Opening the Year - Putting Away Christmas – Part the Second:

Greetings Dear Reader,

First I would like to thank my friend Lori for the video she shared.  It really touched my heart.  She also commented on the putting away of Christmas in a way that resonates with me.

Then he left through the front door

And I ran out to ask him back

But he was already gone

And stranger still he left no tracks

So I walked back to my home

Recalling all I've heard and seen

And for the first time since my childhood

That night I dreamed a Christmas Dream

The second part of my thoughts on this are that we should never put Christmas away.  The decorations may need to be stored for ten months to retain their magic.  We need to let the wonder recharge. 

The spirit, hope, love, and joy can remain.  The choice can be a daily one.  I use prompts to remind me of this.  My dishes are holly ringed all year round.  There are Christmas reminders in every room of my home.  I ponder Christmas, plan for it, and pursue it daily.

I do this so that I will be kind to others.  I do this so that I constantly celebrate Christ throughout the day.  If I do it daily then it turns into weekly, monthly, and yearly.  I want to be thought of someone who knows how to keep Christmas if any man possesses the knowledge. 

I want my family to see a good example of a giving spirit without reservation or thought of return.  I want the material part of Christmas to reflect love and generosity instead of greed and avarice.  I want to treat people well everywhere.

As I look out the window at the new snow I realize that as the decorations are put away I can hold on to their beauty by seeing all the world as a chance to celebrate the gift that is Christ.  I can part with the trappings for a time and use my longing for them to motivate me.  The focus can be loving others so deeply that I gift them daily with lights and ornaments of the heart.

As I open the new year and purpose again to live every day as if the gift given in Bethlehem is new, fresh, and alive.  I do so because it is.  After all, there is not a day that I do not wish for peace on earth and good will to all men, women, and children.  

An Angel Returned – Trans-Siberian Orchestra

An angel returned

That night through the sky

But time it was short

He had to decide

And so as he flew

Back over the land

A gift for his Lord

Was there in his hand

It was the glow of a light

It was the heart of a song

It was the tear of a child

Where they never belonged

It was the wish of a soul

On an old neon light

And the Lord smiled at him

On that cold winter night

Hear as they ring through the night

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Here the bells ring through the night

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Hear as they ring through the night

Listen to the bells as they ring

Listen to the message they bring

Listen to the sound

As they sing as one voice in the night

Hoping that we'll all understand

Every dream we have's in our hands

And for every bell

May they ring all through the night

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Hear as they ring through the night

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Kyrie among nations

Here as they ring through the night

Listen to the bells as they ring

Listen to the message they bring

Listen to the sound as they sing

As one voice in the night

Hoping that we'll all understand

Every dream we have's in our hands

And for every bell

May they ring all through your life

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store." 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Why I love Christmas – Bubble Lights

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

Since I was a boy these particular Christmas lights have fascinated me.  They mesmerize me like watching a fire.  I feel they bring elegance to the family tree.  They are hard to find now.  They are expensive.  They are precious to me.

I try to not get too attached to things but this particular thing is a part of celebration for me.  They are reminiscent of when people put real candles on Christmas trees.  I can see them from where I am writing this and the marriage of science and beauty captivates me. 

This year it was very difficult to find replacement bulbs and so they are even more precious.  I love them because they evoke memories of my Grandparents who had them when I was a boy.  They remind me of times I spent watching them during Christmas and feeling the closeness of family. 

The other thing that they do is remind me of beauty and grace in the Christmas season.  When I muse over them I am reminded to see the beauty in simple things. I am reminded to share grace and look for the beauty in others.  The constantly rising bubbles remind me to look upward. 

Lastly and perhaps most important the lights have attached themselves to a song that I love.  Jesus extends such a great and powerful promise with Christmas.  The Advent is the building of the bridge to redemption.  There is so much hope and good potential in Christmas.  God keeps his promises.

I reflect on these lights as God reflects on us.  We are all moving toward an encounter that begins with the birth of Christ.  I cling to the hope and portent of that encounter.  I know that the troubles of life will pass.  These rare and beautiful lights remind me that Christmas has promises to keep. 

Promises to Keep – Tran-Siberian Orchestra

Christmas time

On a cold December morning

All is calm

And the world is still asleep

Christmas lights

That have been caught without warning

Gently glitter on

Stars to wish upon

All the world is at peace

Christmas time and the year will soon be leaving

Cloaked in time till it's just a memory

Christmas stays if we don't forget its meaning

Days go quickly by

Years they multiply

And we go searching for thee

And the dream is still alive

From that first December morning

And it always will survive

As long as we can see

That the dreams we find in life

Are the dreams we tend to seek

And Christmas has its promises to keep

Christmas time

And the moments just beginning

From last night

When we'd wished upon a star

If our kindness

This day is just pretending

If we pretend long enough

Never giving up

It just might be who we are

AND SO IT'S GOOD THAT WE REMEMBER

JUST AS SOON AS WE'VE DISCOVERED

THAT THE THINGS WE DO IN LIFE

WILL ALWAYS END UP TOUCHING OTHERS

SO FROM A FADING NEON STAR

SOMEWHERE SHINING IN THE NIGHT

WE FIND A FATHER FAR AWAY

NOW REFLECTING IN ITS LIGHT

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store." 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)