it's christmastime

and christmastime means:

1) the festival of trees

which i missed this year because law school sucks.

2) love actually.

          a) along with this,

           b) this, 

          c) and this.

3) christmas lights,

which i love despite the fact that those grinches just said that they won't be doing tours for the next four years.  (and while i'm at it, david beckham is a grinch too.)

4) rich family christmas parties.

there is talk of an olympic theme this year.  cool.  there is also talk of a pajama theme.  not as cool.

5) magic.

6) JACOB COMING HOME!!!!

7) no. school.

8) and, Christ.

and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

and, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were afraid.

and the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, i bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

the great debate

the debate of which i speak is thanksgiving v. christmas.

it does seem that every year, christmas comes earlier.  and thanksgiving is given less and less room and credit.  i am not going to pontificate about this.  it, much like the presidential election, is rather old and tired.

i feel i must confess, and my mother would be ashamed of me if she knew, that i don't entirely mind an extra month's worth of christmas music and santa clause, even if it is just a ploy for my money.  i LOVE christmas.  if i had my way, i would move it to february 25 so that christmas time could spread over 3 months (because, under this plan, there would be plenty of time to celebrate thanksgiving all november long and then entertain a december-january-and-february-span-of-yuletide) because january and february are generally grey and no good anyway.  but, i am not in charge of the calendar.  so, i'm just quietly saying that i don't wholly hate (and a little bit secretly like) that christmas creeps in earlier and earlier each year.

however, i don't want thanksgiving to be forgotten or abandoned either.

i have a sneaking suspicion that thanksgiving is more resilient that we give it credit for.  while it is being shunted out of ads by jingle bells and and reindeer, thanksgiving has found other, possibly less public and definitely less commercial, ways to live on.  right now gratitude lists dominate facebook feeds, instagram posts, and blog entries.  have you ever checked out what pops up when you select #thanksgivinggram or #30daysofgratitude?  it's pretty cool.  just like those puritans that landed here hundreds of years ago, their holiday is flying under the radar and finding new and uncharted places to flourish.

i kind of like it this new way.  it seems more genuine than having crate paper mayflowers and squantos hanging in grocery stores and goofy turkeys running across every commercial.  when there's not so much hype, so much pomp and circumstance, the gratitude stays authentic and honest. and i like that.

this is one of my very favorite hymns of all.  it is a thanksgiving song.  and it is wonderful.  i think it says it all.  but i have highlighted the parts that say the most.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing,

He chastens, and hastens his will to make known;

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing

Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,

Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine,

So, from the beginning, the fight we were winning,

The Lord was at our side; all glory be thine.

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,

And pray that thou still our defender will be.

Let thy congregation escape tribulation.

Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!