"Christmas Greetings..."

If the nation's economy has gone to the dogs, you couldn't prove it by me. I've ventured out on several errands these past few days, and if the full parking spaces at the local shopping venues are any indication that people are truly "cutting back" on their Christmas shopping, then there's a whole heck of a lot of folks who have either abandoned their cars or there is a bunch of window shopping going on. Fortunately, except for one quick jaunt into Target to pick up renewed supply of golf balls and to take advantage of the five pairs of frilly panties for twenty dollars, I have managed to purposefully avoid the "holiday rush and crush." Still, I must decide on what to get Judi for Christmas...

Seriously, due to our personal less than robust economic condition this year, Judi and I have decided to forgo our usual gifting to each other. Instead, we have applied what little extra money we can scrape together and purchased two airline tickets to spend Christmas week with our children. We fly to Chicago on the 23rd, pick up our rental car and drive with daughter, Megan and her boyfriend, Greg, to Cincinnati where we will spend Christmas with our son, Chris, his wife and our two granddaughters. I'm most looking forward to seeing our loved ones, but dread, as would any Floridian who goes instantly into shivering convulsions if the temperature drops below 70 degrees, the Midwest deep freeze.

In the interim, I've kept busy directing all of the construction requirements that is associated with our church's annual Christmas music celebration, the first of two performances is tonight and we are expecting 3,000 folks to witness the event over the two day run. Come Monday we take one day to tear down and store what it took the better part of a week to assemble, which includes two-four sectional 20 foot and one 18 foot electronic Christmas trees. You can see a small section of the three trees in the background of the photograph at right.

This photograph is of the members of our Men's Assemble. I sing lead tenor in this group of misfits. (I'm the fellow on the front row, far right sporting a new bread that makes me look like the fellow who hawks fish parts on the television commercials.) Yesterday we were the main entertainment for the Downtown Kiwanis Christmas luncheon, which should lead one to correctly assume #1) these folks were extremely hard up for program filler, and #2) we'll go anywhere for a free meal. Walmart was certainly glad we formed this group. We got real deal on all of those red sweaters.

I doubt I will have much time to compose another post prior to leaving for Chicago. So, I'll take this time to wish all of the dozens upon dozens of my faithful readers who have so unselfishly throughout the year financially underwritten my personal charity ("Help Support My Fallen Arches), a very Merry Christmas. See you in the New Year.

P.S. I don't care if it is becoming more and more politically unfashionable, I still wish to emphasise that at least for me and my family, "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season." If you agree then be truly thankful to God for Christmas.