Saturday, December 25, 2004
And so that was Christmas...
'Tis the night after Christmas, and all through the house
Everyone is still stirring. I'm working the mouse.
Okay, so actually it's a trackball. Anyway, the Christmas celebration was relatively uneventful: church, presents, more church, sleep, more church, dinner, more presents, singing, dessert, dishes and a long drive home featuring Christmas music and Christmas lights. (There's a little neighborhood off of 1st Avenue South in Federal Way that really goes all out with the holiday lights.) The only major differences this year was a child meltdown and that Poodlepums accompainied me to the late night service last night. The "midnight" service is a tradition from my side of the family that I've been stubbornly keeping. (Noodles stopped going after Poodlepums was one year old.) Since Dry Bones has never fielded a late night service in the years I've been attending, I've always resorted to visiting other churches. For the last four years, I've visited a small church in Columbia City--a church from the "other" Lutheran denomination in America. It's a stereotypical Scandinavian/German church with it's reserved politeness. I've never been overwhelmed with hospitality. This year, however, I must have had at least six people talk to me. I'm wondering if they had just finished a church growth seminar or if maybe they figured that if I'm bringing a kid along I must be okay to talk to. Anyway, it fit the bill for what I would consider a near perfect Christmas worship experience: a small crowd in a small space in the quiet darkness of Christmas Eve. Subdued lighting. Lots of music, lots of scripture, a bit of preaching. Not too fancy, yet maintaining the sense of a special celebration. And to my delight, Poodlepums enjoyed it too, so maybe I won't have to sacrifice the tradition when I'm too old to drive myself places.
Anyway life goes on, and tomorrow it's back to church, presents, food.... wait a minute....
Everyone is still stirring. I'm working the mouse.
Okay, so actually it's a trackball. Anyway, the Christmas celebration was relatively uneventful: church, presents, more church, sleep, more church, dinner, more presents, singing, dessert, dishes and a long drive home featuring Christmas music and Christmas lights. (There's a little neighborhood off of 1st Avenue South in Federal Way that really goes all out with the holiday lights.) The only major differences this year was a child meltdown and that Poodlepums accompainied me to the late night service last night. The "midnight" service is a tradition from my side of the family that I've been stubbornly keeping. (Noodles stopped going after Poodlepums was one year old.) Since Dry Bones has never fielded a late night service in the years I've been attending, I've always resorted to visiting other churches. For the last four years, I've visited a small church in Columbia City--a church from the "other" Lutheran denomination in America. It's a stereotypical Scandinavian/German church with it's reserved politeness. I've never been overwhelmed with hospitality. This year, however, I must have had at least six people talk to me. I'm wondering if they had just finished a church growth seminar or if maybe they figured that if I'm bringing a kid along I must be okay to talk to. Anyway, it fit the bill for what I would consider a near perfect Christmas worship experience: a small crowd in a small space in the quiet darkness of Christmas Eve. Subdued lighting. Lots of music, lots of scripture, a bit of preaching. Not too fancy, yet maintaining the sense of a special celebration. And to my delight, Poodlepums enjoyed it too, so maybe I won't have to sacrifice the tradition when I'm too old to drive myself places.
Anyway life goes on, and tomorrow it's back to church, presents, food.... wait a minute....
