The Gift of Song

Someone, who shall remain nameless, made us a priceless gift one year of a spiral bound book titled, Celebrate With Song. In it, were 50+ pages of Christmas carol lyrics. She spent hours poring over lyrics online to create a book of favorites for us. Each season, the kids initiate a session of singing through that book, a capella usually. It was a very thoughtful, useful and touching handmade gift that has kept on giving.

My favorite Christmas songs are the ones that tell the story of the first Christmas and are obscure enough to not have been overplayed and become cliche. I was able to find a few, like Ding Dong Merrily on High, and I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, to put on the green cassette in the sidebar. Have you figured out how to turn that on? (Click the > icon. You can advance it >> and pause it too, as you wish.)

Other favorites are The Little Drummer Boy and The Friendly Beasts for the same reason. They not only bring the nativity story to my mind but also dramatize it for children. I never tire of watching this version of The Little Drummer Boy video, which would explain why our VHS literally wore out.




Music is the language of our souls. With it we express things that won't come out any other way. "It is not necessary that you understand," as the magi tells heartbroken little Aaron.

Another New York City memory indelibly marked on my mind is the Messiah Sing-In we attended at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. I have looked and looked for one in every city since to no avail. An usher handed us the entire score of Handel's music as we took our seats. Then, with the utmost respect and expectation of excellence, the conductor directed the audience of paying patrons to sing that magnum opus with a full orchestra and professional soloists. It was incredible and remains one of the ways I picture heaven: unceasing praise and worship with choirs of angels.

God inhabits the praises of His people. If you want to feel His presence, praise Him and He'll take up residence.

Book Recommendation for when school's out

The best Christmas book I've ever read is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. If you take your coffee black, you'll love the brutal honesty of this hilarious recounting of a church nativity pageant. No cream in this one, nor sugar or sweetener. The church ladies are aghast but, nonetheless blessed, when the Herdman children are cast in lead roles as Mary an Joseph. Not because they're the best actors! They show up for the free donuts and weasel their way into the auditions by intimidating the likely picks from trying out!

It is an irreligious hoot to read aloud. I guarantee you will recognize some people from your own church community in the fictional characterizations. (Don't settle for the movie which doesn't compare.) Check your library used book nook; they are sure to have a copy for under $1. I consider it doctrinally sound humor!

Keep it real! Let's not pretend any of us are anything but a mess! Who do we think we are fooling? Jesus, fully God and fully human, was born to die for our very real sins. It's in dying to ourselves that we live in Him.

2008 in Review: Winter

Last year we left the day after Christmas to redeem my mom's gift to us: a ski week in Deer Valley. It was a great time in the snow with cousins made bittersweet by the fact that Jim could not ski so soon after his broken bones. He and Reid (who has just about had it with all the clothing and gear) had a lot of bonding time taxiing to the base lodge and picking up groceries.

Group shot just before the first cousins got picked up for the airport. Allie's in light blue. Reid was elsewhere. (above) Below, Reid and Allie flank my mom on the left.


How many family members can you fit in a hot tub was the question. Who could get there first was the competition that ensued. It was right on the balcony of our bedroom so Andrea was a frequent winner. Did Allie forget to pack her suit? Not sure why she's wearing a shirt in there.

She Told Me So...

When she first met Jim, my mom was amused. His kid-next-door familiarity was entertaining. As we got more serious, she became concerned. Jim seemed a bit unconventional. He first arrived at my traditional family home wearing peg leg seersucker pants and "monkey socks." My mom, never afraid to speak her mind, and always diplomatic (however thinly veiled), inquired, "So...Jim....tell me about those pants. Are they something new I should know about?" He unabashedly told her how it was a skateboard fashion and he had pegged them himself on his mom's sewing machine. To which she replied, "Uhuhah...so you sew, do you?"

When we decided to marry, my mom articulated her concern to me with a visual,"I am just worried that one day you'll live in a nice neighborhood and Jim will want to paint the picket fence purple or something, just to be different." At the time, I thought that would be cool and proceeded undaunted. We obviously married and Jim has aged nicely, like a fine wine gaining complexity and a smooth finish.

Jim hasn't lost his creativity or willingness to take risks. Several summers ago, we gave ourselves an ocean friendly facelift by re-landscaping the front yard with native, drought tolerant plants. It is now a dense jungle of succulents and grasses. We love it all year, with the possible exception at Christmas, because it is virtually impossible to hang outdoor lights on lavender and flax. Turns out the yard saves on water and our electric bill! No problem (see photo at right). Always the innovator, it didn't occur to Jim to put them on the house--already been done! I am just praying he is home when the police knock at the door to remind us the street sign is public property. Once a skateboarder always a skateboarder.

Twenty five years have passed, my mom and Jim have grown to appreciate each other for their uniqueness. What they do have in common is a certain boldness! This Christmas, I guess I will have to admit though, "she was right."

Umm...Jesus is the light of the world. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine? This is holy ground, a burning bush? Help me out here, how many days are left in December?

photo credit: www.toystoreinc.com

Connecting with Christmas

Why do we send photo cards to each other at Christmas? Why do we send Christmas newsletters to each other? Why send a Christmas card at all?

I believe we take on this task, to connect.

Our lives are busy. We all know our cards aren't an accurate depiction of our lives. Truth is, all of us have challenges. We have loved ones who are experiencing illness or even facing death. We are in the midst of massive economic uncertainty... perhaps you've lost your job, your 401k is looking emaciated or you're upside down on your mortgage.

We're not as perfect as we suggest in our letters or photos...not even close. The funny thing is...we all know that too! Yet, we do it all every year anyway. Christmas, for some reason, has become about marketing ourselves to our friends...the very people to whom we should not have to promote ourselves.

We rarely talk about "real" things in a Christmas letter or suggest them in a photo. Instead, we trot everyone down to a scenic location, dress the same as each other (which we'd never do in real life), smile and snap the photo.

We did this as well...it was tragically hilarious. I dropped the family off at the beach and had to circle for a parking spot before joining them. On the way to the photographer, Reid managed to snag a balloon from an art show happening on site. We posed for a few shots, the balloon prominent in them all. Andy, Allie and I were some combination of frustrated, mortified and laughing our heads off.

Here's why. The organization I direct, Surfrider Foundation, has countless initiatives oriented around the long-term environmental cost inherent with single-use plastics. We run beach cleanups, push educational messaging to keep plastics away from sea animals, advocate banning plastic bags, and the like. There we stood, taking our Christmas photo...on the beach...with Reid proudly waving his single-use plastic balloon in front of the camera as it if were a fifth member of the family. That photo captured it all for me..and made me want to build a blog instead of sending out another "pretending to be perfect family" photo.

Let me continue to de-bunk the myth that everything is hunky dory. In the last year, I have shattered my wrist twice, had two surgeries, and learned I have severe osteoporosis caused by celiac disease. Oh yeah, and I'm allergic to 4 of the 6 basic food groups.

My hope is that when you conclude our series of posts, you'll see that our lives, like yours, are simultaneously challenging and wonderful beyond description. Then, we'll have connected more deeply. Christmas isn't really about putting our best foot forward; it's about understanding our place in the grander scheme. It's about understanding it's not about us; acknowledging our human limitations.

December 25th is a prominent date. It has nothing to do with the tree in our living rooms, Santa, snow, or Bing Crosby. Truth is, almost all of what we suggest Christmas is about is a sham; we've been lied to...marketed to.

December 25th is the date a person was born. It matters who you think that person was. Jesus didn't leave us the option of calling him a "leader" or a "good person." He claimed to be the son of God. If someone was born today and made that statement, what would you call him? Maybe a whacko. Christ was savvy in a way rarely seen. He locked up his description. He took away the "nice guy" title by telling the whole truth. His self-proclaimed title forces all of us to understand the ramifications of what we decide to label him. In the words of C. S. Lewis words, "He is either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord." It was a wild strategy; I like it.

So...this December 25th go ahead; let's all celebrate Christmas. Sure, pass a present...drink some of that nasty eggnog...but also take a step back and make the call. Celebrate it after you make a decision on who this person--whose name is the root word of the day--is, to you personally.

Everything. It's Jesus' birthday.

Netflix Recommendations

Allie's 7th grade Science Fair Project prediction was indeed accurate. Netflix has all but eliminated Blockbuster from the marketplace. If, like us, you rely on Netflix for all your entertainment needs, here are a few films to add to your queue this month. If not, consider a Netflix annual subscription as the gift that keeps on giving. My extended family awarded one to my grandmother so she gets movies (chosen by family with internet access) by mail at her assisted living apartment each week. Consider yourself lucky that you can make your own selections! Netflix has a huge selection of documentary, educational, classic, and current movies.

Here are our favorites for Christmas with an accompanying rationale and the pluggedin review in case you're suspicious of our discernment. What are your family's favorites? Leave us a comment (we fixed that glitch).

The Nativity Story - saw it with Papa Jim and Natty in a theater; really makes the Biblical account relevant by placing it in historical context; nice to own for traditional viewing

Christmas with the Kranks - just funny, Botox scene and hickory honey ham are our favorites; already mentioned as example of intentional effort to decrease consumerism,

Elf - interesting slant on the complexities of adoption reuniting with birthfather and how to honor both adoptive and genetic legacies; in addition to being adopted (by elves) Buddy is not unlike someone with autism having to learn social customs which are foreign to him and refrain from his instinctive urges when he leaves the North Pole; admittedly no Jesus, all Santa

A Charlie Brown Christmas - all time, all ages, back to basics; we have friends using it as the showpiece for their caroling party this year!

Linus' short and to-the-point speech so reminds of Easter 2006 which we spent at Zion National Park. As National Parks are known to do, they offer an Easter morning service at the lodge which we wandered up to experience. Four others did the same. But no pastor! We waited maybe ten minutes before the other family left for a hike. There was a piano and a stage which is as good as an invitation to Reid. Much like Linus, he declared, "I'll be the pastor" and took his place center stage to deliver the morning message. He retold the events of the cross, the cave and the resurrection in perfect sequence and amazing detail. We sang a few songs, as I recall, and that was that. Plain and simple worship.



As Willy Wonka said at the end of the factory tour referring Charlie to the contract, "Its all there, black and white, clear as crystal," 66 books, 40 authors, over 1500 years, actual history, Luke 2.

Handcrafted Christmas Gifts

When Allie asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas I almost always answer the same way, "make me something, paint me a picture." I think I inherited my own dad's practical nature and DNA that values personal creativity/expression above most other things.

When Al was six years old she drew me the picture to the left as a gift. It was her version of what was probably on my mind constantly...I love it. I love the fact that the waves are patterned and about to crush the surfer on the crude box-shaped board. What is cooler than an interpretation of something close to you by one of your kidlets? How much more valuable is this to me than something she would have purchased? Infinitely.

We've gotten away from making things and that's not good. I'll be so bold as to say, it's bad.

A handmade gift has a quantum leap of value over anything you can buy. My Nana Tighe made us mittens when we were kids. I always adored them...we all did. When my brother broke his back I was about 13. I made him a card out of balsa wood that said "Pull string if feeling poorly." When you pulled the string, a message on another piece of wood lifted up from behind (like a pop-up card) to say, "Get well soon." I'll remember his reaction forever. It touched him like nothing I could have bought would have.

You may not be a great artist. No, you're probably not a seamstress or a woodworker (I'm just guessing). That's not the point. The point is that you can make something for someone else. It will mean something to a person because it's a piece of you. My mom draws little faces on her cards. She's not the best illustrator in the world but you know what...I love them. They mean more than the card itself (because she usually sends store bought cards).

I'll share one such card (and risk setting the bar too high). At the right is the birthday card my brother David sent me this year. Now... he is an artist so, it's quite good. The "Elongated Seamus" is a mashup on my Celtic family nickname (Seamus) and a flower he must have come across in his travels. This was the best gift I received for my birthday.

Create something this season. If you put your heart into it, it's value will rise above every other gift given.