Why "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" doesn't offend me....

Merry Christmas!   Happy Holidays!!    Merry CHRISTmas!  

If you're like me, you've probably seen a variety of greetings appearing on cards in your mailbox throughout this festive season. Furthermore, you may have sent special cards of your own. For me, I've often questioned what type of greeting to put on my cards. If I put "Merry Christmas" or even the stronger "Merry CHRISTmas" it is possible that I will offend friends of mine who do not choose to celebrate Christmas; yet, if I put "Happy Holidays" other may be offended by my exclusion of mentioning Christ. Then the thought comes to mind - should I just put "Blessings" and leave it at that? 

Funny this is - I don't get offended by any of it, and here's why:

Should we remember Christ's birth and celebrate the most magnificent display of love that has ever been given? ABSOLUTELY! In fact, I think we should constantly Christmas story and find our place in this 2000 year old story that saves us from eternal damnation! 

** Check out another post: The Christmas Story: How do I fit into a story that's over 2000 years old?

 

So, hear me out when I say this: Is it wrong to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas? NOPE! 

You see, Christmas is a day used to celebrate Jesus' birth as being December 25th. Furthermore, a study of the etymology of the word "Christmas" breaks down to "Christ"+"Mass" = "Christ sent." (Please do take into mind that the celebration of Christmas was not ordained in the Bible; rather, this Christmas celebration started as the pagan ritual of Saturnalia and was replaced with Christmas, providing a Christian twist to the traditional festival by the Roman Catholic Church). 

However, the etymological meaning of Christmas is quite interesting in that the time-frame around Christmas could have very well been when Christ was sent, in terms of immaculate conception. A closer look at Scripture, and the best historical/educational information we have available, best estimates the birth of Christ around the end of September/early October time-frame. 

** Don't believe me - check it out for yourself. For starters, grab your Bible and check out the information in this article: On What Day Was Jesus Born?

With a September-estimated date for the birth of Jesus, that could mean, then, that the immaculate conception took place in late December. Thus, validating why we now celebrate Christmas in late December as "Christ sent."  If all of this best estimated time-table is correct, it is intriguing to note that Christ was sent (the spiritual light of the world) into the world during the pagan Saturnalia - the darkest time of the year when the physical light of the world, the sun, is the farthest from the Holy Land.

Yet, the word "Holiday" also derives from the religious "Holy+Day". If Christ was indeed conceived around late December then that would definitely be what I would consider a very religious holy day.

Derived from the Roman Catholic Church, "Christmas" also means a mass for Christ or a communion/Lord's supper. So, whether you remember Christ's birth, death, and resurrection at a weekly communion, quarterly communion, or celebrate it during Christmas -- just please make sure you remember. :)

Thus, MERRY CHRISTMAS or HAPPY HOLIDAYS...

 Let us Remember the Reason for the Season!!  

Until next time...

CONTINUED: the Lanza tradition of lights

The Lanza tradition of lights continues...

Paul's grandparents, Joe and Iris Lanza, began the tradition in 1981 as they shared the joy of lights with others at their home on Horseshoe Trail.

Many have enjoyed the festive decorations for the past 32 years, and while that street will still be lit, the lights will not shine at their well-known home. Instead, the tradition continues at our home, along with our wonderful neighbors who carry the fun and lights along our street!!

This year stars a new band:

There's the Grinch on the keyboard,

Frosty on the drums,

An elf on the electric guitar keeping pace,

Rudolph leading the singing,

And Santa, who's all about that bass!

COME CHECK OUT THE FUN @:

Cove Valley Drive

Owens Cross Roads, AL

(We are near the Walmart in Hampton Cove -- there is also another house further down our street with over 80 inflatables, if that is more your thing.)

Click the links below to view the videos of the old and new tradition:

Our house:
Christmas Medley: http://youtu.be/s9_f9WisBGg

Paul's grandparent's house:
Lanza's Christmas - Horseshoe Trail: http://youtu.be/TMKpdu8E0a0

It's looking a lot like Christmas around here, and we are loving every minute of it!!

Until next time:

It's S'MORE fun when we're together!! --- (Winter Photo Session 2014)

 

Our first official picture on our land!

The view from our land! So blessed! Can't wait to be out here in quite a few years down the road.

A Hodgepodge of Happenings - Full of New Beginnings

There is just something wonderful about having something NEW! I am not just talking about material items, but having a fresh start, a new chapter, a new experience to add to our lives. While vintage items are also a favorite of mine, I just can't help but think about the excitement that comes with something NEW! 

This is exactly what Paul and I were privileged to experience a few weeks ago as two of our sweet Inner City girls excitedly asked us if we would stay after tutoring to watch their baptism. There is not a fiber within either one of us that could have turned down such an opportunity. We were so excited! We have been able to watch these sweet girls begin to grow into precious young ladies, and we wouldn't have missed this moment for anything!! We celebrated with them as they began their NEW life in Christ!!

Then, as that week progressed, I had to take on a NEW experience of my own. As I have been reminded several times, I am now a QUARTER OF A CENTURY OLD. Twenty-five has actually been great, though!! I am finally starting to feel like an adult, and others have seemingly started to treat me like one, now. Granted, the NEW hair to go along with the NEW age might have had something to do with it. I am told that I look older now, and I will take it!! Yay for no longer being mistaken as a student! (You have my permission to remind me of this when I start complaining of how old I look in the future, haha).

In celebration of my birthday, my cousin sent me this picture. I had never seen
it before, so that was a fun surprise! Looking back, 25 years sure goes by fast!

NEW hairstyle! My hairstylist is AWESOME!!

As the weather has become colder, I also tried my FIRST ( or I think it was my first) smore! Regardless, it was the first one I have ever had that I actually remember liking. This NEW discovery is probably not going to be good for my waist or jeans, though.

This past week our NEW squad for this year had their first basketball game! They brought home two trophies from camp this summer for their dance and cheer, and their hard work once again showed off as they had the crowd exciting and cheering at the game! (If you've ever been a cheerleader, you know what kind of daunting task that can be to actually get the crowd to participate at basketball games.) They did awesome, and I could not be more proud of them!

Then, we had a NEW funny at Tuesday night Bible class this past week. Paul was teaching the kindergarteners about Moses and how he told the Pharaoh that God said to let His people (the slaves) go. At the end of the class, Paul was asking questions about the lesson and giving away candy/prizes for those who knew the answers. When he asked what God told Moses to say to Pharaoh, this one little girl's hand shot up, and she was so excited to answer:

  "LET MY SLUGS GO!"

(She got a little confused between slaves/slugs, but it was a precious, funny moment nonetheless.)

Finally, last night Paul handed out candy to at least 250+ children as they braved the cold and wind to trick-or-treat. Everyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan AT ALL of Halloween or its festivities, but we have a NEW tool that made this year pretty funny. We now have security cameras around our house that we can monitor from inside our home - one of those cameras being at the front door. Paul also has a jumping spider decoration that jumps out at people as they walk up to our front door. In years past, we have always waited for the screams and doorbell to know when to open the door; this year, however, we were able to watch their priceless reactions as they were startled over and over again by this jumping spider (which is the least scary prop on our porch, by the way).  Many laughs were had, and I am very proud to report that Paul even effectively scared the terrifying 3 ft. clown that showed up for candy. (I despise clowns, and short ones are even worse!) 

Now, the scary decorations are going back in the box for another year (Hallelujah!!), and the Christmas decorations are slowly making their way out! Yay! The big stuff won't make it up until closer to Thanksgiving, but stay tuned because Paul has some very exciting and NEW features to show this year! I'll post pics and videos of those once we enter into the Christmas season. Now, I've got to start working on ideas for our Christmas cards! Man, I love this time of year!

We've had a hodgepodge of happenings lately, and I am sure that more are sure to come! We hope your days/weeks have been just as exciting, NEW, and fun as ours have been!

Until next time...

FALLing more in love BREAK

picture from school.discoveryeducation.com

Fall Break. 

This was not a privilege I had growing up, but my what a wonderful idea it is! Now back from my week-long hiatus from  everyday life, I feel so much more refreshed.

I kicked off the week by finishing another grad school course (only 3 left, yay!). Then, I enjoyed a lovely luncheon with my mother-in-law. A real life tea party was so much fun! Tea with Thee in Madison is such a quaint little place with the best hot tea, scones, finger sandwiches,  soup, and desserts. 

 

Then, Paul and I took off for a little trip away to have some fun and relax away from the hustle and hustle of life. I don't think we slowed down any, but it was a different kind of busy. 

We began with a more relaxing day at Virginia Beach. Beautiful sunsets on the beach, romantic walks on the boardwalk, and glorious sunrises over the ocean were a great way to kick start our trip. We also enjoyed some fresh seafood at Tautogs - a candelit dinner followed by bread pudding for dessert made for a perfect night.

Then, we took off the next day for Williamsburg, VA. We enjoyed seeing the old town and visiting the Yankee Candle store, the 2nd largest in the nation with a candle section, home section, candy and food section, and a Christmas village. We even got to have a conversation with Santa. :) We followed that up with a little retail therapy for my upcoming birthday and a nice southern dinner at Golden Corral.

(I just wish that the sign from Virginia Beach had followed us to Williamsburg - the language was ridiculous. They needed a bar of soap and a good mouth washing.)

Finally, we spent our last two days riding some more coasters. We went to Kings Dominion  near Richmond, VA the first day and enjoyed some tall rides, steep drops, speed, and twists and turns through mock volcanos. Lots of thrill! However, I was not too crazy about the scare night for Halloween. Creepy clowns, dolls, zombies, and nursery rhyme music playing made for an interesting night as we tried to find alternative routes and pretend to be brave so they would leave me alone. 

We dominated that coaster!

Our intimidation faces look more fun than scary!

We have so many coaster pics that we have to start having fun with it!

 The next day we headed to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg for another fun time. We enjoyed even steeper drops, as one ride actually stops and suspends you at the top of the drop to build anticipation. There was also a German named ride that slingshots you through dark tunnels, through the night woods, and even has a freefall/elevator style drop in the middle of it. 

Then, I had fun in the aviary as the birds hopped on my arms, back, and head. Who needs overpriced nectar when you have a shiny ring? They come right to you! Too bad we missed the photo op when I had several birds on my shoulder, back, and head at once! We also enjoyed seeing a trainer work with a wolf. Neat animals!

Excuse scary lady behind me. It was scary night at the park for Halloween, and I was NOT a fan of that!

 

Then, we began our 10+ hour commute back home, stopping in Lynchburg to check out my online stomping grounds for grad school. Liberty University has a beautiful campus, and I was able to find a couple shirts to add to my college collection.

Aside from having our belongings rummaged through in our room at our hotel in Williamsburg and a few rain showers here and there, I definitely cannot complain. We had a marvelous trip and are so blessed to have had this time together to grow even closer and fall more in love! 

God is so good, and we continue to be amazed by the truth that you cannot out-give God We are truly living and loving our Happily Ever After!

Until next time...