Christmas Day 2009...

...is just about over. It was a good day. At left is a sampling of what I consumed today. Prime rib, twice-caked potatoes, and home-canned green beans courtesy of my Aunt E. McArthur's Bakery outdid themselves yet again, coming through for me with this double-layer yellow cake with strawberries and whipped cream. It looked like something my late Mamaw might have made for Christmas dessert, so I chose it from among several worthy dessert candidates. Dinner was pretty much restaurant-quality. My dad cooked an 11-pound prime rib roast that came out perfect! I had a great time visiting with my Matlock relatives. Chili-dog got to meet my aunt and uncle's little beagle; they got along just fine. Later in the evening my parents and I sat near a warm fire and cracked up at "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "Home Alone" on TV.

Oh, and we got a little wind and snow on Christmas Day. It looked and felt like Christmas Day today. I was satisfied.

Niece Lydia spent Christmas with her mommy and daddy with her mommy's family in mid-Missouri. We celebrated Christmas with her and them on Wednesday night. I gave her a couple of Melissa and Doug puzzles, plus a Just Like Home pretend housecleaning set for her Christmas. She was pleased.

Now I'm listening to Johnny Rabbitt (aka Ron Elz) spin Christmas tunes on KMOX radio while I sort through Christmas pictures and write this post. To paraphrase the song, it's the perfect ending to a perfect day...

Hope Has A Name...

This was my church's theme for our Christmastime sermon series. It was based on Isaiah 9:1-7.

¹ Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

² The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

³ You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

⁴ For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

⁵ Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

⁶ For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Hope truly has a name, folks.

'Twas the Sunday Before Christmas...

and all through my house, well, not much is happening. I can't figure out where the month of December went. Christmas comes this Friday!!

- I started my Christmas shopping yesterday. This was possible because I don't have a long list of people to buy for. Just my mom and niece Lydia needed to be shopped for. (My dad shopped for himself, God bless him.) I finally got a list of ideas for the little tyke last week from her mommy, so off I went. I am the world's worst shopper, so at the end of day yesterday, I had nothing to show for my efforts. I should be awarded a medal of valor or something for my unsuccessful attempt to park at West County Mall. Every available parking space was filled, it seemed, and before long I wanted to scream more than I wanted to shop so I hit the "ABORT!" button and headed home.

- Covered a Saturday night shift at work last night. I think everyone should have the privilege of moving computers and phones after 10:00 p.m., at least once. There were no problems getting the Sunday editions of the P-D to press, thankfully.

- Finished my Christmas shopping today after lunch. My first stop, at a far-flung Toys 'R Us, yielded gold in my quest for the perfect toddler gift. My second attempt at parking at West County Mall afterward landed me on the roof of a parking garage. I got to use an escalator that I never noticed before. Maybe because I'd never had need to park on the roof before.

- Hurried home to walk the dog in the fading twilight of the day. Dog's first order of business was to sniff me, my pockets, and my purchases. She loves to use that sniffer of hers to try and figure out where I've been and who I've been with.

- God bless my friend R. for bringing a variety tray of home-baked cookies to share after our lunch with a couple other friends at Five Guys Burgers and Fries after church today. They were really delicious. Friends that can bake are really nice to have. Especially at Christmas time.

A Good Attitude...

is what St. Louis Rams rookie quarterback Keith Null has. Most definitely. He was drafted in the 6th round out of a Division-II school and relegated to third-QB status thus far. Injuries to both the Rams' QBs forced him into action against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville last Sunday. Null didn't have the best of days, throwing 5 interceptions but he did notch his first career touchdown pass. In a story on the Rams website, he explains:

“I am going to go out and play with confidence no matter what happens each week, Null said. “You can see watching the game I threw a pick, threw another pick, threw another one, I was still coming out and slinging it around. I didn’t let that stop me. I am going to go out with the confidence in the ability God has given me and that’s what my confidence is in anyway so I am not going to doubt that...I would love to get out and play again. The more experience I can get, the better.”

what a great perspective! I'm going to keep an eye on this kid...

A Rare Trifecta...

just completed a rare trifecta of seeing live performances three nights in a row -

Started off Thursday night at my church with a friend to catch opening night of a Christmas dessert theatre. Our new worship pastor and his wife have a background in the dramatic arts and decided to put on a weekend of shows as a means of outreach. The show went off without a hitch and my friend and I enjoyed it.

Friday night I caught opening night of the Ambassadors of Harmony's Christmas show. AOH is still basking in the glow of their international championship win back in July. This weekend of Christmas shows is surely their most ambitious yet. Friday night's performance was professionally filmed for DVD and Saturday night's would be webcast over the internet for a worldwide audience. Their singing was up to their usual high standards but this year they added theatrical elements that added up to a fair amount of bloat. The show ran until 10:45 pm, which was about 45 minutes too long, in this blogger's opinion.

Tonight I drove down to Festus to see my dad's church choir perform their Christmas program. The choir sang well and their message was powerful. Of course, my parents just happened to be keeping niece Lydia this weekend so I arrived at their house a bit early to see her. She was in a persnickety mood this time, but still as cute as ever. Did not like having to drive back in a rain storm, but in every life a little rain must fall, I hear.

.............

On an urelated note, I was sad to learn of the untimely death of Rev. Terry Eades on Tuesday at the age of 56. His health had declined in recent years but I had no idea how much. Bro. Terry was on staff at my church in Festus (where I was tonight) when my family started attending there in the mid-80s. He served as worship minister, youth minister, and associate pastor while he was there. I was in junior high while he was youth minister and I remember he logged many miles in a decrepit brown van ferrying our youth group to fellowships and other places. By 1990 he'd completed seminary and was called to Scott City, MO to pastor the Baptist church there. He was a man of great faith and an excellent preacher. "When they arrive at the gates of death, God welcomes those who love him." (Psalm 116:15, The Message)...I'm pretty sure Bro. Terry got a really warm welcome.

Ever Try To Make A Dog Smile On Command?...

it's akin to herding cats - some of Chili's outtakes from a Christmas card photo session last Saturday:

Ticket Tracker: The Swell Season @The Pageant, 12/4/09

What to do when it's cold outside and there are leaves to be raked? Oh yeah, delay by writing a concert review.

Last evening I caught a show by The Swell Season at The Pageant concert club in the Delmar Loop area of St. Louis. The Swell Season is a band led by gregarious Irishman Glenn Hansard. He also has fronted a band called The Frames in his native land for almost 20 years. In 2007, Hansard starred in a movie called "Once" with a young singer/songwriter from the Czech Republic named Markéta Irglová. The duo collaborated on a beautiful song in the film called "Falling Slowly" that won the 2008 Academy Award for best song. Hansard and Irglová formed The Swell Season with members of The Frames soon after that win. I missed them when they came to town last year and didn't want to miss them this time around. This was the penultimate show on a tour in support of their new album, "Strict Joy."

Hansard and Irglova entered the stage alone to perform two songs from the "Once" soundtrack, then the rest of the band joined them. What followed was over two hours of great playing and singing. Hansard is a friendly, engaging singer who stopped often to talk about his songs and how they were written. Irglová also took a couple of solo turns to show off her songs. Hansard's band The Frames was more than capable in backing the singers, showing off incredible musicianship in their playing. I particularly enjoyed the many moments when the crowd became impromptu backup vocalists at Hansard's urging.

Singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata warmed up the crowd with a 45-minute set of her songs. She and her guitarist friend did a great job and were invited back to the stage during The Swell Season's set to play a couple more songs.

It was a really enjoyable night. I only wish Highway 40 could have opened a few days early so I would have had an easier ride home. Monday, Monday!

And if you've never seen "Once," you really need to. Seriously.