And we're off!

Over the past weekend I've begun getting ready for the holiday season.  I'm feeling real good about how 'in control' I am right now.  It's not always that way.  Two years ago coming home from Thanksgiving in Kentucky I got a call that Greg was being rushed to the hospital from his plane.  His appendix had ruptured in flight.  I don't remember much about that holiday season.  We were just thankful to survive it... seriously!  Last year Lydia and I were still in recovery mode after the AT hike and we once again made a cross country drive back to Kentucky for Thanksgiving.  We missed several Christmas events last year just because we weren't paying attention.  I'd like to work on that this year.

We didn't return to Kentucky for Thanksgiving.  It may be harder to do that now that we are in a season with both kids in college.  By not traveling this year we were home for the Thanksgiving weekend and able to begin decorating for Christmas.  For the first time in several years we got the Advent decorations up in time for the first Sunday of Advent.  Wow, I'm overwhelmed with the organization!  I thought I'd start posting daily through this Season and see how well I do at keeping my focus on the real meaning of Christmas.  And also to share some of our old traditions and new traditions we are just trying out.

Tonight Lydia and I went to see The Nutcracker.  She claims we saw it once several years ago, but I really don't remember.  If we did it was a local community production, nothing like the Colorado Ballet.  They did an excellent job, though I'm clearly not an expert.  We ran straight from church to downtown in order to get a parking spot and arrived in time to grab a quick lunch at the Performing Arts Center.  I guess it would have been a better outing if the guys had been along and we would have really taken our time and enjoyed ourselves, but we rushed it.  So I'm not seeing it becoming a new tradition.  Though I would like to get back down there and see more shows at the PAC... there's just too much to do in Colorado!

We did however sit down to dinner together this evening, lit the first advent candle and read Isaiah 11.  I decided to read this year from my great grandfather's bible, which of course means the King James Version.  We haven't done that in a long time!  Took awhile to figure out what it was saying.  Then we spent some time talking about our favorite holiday traditions.  Sadly enough it turned in to a list of favorite Christmastime movies.  Not that they were bad... The Muppet's Christmas Carol, White Christmas, A Christmas Story... and of course watching the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy between Christmas and New Years.  However, I seem to be the only sentimental one in my family... at least tonight.  Looks like I'm going to have to work at it to spark up some Christmas spirit this year.  Sounds like a challenge.