Christmas is hope in the ruins
I AM HAUNTED this Christmas not by one of Charles Dickens’ ghosts, but by a little boy I never knew. Though we did not meet, he…
Putting that goodwill to all thing to the test
There is nothing like a game of Monopoly to help you see loved ones in a new light—though sometimes it takes the clarity of hindsight. For…
Immanuel, not a manual
I was inspired by Charles Sheldon’s classic In His Steps long before the book spawned the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) craze of the 1990s. Part…
Baffled in Bethlehem
It’s time to break out the bath salts and the old robes—we’re gearing up for the annual Christmas nativity, when little ones stand around in varying…
Violent Night, Holy Night
LIKE SOME OF my favorite radio stations, since Thanksgiving I have been in “all-Christmas-music-all-the-time” mode. This annual custom has revealed two things: Not everyone agrees that…
Disney’s Happy Christmess!
Christmas always make me think of Disney World. Not because of the famous holiday parades—I’ve not seen one in person despite living only half an hour’s…
Slowing down for The Great Advent-ure
WHEN THE KIDS were small, we’d help them mark down the days to Christmas with our own homemade parade. With the shoe-box empty manger set up…
A Happy Christmas may hurt as well
It was a great idea, except for Dodie the donkey. Our church was hosting a pre-Christmas open house, so we decided to set up a sort…
Christmas: from a squeal to a whisper
My daughter and I have this contest to see who gets to be first to text the other “waaaaaahaah!” when Christmas comes around. It means we’ve…
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