-baking extravaganza! Not sure how many I will bake or what kinds but I will think about that later this week or early next week.  Have too much on my mind right now as it is.

–        Speaking of that, this is turning out to be one incredibly busy week!  I need to get the power points for this coming weekend done tonight because tomorrow night I have an appointment, Thursday night I have a committee meeting at church and Friday night my brother wants to go to dinner (provided his red jeep is all better by then and he can pick it up).  Saturday is the bean supper, which is an all-day event, so I can’t work on them then.  So that leaves tonight. Oh well.  Should be relatively easy since I already know which pictures I am going to use.

–        Speaking of that, I don’t think I have ever mentioned this but the hardest part of doing the power points for church is picking out the pictures.  Sometimes it is easy if the theme that runs through the Bible readings is obvious. But there are times when the Bible readings are vague or are about subjects that aren’t easily reflected in pictures.  Then I have to try to figure out what pictures will work best without being a distraction from the service.  It can be quite the conundrum at times. But it is Advent now so the pictures are easy to choose. Mostly because I can use the same ones I used last Advent.

–        Speaking of that, I think that “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel” is one of the most beautiful hymns ever written.  The music is easy to sing and it is so plaintive in it’s gentle plea for Christ to come.  One of the many things I love about this time of year.

–        Speaking of that, things I love this time of year, I mean…I decorated my apartment last Sunday for Christmas.  Tree is up, wreaths are up, nativity displays are out (I have two main ones and a few smaller ones) and the place is looking quite festive!  I have an artificial tree (will write about that in a future posting) so I can leave it up without any care or maintenance from now until Epiphany.  It looks nice in the window of my apartment.  I keep going out at night to admire it and look at the stars.  Between the lights on the tree and the brilliant stars, it is beginning to really feel like Christmas.  Would feel more like it if we had snow on the ground but I can wait for that until closer to the actual holiday.

And that brings us back around to how soon Christmas will be here.  I realize I was a little sporadic in my postings during the month of November.  Granted I stuck by my policy of not letting two days go by without posting but there were a great deal more two day chunks than I like to have in my blog.  Oh well.  New month, new opportunities to write and a new calendar to fill up.

As we begin the December countdown to Christmas, I hope everyone is stress free, happy, healthy and able to enjoy the brilliant beauty of the season!