Janet's Blog

We worship and praise You, we sing and adore You,  Baby Jesus, born of Mary, asleep on the hay. We sing to Messiah, the promised of ages, Baby Jesus, our Redeemer, asleep where You lay, In a manger, in a stable, not a blanket nor a cradle; Just the shepherds and the angels Were there on that day.                         Now we sing along with their joyful song, Praise our God above, sing our song of love; We praise You today.                                                  We worship and praise You, we sing and adore You, Holy Father, God Almighty, we bless You this day. We sing to the Spirit, our Helper and Comfort, And to Jesus, bl...

When I was a young child, viewing neighborhood Christmas lights was an important part of every Christmas celebration.  Since we lived in a hotel instead of a real house, we weren't able to decorate outside as we might have wished.  So, two or three times each December, we all piled into the car after dark, and Dad would drive slowly through the Norfolk streets in search of the best colorful light displays.  Usually, the lights outlined the edge of a roof or a window, or were draped around an evergreen tree in the yard.  In the early 1960s, the lights were always brightly colored--sometimes all  red or blue, but often multicolored.  White lights were never used.  The light bulbs were larger than the small lights that are seen so often now.  Sometimes, the lights blinked off and on, but the light displays were not at all high-tech.  Then, as now, the more extensive displays attracted the most attention. Now, white lights cascade off roof edge...

When I think of the ideal Christmas tree, I always think of my Grandma and Grandpa Vawser's tree.  They always chose a large, pungent, real evergreen tree with rather sparse branches, so we could see and appreciate each delicate glass ornament.  Old-fashioned, multi-colored strings of lights were looped around the tree, blinking on and off randomly in the dimly lit living room.  (I miss that kind of Christmas tree; now, my allergies dictate that our Christmas tree must forever be artificial.) The presents were piled high under the tree on Christmas Eve, spilling out onto the surrounding floor.  Grandma was never extravagant in her gift-giving, but she always made sure that every one of her six children, their spouses, and eventually, her 20 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren, always received a gift.  She thought carefully about each gift, even though she and Grandpa often gave duplicate gifts to people with similar interests.  One year, the boy...