My apologies for not writing more last week.  Life doesn't always go as planned.  Fast and furious would be a good way to describe the last few days.  Now this does not mean this time was bad but it is hectic.  Then there was the whole Duck Dynasty fiasco.  I can confess to having my share of anger and frustration over this topic.  If and when the irritation eases then there may be a post on that.  Getting that worked up over something usually takes a lot for me but that punched my buttons.  So let's say a few words about Christmas again.

This year turned out to be fun for me on so many levels.  I do not know exactly what it means to get the Christmas spirit but maybe I came close.  One of the things I did was wander around our local mall seeing who was there.  I got to see more than a few people I know from the present and the past.  Being able to connect with others makes this time of the year worthwhile.  It also helps when most of your shopping is over so you can take your time when walking around.  You can relax instead of stressing out over finding a perfect gift.  Seeing other people looking stressed is a perverse way of enjoying your time out.

My hope is this was also a good year around the church.  Celebration was not in short supply from all of our gatherings.  Our advent preparations with the music and all the trimmings worked out great.  Hearing our kids sing their musical was a treat to put it mildly.  Our annual candlelight service was unusually meaningful this time around.  We had a fairly full house this evening for that time.  Just being together as a church family should have real meaning but it did feel like even more tonight.

Many thanks to all who did the heavy lifting this year.  So many people add to the occasion than we could ever take time to mention by name.  You cannot do church in a solitary fashion.  Someday we will appreciate all who help us along.  I think we had a terrific few weeks of Advent here.  My hope is all of this will help you truly enjoy the holiday.  May whoever comes across this blog have a very Merry Christmas.

Bro. Trey