Now that Christmas is here, and in the last hour, now what? #LighttheWorld All year long

 I am writing rather than speaking as I want to make sure I get what I want to say right, and truthfully, I do not trust my voice to do so right now. So when in doubt, write it out.

Sometimes the blog is a better medium anyway, it is much better crafted, and scripted.  The podcasts are good, I guess, but I get far more traffic on views of the blog than podcasts. Go figure. Probably my voice.

Most people would look back at this Christmas, especially in our house, and wonder what we could be thankful for this Christmas season. I get it. It is easy to just break the glass, rather than see it as half full.

Let's see, so we can get it over with.

A cantankerous writer/podcaster that gets in arguments with people over the election and the direction of this nation. 

Alienation of family and friends. See above.

Kids that I do talk to spread all over the west, and not travelling this season.

A twisted ankle thought to be sprained, well on the way to recovery when a CT scan spotted a break, and now a cast, and all the misery that goes with that.

A spouse sick with her annual cough, testing for COVID and ending up being positive. Thus putting us into a quarantine over the Christmas/New Year week. 

It just really doesn't feel like Christmas. No Christmas Concerts, and watching church via a webcast was okay, but not having a choir sing was not the best.

Those are all little pity party things. And I just threw them out there as reference points, as that is not what I am writing about. Truth is, there is so much to be thankful for that I could spend hours writing.

President Russell M. Nelson, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, challenged us to find those things that we were thankful for, and to share them on social media, with the handle #GiveThanks. This led to looking for ways to express gratitude, and to realize that we have many reasons to express it. Truthfully, I have, more than once, got on my knees to pray only to give thanks, and ask for nothing and those were some of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had in my life. But that is not what I am writing about.

Tonight, to close out our Christmas Day (maybe we will do presents tomorrow, one of the quirks of not having small children in the house) we watched the video The Forgotten Carols, written primarily by Michael McClean. It is a nice story, woven around the storyteller, John (as in John the Beloved, left to tarry on earth until Christ should come again (John 21:22 KJV), and he spreads the message of Christ, through song. He weaves his tales of various people and their "carols" over the centuries. These are the forgotten carols. Some of them are:

The Innkeeper Let Him In The carol of the Innkeeper who offered the stable, and while the song speaks of physically letting him in, it also speaks more to the spiritual aspect of letting Christ into your heart.

Homeless Like the Christ Child was. The homeless of the city gathered around a trashcan fire to warm themselves singing, comparing themselves to the plight of Joseph, Mary, and the new infant in the first days of his life.

The Shepherd You were not there in Bethlehem. The shepherd who slept through the angels announcement and trip to Bethlehem. This song echoes to the question that we must ask ourselves today. Do we believe the testimony of those that were there?

Handel's Dream Handel dreamed of being an angel auditioning for the choir announcing the Savior's birth. He couldn't sing, but the song of his heart led the Choir master to promise him that his carol would be heard and repeated through the ages.

Mary let me hold her baby. A wonderful song of how caring for the Christ child touched the lives of many, and by extension, us caring for those around us can feel that feeling, as if we cared for Christ himself.

A music box and a dance, in remembrance of the loneliness John feels at missing the love of his life when she died millennia ago.

Joseph's carol I was not his father, he was mine. Can you imagine being tasked to raise up the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh? And yet, no doubt, I am sure that Joseph did just fine. A reminder that while we may not have prophetic vision as to those whose lives we touch or influence, it is important to remember that we should strive to give all we can, and to respect and love with all our hearts those we are tasked to train and teach, and nurture.

I cannot find my way The three kings. They were led by the Star, and knew to keep looking up and following it. How often do we, today, feel lost, confused, unsure of the direction that we should go? 

Well, there may not be a star in the heavens spiritually guiding us, but make no mistake, the Light of Christ burns within each one of us. We may feel that we have strayed so far from him that we cannot return, but all we have to do is seek the light. The light is there, it may seem dim, but if we truly look, we will see it. As we take step by step towards it, it will seem brighter and brighter.

I cry the day I take the tree down Very simple, and of course the message is this. When we pack the tree away, do we pack the spirit of Christmas away? Or do we find a way to shine our light into the world beyond the New Year? What do we do in June? Do we still remember the Spirit of Christmas, and reaching out to those around us? Or is it safely packed away? Waiting until Thanksgiving to see the light of day? If it is the latter, my friend, we have misunderstood the spirit of Christmas.

This is why I write. I write because I spent most of the movie crying, and still am very tenuous with trusting the voice to speak. How they can do that show live is beyond me. My short little description does so little justice to the description, I can only repent for my lack of ability.

My God bless you this season and New Year. My you take the light of Christmas and spread it through the year. I will strive to do the same, with mass repenting for my argumentative nature. It is not in keeping with the spirit of Christmas. 

While they have revamped the program, and so has changed somewhat, the songs have not changed, and the original sound track songs can be heard here.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG9AmH-JxGokj837M0Wlh7FYuhr3DexDv

Thank you for taking the time to read. It truly does matter to me. Let me know what you think.

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