The Month of December
20/12/06 13:50 Filed in: Jason's
Thoughts
Well, everyone.. it's currently 3:46 am on December
21st, 2006. I always like to add the year whenever I
write an intro as compelling as that one.. You all
can glance it up and down, and if you are lucky..
turn to the person next to you and say something
like, "He must think we don't know what year it is."
And the two of you can laugh over something so simple
as an unnecessary specification :-). Back onto topic,
It's 3:46, three days into Hanukkah and three days
from Christmas Eve. It's amazing how you spend enough
holidays away from home, that you don't really seem
to mind it as much anymore, I know what you're
thinking.. if I TRULY didn't mind I wouldn't even be
making mention of it in this small update entry, but
I honestly felt I needed to make the point that I
really don't care about the "Christmas season" before
I stated how much I love the month of December.
America has commercialized Christmas beyond any semblance of what it once was.. It is not longer the celebration of a true gift that Yeshua (Jesus) was to us from the Father. It has become all about getting into the 'spirit of Christmas'. Were the spirit of Christmas, a complete focus on the gifts that the Father has given us.. Yeshua... our families.. our friends... I would be fine. But, we must buy gifts.. we must want gifts... train our children to appreciate what they can rake out of life.. the gifts they can receive.. The symbols of Christmas.. other than a baby in a manger, surrounded by shepherds and wisemen, a virgin and a carpenter, with a star overhead... are all pagan symbols that we incorporated to give this holiday more spice. We even invent mythical creatures and people to add 'life' to the holiday.. (Frosty.. Santa Clause.. Rudolph..) we focus on things with no life to add life to a holiday that is supposed to be about the Gift that gave us true life. Am I the only one that is missing something?
Okay no more ranting and raving about the Christmas Season. I just wanted to make the point that my love for the month of December has nothing to do with said Holiday. If someone were to ask me what my favorite month of the year was, I would always tell them December. December has the chilly weather, but still holds the optimism for what will come. December holds the most memories for me. Memories of my family.. I remember when I was young, it was actually the last year of my childhood in which my brother and I posed for pictures together, This photo still sits in my grandpa's house. Please forgive me for my utter ignoral of grammer and sentence structure during this entry :-). My brother and I got train sets in the living room.. It was a room by the stairs, a room that was never used except for Christmas and as a spare bedroom for guests. I must have played with that train for a week straight, I was probably five or six, but I loved it. I probably broke it at the end of that week, but I do remember that I used the train station as a door bell for my room. Steven was the only one who ever used it.. everyone else would storm right past :-) I mean seriously.. how much privacy does a six year-old need? Steven let me win that fight though, I think for as long as it stood outside my door (which was probably only about as long as Grandma would tolerate hearing my door make choo choo sounds) Steven would diligently ring my doorbell anytime he needed some company on whatever scheme we had come up with that week. Go be hardy boys.. go pick at some bugs.. ride bikes.
When I think of December, I think of the cold.. which I prefer greatly to the hot, and a winter outside of Childress when I was 12. We lived in house outside of town that only had one or two heaters, for the 3 bedrooms. All six of us had to concentrate in one room to enjoy the heating, and I think during those years is when I learned to enjoy the cold. I opted to take the back room rather than sharing a room with my brother. That December we got 4 inches of snow.. in Texas.. that's a lot. I remember this weekend unbelievably well. And that is to say.. that nothing really happened. We went outside and threw snow balls at each other, but that didn't last long. For the remainder of the weekend i got under this gigantic blanket that my dad brought back from Korea, while he was in the service, and read books. No one bothered me.. I don't even remember getting up for meals, though I'm sure I was forced to eat one or two :-). I remember my step-mom going nuts and trying to force us to do chores, but my dad stood his ground and made her leave me alone. For the entire weekend.. I stayed in my room which probably isn't much larger than a walk-in-closet, and with my father's blessing I made a cocoon out of his favorite blanket.. and read stories of dragons.. of mysteries, and magic. :-) You probably are reading this and thinking that I've completely rambled off topic.. but honestly this entry is really about December, even if I do romanticize it a little.. this is truly how I remember the month of December.
Well.. I know you have a few questions.. and I'll even answer one or two of them. "Why write an entry about your favorite month?" or "What is special about this December?" Well, after voting with all present, it was decided I will answer your second question, and I must compliment you on your question asking skills! This December I will spend the month among the sand, among people.. that I'm supposed to love. I won't get to hug my brother.. or joke around with my dad. My grandpa won't get to be passing out the presents, but that's not really what's important. What's important is the act of giving. I'm grateful for my Family.. I have the best one on the face of the planet. But my Father has given me this December to be among men who have little hope.. and still no real Life. And so for December this year each day will be identical to the one prior to it, a goofy smile and an elbow to the ribs of the guy next to me. I'll tease him about his girlfriend, and He'll tell me that I'm whipped by mine. I'll ask him about his wife, and he'll ask me about my sister. I'll tell him he doesn't stand a chance and we'll probably end up wrestling or fake boxing over who gets the last Root Beer in the fridge. Then he'll get on the phone and I'll throw on a movie, or write out another episode of my little short stories. But at the end of the day.. I'll go to sleep knowing I'm the most blessed man alive.. Blessed from the Creator.. who has given me all I could ever ask for. A great dad to ask advice from, a Grandpa who pours out wisdom with every word he speaks, a big brother who, paired with his wife, make up the best fan club ever formed, and the month of December.. which I hope after you've read this.. will bring a smile to your face too.
America has commercialized Christmas beyond any semblance of what it once was.. It is not longer the celebration of a true gift that Yeshua (Jesus) was to us from the Father. It has become all about getting into the 'spirit of Christmas'. Were the spirit of Christmas, a complete focus on the gifts that the Father has given us.. Yeshua... our families.. our friends... I would be fine. But, we must buy gifts.. we must want gifts... train our children to appreciate what they can rake out of life.. the gifts they can receive.. The symbols of Christmas.. other than a baby in a manger, surrounded by shepherds and wisemen, a virgin and a carpenter, with a star overhead... are all pagan symbols that we incorporated to give this holiday more spice. We even invent mythical creatures and people to add 'life' to the holiday.. (Frosty.. Santa Clause.. Rudolph..) we focus on things with no life to add life to a holiday that is supposed to be about the Gift that gave us true life. Am I the only one that is missing something?
Okay no more ranting and raving about the Christmas Season. I just wanted to make the point that my love for the month of December has nothing to do with said Holiday. If someone were to ask me what my favorite month of the year was, I would always tell them December. December has the chilly weather, but still holds the optimism for what will come. December holds the most memories for me. Memories of my family.. I remember when I was young, it was actually the last year of my childhood in which my brother and I posed for pictures together, This photo still sits in my grandpa's house. Please forgive me for my utter ignoral of grammer and sentence structure during this entry :-). My brother and I got train sets in the living room.. It was a room by the stairs, a room that was never used except for Christmas and as a spare bedroom for guests. I must have played with that train for a week straight, I was probably five or six, but I loved it. I probably broke it at the end of that week, but I do remember that I used the train station as a door bell for my room. Steven was the only one who ever used it.. everyone else would storm right past :-) I mean seriously.. how much privacy does a six year-old need? Steven let me win that fight though, I think for as long as it stood outside my door (which was probably only about as long as Grandma would tolerate hearing my door make choo choo sounds) Steven would diligently ring my doorbell anytime he needed some company on whatever scheme we had come up with that week. Go be hardy boys.. go pick at some bugs.. ride bikes.
When I think of December, I think of the cold.. which I prefer greatly to the hot, and a winter outside of Childress when I was 12. We lived in house outside of town that only had one or two heaters, for the 3 bedrooms. All six of us had to concentrate in one room to enjoy the heating, and I think during those years is when I learned to enjoy the cold. I opted to take the back room rather than sharing a room with my brother. That December we got 4 inches of snow.. in Texas.. that's a lot. I remember this weekend unbelievably well. And that is to say.. that nothing really happened. We went outside and threw snow balls at each other, but that didn't last long. For the remainder of the weekend i got under this gigantic blanket that my dad brought back from Korea, while he was in the service, and read books. No one bothered me.. I don't even remember getting up for meals, though I'm sure I was forced to eat one or two :-). I remember my step-mom going nuts and trying to force us to do chores, but my dad stood his ground and made her leave me alone. For the entire weekend.. I stayed in my room which probably isn't much larger than a walk-in-closet, and with my father's blessing I made a cocoon out of his favorite blanket.. and read stories of dragons.. of mysteries, and magic. :-) You probably are reading this and thinking that I've completely rambled off topic.. but honestly this entry is really about December, even if I do romanticize it a little.. this is truly how I remember the month of December.
Well.. I know you have a few questions.. and I'll even answer one or two of them. "Why write an entry about your favorite month?" or "What is special about this December?" Well, after voting with all present, it was decided I will answer your second question, and I must compliment you on your question asking skills! This December I will spend the month among the sand, among people.. that I'm supposed to love. I won't get to hug my brother.. or joke around with my dad. My grandpa won't get to be passing out the presents, but that's not really what's important. What's important is the act of giving. I'm grateful for my Family.. I have the best one on the face of the planet. But my Father has given me this December to be among men who have little hope.. and still no real Life. And so for December this year each day will be identical to the one prior to it, a goofy smile and an elbow to the ribs of the guy next to me. I'll tease him about his girlfriend, and He'll tell me that I'm whipped by mine. I'll ask him about his wife, and he'll ask me about my sister. I'll tell him he doesn't stand a chance and we'll probably end up wrestling or fake boxing over who gets the last Root Beer in the fridge. Then he'll get on the phone and I'll throw on a movie, or write out another episode of my little short stories. But at the end of the day.. I'll go to sleep knowing I'm the most blessed man alive.. Blessed from the Creator.. who has given me all I could ever ask for. A great dad to ask advice from, a Grandpa who pours out wisdom with every word he speaks, a big brother who, paired with his wife, make up the best fan club ever formed, and the month of December.. which I hope after you've read this.. will bring a smile to your face too.
|