The holiday season is definitely in full swing. Today was my time to do some Christmas shopping in town. Part of my reason for going was to scout out ideas for my son and daughter. Another purpose in my effort was to pick up gifts for those obscure family members. We have various cousins, uncles and the like that call for our attention. It is usually a good thing to get those presents out of the way so the focus can be on immediate family. This means I hit at least four stores looking for those presents that can be found on sale tables. Along the way I found time to pick up some novels to read over the next few weeks. One should always be prepared for any slow time during the Christmas break. The lead characters in these books are ones that I am familiar with from past exploits. It will be a bit like spending time with old friends who just happen to be on adventures.

I view shopping during this time of the year as a full contact sport. No one who is faint of heart needs to run amok in the crowds who pack the stores. You will always end up hearing a few children break out in tears upon hearing that they have to wait for the toy they just identified. Maybe I just never understood how any good could come out of letting my two join me in my serious endeavors of shopping. Always felt cruel to take them along with me knowing my answer would inevitably be that they need to be patient. This is not a common attribute of young children who are surrounded by aisles of possibilities. Surely they feel a bit like Cindy Lou Who when she spies the Grinch taking off with the family celebration. I can only hope that the joy of Christmas morning more than makes up for the dismay of being in Target.

Luckily for me the day went smooth without any incidents of physical confrontation. I was able to locate my items without interference. Even the salespeople in the various stores were helpful. We will see if they remain as cooperative as the days draw closer to the big reveal. Gotta love a holiday when our human frailty tends to shine forth just a bit brighter. We stress over getting the absolute perfect gift for others. We can even snap at people we know or even those we don't know. This often makes me wonder if the angelic announcement of "peace on earth, good will to men" is relevant in our modern world of shopping. Our intention is to celebrate the "Prince of Peace" even when we get a tad unhinged with all of the demands around us. I often question why we allow our preparing for this holiday to conflict with the character of our Lord. Answers to this still escape me.

Allow me to wish you good luck as you travel through the next few weeks. I can only hope that you make time to read for yourself again the original Christmas story. Linus from Peanuts nailed down what all of this activity is all about. He tells Charlie Brown the biblical story from Luke 2 about the birth of Jesus. This put our round headed friend onto the path of expressing what he calls the true meaning of Christmas. You may find that it will do the same for you.

Bro. Trey