Friday, December 26, 2008

Merry Christmas!







Hope your holiday remembrances for this year were worth cherishing. Our Christmas was pretty good all things considered. The kids & Mom loved their presents. Tom & I enjoyed the few goodies we couldn't resist getting for each other. Even the venison roast & ham dinners (for Christmas Eve dinner & Christmas respectively) came out very well. Becka's garlands hit a new height in artistic beauty & DS made an adorable Gingerbread house scene. Even the kitties enjoyed their catnip mice and feathered toys. The feathers are still floating around, actually. Well, at least they were loved to death ;)

Weather was warm-ish - mid-50's- and overcast. No snow at all, though there was plenty on the news for other places.

Read on one Christmas site that if Christ was truly born in September, as many now believe, then Christmas is actually near the anniversary of the Annunciation - His immaculate conception. That would work too, IMHO



Thursday, December 18, 2008

Our Christmas Card 2U



Our new card is up. This is just the tiny version. You can see the big, wallpaper-y one at the site. We've added all kinds of hidden object & flash fun too.


Wishing You and All Your Dearest a Happy Holiday!

For Such Things

I don't want to get into a downer, so I will try to deal with this as quickly as possible and get back to happier things ('choosing joy' :). I do feel like I should say this. While a lot of us are enjoying the holiday, and trying to make others happy, the spirit of anti-Christmas seems to grow every year. I've met entirely too many people who avoid any sort of recognition of festiveness in this season - and others who want to make your day a bad one if they can, even when you've gone out of your way to be good to them.

Its a part of the general 'end times' garbage, yes. The love of many has been growing cold. But its appalling to me how acceptable being overtly ugly has become. Too many 'dark' sitcoms and comedies are having their effect, sad to say. Realized that selfish sitcomness was what one frizzy-haired female was playing toward at the village movie place the other day. I was taking my son to see their last showing of Bolt, basically because their prices are cheaper. When I got there, the female made a big 'show' (with no other audience - no line) how she had printed out the website page (she said) that showed they had stopped it one showing earlier. Now I knew that the website had showed the kiddo movie listed to play not two hours before. I also know what their page should look like if it were printed out, and that wasn't it. The fact she was so happy to wave it around actually proved she expected to be challenged - which would be a tad suspicious if the website had ALWAYS said the showings she claimed... But beside pointing this out, there was nothing to do but take DS to the GOOD theater, where the prices are the national average, but they have a good selection of films, they treat you with respect, its clean, the chairs are comfortable, there are no funny lines in the screen, and the sound system is perfect - you know, everything her shop is not. We arrived 15 minutes before their next showing, with lots of time to get parked, get snacks, and get settled. Primo. Job well done.

[Bolt is another good kid's film, for the record. It was a tad cliched, but well done. Loved the nutty hamster. Recommended!]

As I went up the road to the other, BETTER, movie house - I worked to let go of the minor irritation induced by said goofy female by talking quietly to God about it. I soon realized that my annoyance was in my belief she was deliberately lying to me - but I seemed to hear God was unhappy with her wanting to make us feel bad...a sin that is becoming all too common. She manage to aggravate me mildly for about 15 minutes, but she wanted very much to ruin my day. I don't know for a fact that this is correct, but I believe this is what I heard. I have been seeing more and more people being ugly to each other as a form of humor out on the streets, as I have been shopping. I rarely get any of it aimed at me personally, but its not that fun to be around.

One day we were at Trader Joe and everyone was ssooo nice - and happy --- and peaceful with one anther. We were tripping to get out of each other's way - it wasn't just the employees that were being so nice. We chatted to each other about holiday plans as we looked at the various goodies, and tried TJ's cheeses and whatnot. Then I realized how rare such scenes have become. Why? Because most people aren't trying to be nice to those they meet. They don't feel like they have to - and they don't particularly want to be good to those they meet. They refuse to recognize the season with anyone they don't have to - won't even send politically-correct, secularized expressions of Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanukkah/ Kwanzaa/ Blessed Winter Solstice or whatever.

I keep opening my Bible to places where God talks about the ugly way people were behaving in ancient Zion as He began to judge them. I would like to say we don't deserve to get what they got, but it seems to me that many I meet and hear from here are getting closer and closer to that negative checklist. (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah...go have a look)

I just can't see God blessing America much until we are more inclined to bless one another with such goodwill as we have. If people can't summon up enough goodwill to wish those they meet a happy holiday, can't even desire it for strangers, its not likely they will have a blessed Christmas themselves. For, pagan origins or no, God likes to see us love one another- and the Christmas season has been the best opportunity for many centuries here in the West to bless all those around you. Its sad to see this die, and scary to think what will follow.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Happy Holidays

Always loved that Snowglobe :))

Just had to upload this old fav when I saw I could share it with you. You can shake it with your mouse - but be prepared to feel a little guilty ;)

We've been very busy with continuing trips to the orthodontist (mild complications), and catching up on Christmas obligations after finally getting past that bad cold/flu whatsit, but we are making progress! The last of the larger mail went out today. Our youngun's Christmas is pretty much bought. The house is decorated. We've eaten through 3 crates of Celementines & 1 tin of Swedish Gingersnaps. We're doing an Advent calendar in the shape of a house this time, and we're nearly ready to make the gingerbread house. Hoping it comes out well this year. Some years it does, some years it doodnt. lol

& Best of all, we are finally getting this year's goodies updated on www.santapenguin.com - now located on a much better server. Its not all up quite yet. Looks like we need to tweak this year's e-card a bit more first. But there are changes! Becka made some lovely wallpapers this time, and I have added some Christmas Hidden Object challenges using our pictures. Feel free to dig into our digital Christmas present to you all whenever you have a minute - or three.

Blessings,
Susan & family