Hospitality, Friendship, Encouragement

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away…

It's quiet in my house this morning.  Everyone is taking the opportunity to sleep in a bit, before our day gets busy.  Tim and I are going to pick up the last few things needed before Christmas day.  

Then I am taking the younger set to my friend Amy's house in Maryland.  We haven't spent a day together in too long, and she and I are going to lunch and will stop by a store she wants me to see!  We are both very excited.  The kids are excited too!

Tim will go with Emily to our nieces' house where he is going to check out a problem with their hot tub!  Then he heads to work for the evening and Emma will shop with one of our nieces.

Lindsay goes to work today too!  The shows at Sight and Sound are sold out!  It always amazes me to hear how cranky people are during the Christmas season.  

Tomorrow, is our Christmas service at 4:00pm.  We used to always do a Christmas Eve service but we have so many families that travel 45 minutes and up, that it was hard on them to bring all their little ones out in the evening, especially Christmas Eve.  This way too, our families can spend Christmas Eve doing our own traditions.  For this service Rachel is playing cello  with her instructor and friend Yolanda Mott.  They sound great together.


This was shot stealthily at their rehearsal the other day.  I will try to record the whole performance of both carols.  I am so thrilled for Rachel to play cello and love it so much.  She has been playing for about a year and a half.

Sarah is playing two songs on the piano - both duets - with her instructor Amy, and with Amy's daughter and pal of Sarah's Ally Beth.

Kyle, Sarah and Kamryn are reciting a poem - 

Long, Long Ago


Winds thro' the olive trees
Softly did blow,
Round little Bethlehem
Long, long ago.

Sheep on the hillside lay
Whiter than snow;
Shepherds were watching them,
Long, long ago.

Then from the happy sky,
Angels bent low,
Singing their songs of joy,
Long, long ago.

For in a manger bed,
Cradled we know,
Christ came to Bethlehem,
Long, long ago.
--Author Unknown

And they are singing with the other children.

It will be sweet and we end our time with a candlelight singing of Silent Night.

I pray that your Christmas season is filled with joy and time together with those you love.


7 comments:

  1. I will wend my way to the PC before day's end to see the videos. I know that you will have a wonderful time visiting with your friends today. I like your thoughts on Christmas Eve service. It would be easier to stay home or in bed. Our service is so very late...midnight. I confess to dozing. Still, there is something quite wonderful in it so I try very hard to make it. Tomorrow, unless this huge ice storm passes us by, will mean church services will be cancelled for the second Sunday in a row.

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  2. Sounds wonderful! Merry Christmas!

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  3. Becky sent me over...good thing because I had nearly forgotten the video (which earlier I thought was two). Oh the mellow tones of the strings...lovely, lovely. It's going to bless folks all to pieces.

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  4. It sounds like a wonderful service you are anticipating. How nice your kids are participating. My dad played the cello and I took a year or two in school--enough to play one duet in church on Father's Day. I love the mello sound of a cello. Have a wonderful Christmas!

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  5. A lovely post. I like the bit of cello you recorded. Such a beautiful instrument. I played Winds Through the Olive Trees one year on the flute. I love the tune.

    Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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  6. So nice to hear the segment of Rachel and her instructor playing their cellos...quite beautiful! Your service sounds like a wonderful time of celebration. I love that so many of your young people are active participants.

    Hope your day was lovely!

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  7. It's been years, indeed decades, since I've seen this poem. We used to sing it. Liked it as a child.

    Thanks for sharing this too!

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