Santa's Secret Identity

I figured it would be reasonably obvious, but Virginia tells me that nobody is likely to guess the secret identity of our Harbour Lights Preschool Santa from a few posts back. (It was me... and a pillow... shhhhh...)

Christmas Pics

As we all know, the best part of Christmas has to do with families in general, kids in particular, and the warm presence of friends mixed in.

Kaleb got a new game for the Wii waiting for him at home.

Claire is best at just being adorable.

Jeremy's new Wii provided a fun outlet for him and Kaleb. Claire wanted in on the action as well.

The whole family!!

Jeremy and Jen with an old HS friend, Lauren Brown, who lives in SF. It was indeed special having her with us for dinner one evening.

The card wall...

Merry Christmas!!

A Visit from Santa

Santa made the long trek from the north pole to Harbor Lights Christian Preschool today. He and the kids had a blast.

... and Santa sure sweated a lot in that suit!!!

Christmas Clips

About this time each year Christmasy video clips begin making the rounds. Some are pretty clever. This one and this one are two of my favorites. Check them out for some fun.

Random Holiday Thoughts

As I write this, I'm sitting cozied up in front of a very inviting fire. Though, in this age of technology and "spare the air" days in the Bay area, the crackling blaze before me is on the TV screen instead of in the fireplace next to it. Comcast offers several such Christmasy looking videos, complete with appropriate music, from the On Demand menu. Pretty cool (literally)... and no ashes to clean out!!

Anyone who knows me very well understands that I am not an eager shopper. While my kids are probably thinking, "That's gotta be in the top 10 understatements of the year," I do occasionally, out of necessity, swallow my aversion (some might say phobia) and head out to the stores. The Christmas season is one of those times when, after I actually have a few items selected, I get in the spirit and enjoy shopping... probably because of the smiling faces I'm envisioning. Well, VJ and I headed out this morning fairly early... not at 6:00 when the stores opened... but early enough that we still got the extra "power hour" discount at the checkout. I was both surprised and thrilled that we got much of our Christmas shopping accomplished within about 90 minutes... and all at discount, extra % off prices (but don't tell our kids). We were so thrifty, that we even got two free drinks at Pete's while "haggling" for a deal (actually, the sales person helped us accomplish that, as we were clueless).

So, what's up with so many Christians abandoning the word "holiday" during this season of the year? Suddenly, in the minds of many, it has become un-Christian to say "Happy Holidays" at this time of the year. Maybe they are just unaware that holiday derives from holy day. Oh well... Merry Christmas!

We got lights on the house a week or so back and stacked up all the other decorations in our bedroom. I think today we'll start to get them out and in their places. VJ's the boss on this one.

Today is Dick Van Dyke's birthday... born in West Plains, Missouri in 1925. Happy birthday, Dick!

Well, better go... time to put another log on the fire.

Achilles Update

Well, I actually had a request for an update on my Achilles tendon following the Topaz procedure I had done last May. For the most part I am happy with the results so far, and would do it again, knowing what I know now.

There is definitely a "thickening" of the tendon where the procedure was done, but that specific area is totally pain free. Even at 4 and 5 months there would be some swelling and pain in the tissue around the tendon, and tight socks would cause swelling. That is better now... of course, I am avoiding tight socks.

About the only time the area around the tendon hurts consistently at this point is in the morning when I get up. A little stretching on the stairs helps that.

Inactivity causes the area to stiffen up and be a little painful, but there are fewer and fewer issues with that as time goes on, especially if I am regular at the gym, walking, etc.

I have not yet started back running... and may never... but if the gradual improvement continues, I may give it a shot in a couple of months... we'll see. In the mean time, walking, biking and even hard work on an elliptical do not cause any pain or swelling. It is so nice to be able to go on a long and even strenuous hike without having to limp for 3 days.

Both my brother (an kinesiology prof) and my ortho doc have suggested that gradual improvement will likely continue until about 1 year post surgery, at which time what I have is... well... what I can expect from then on. For now, I think the decision to have the procedure was a good one, and I'm thankful for the results so far.

Years ago when I was a school counselor, I was always saddened and a little mystified that this holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year) always yields some of the highest stats for depression and suicide. I came to believe that this says as much about our culture's penchant for instilling unreasonable expectations and a perspective that is always looking for the next "high" instead of gratitude for the blessings around us as it does about individuals.

Literary critic, Barbara Johnson once wrote, "Some complain because the rose has thorns; some give thanks because the thorns have roses." I often wondered (and still do) just what influences (nature/nurture) lead us to lean one direction or the other.

I think my basic inclination is to be one of those who complains because of the thorns... but the older I get and the more I witness some who are miserable in a "glass-half-empty" existence, the more I ask God to change me into one who can see the blossoms. How about you?

Identity

"I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions." - Augusten Burroughs

Quite a bit of wisdom for this 21st century humorist. Sounds as if he knows me!

Various

I ran across this quote the other day: "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy." (Ernest Benn) Doesn't sound as if things have changed too much in the last 100 years or so, does it?


In this day of have it your way lifestyles, maybe this clip and this one are not too far from being true. What do you think?


After looking at all of God's created beauty around Lake Tahoe, let me ask you one question. Which is more truly amazing, the creative wonders of nature or the smile on your granddaughter's face? (I'll bet you can guess which way I'm answering that!)

Holiday Birds

During the time we lived in Arkansas my mom started a tradition of smoking turkeys for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. The smoker she used (and I believe is still in her garage) is similar to the one to the left, complete with a dome lid. She would put a bag of charcoal in the bottom, a pan of water (and maybe some apple juice) above that, followed by two turkey stacked above one another. They always came out delicious, and, because she often smoked two birds, there was always plenty to freeze and eat another time.

I didn't take up the art of turkey smoking; when we moved here one of the guys at church loved to smoke turkeys around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we bought birds, and he smoked them for us.

However, Jeremy did continue the tradition. And he smokes not only turkeys, but all sorts of other meats as well. He started small, but now has the cool smoker to the right, which he uses to smoke meat for family, friends and church whenever he gets the chance.

Speaking of "tasty birds," someone sent me this clip a couple of years back, and it seems to be making the rounds again this year. Give it a listen... funny stuff.