Generation Gap

I had an awkward interchange last night after dinner. While browsing my parents' digital cable lineup, I saw a Christmas concert that I wanted to watch. Unfortunately, it was on one of the "premium" channels that they do not receive.

It went something like this:

Me: "Barenaked Ladies on TV! Rats... it's pay-per view."

Mom: "What?!"


(For the record, it really was the band.)

A Friendly Holiday Competition

It almost sounds like the beginning of a bad joke or an even worse reality television series: "What happens when five teams of engineers are asked to come up with their own table centerpieces for the annual Christmas luncheon?"

The tool team responded to the challenge with the beautiful tree pictured above. We started with old copies of specifications and glued them to a 4-foot cardboard trunk. Next, we fed fiber optic cables through the base to add lights and color. For decoration, we added icicles (drill bits), ornaments (miniature tape measures), and topped it off with a stuffed Tigger in a handmade angel costume, complete with a copper halo. (Tigger is the unofficial mascot of our group, since we were founded in the Chinese year of the Tiger.) We finished it off by garnishing the base with greenery and a few personalized stockings filled with million dollar bills and candy canes to bribe the judges.

We finished in second behind the team that built a working fountain with red and green water.

Maybe next year.

An Open Letter

Dear United States Postal Service,

I am writing to you as a wholly dissatisfied customer. On two occasions since Thanksgiving this year, you have lost packages that were intended to be Christmas gifts. One contained tickets to a concert last weekend (it's now too late), and the other contained a DVD for my wife. Neither have been delivered, despite being mailed two to three weeks prior to my writing this. Both were sent with delivery confirmation numbers which I have provided to you. You have told me that delivery confirmation numbers don't allow you to track the packages until they are delivered. Alas, since they haven't been delivered, it appears we are chasing our tails.

As far as I have been able to tell, both items should have passed through your central Chicago sorting facility on their journeys. This is the only place where they both may have been, so for the sake of my conscience, I am assuming that they are there, comfortably sitting next to each other in their own little bin marked "Christmas Presents We Are Not Delivering This Year". My boss, who lives near that office, told me that they were hosting a public open house this afternoon to show off their systems and efficiency at the peak of the holiday season. Regretfully, I was unable to attend. I'm sure it would have been informative. Perhaps I would have even seen my own mail in its own little bin.

While your correspondence has been friendly over the past few days, I must inform you that I will no longer be requiring your "services". I have found that processing my bills electronically has been much more timely and efficient than receiving them through your offices, and several other parcel services go so far as to guarantee that my packages will be delivered to their recipients. I find both of these options quite helpful. If you intend to add those services at any time in the future, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Adam

P.S. Thank you for delivering the gifts from my sister and her husband and my grandparents. Those were quite unexpected surprises.

P.P.S. Please feel free to lose the junk mail you so faithfully deliver any time you'd like.

Ye Olde Englishe Christmasse Feaste

Last night, some friends from church invited Allie and I along with another family to attend "Ye Olde Englishe Christmasse Feaste" at a high school in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I can honestly say that it was one of the most fun and enjoyable Christmas events that I have been to in years.

As the name would imply, the entire evening is set to transport the guests back in time several centuries to a grand banquet hall just in time for the Christmas feast. Ye Lordes and Ladyes are served a full seven course dinner while being entertained by ye singers, ye jesters, ye tumblers, ye pipers, ye dancers, ye thespians, ye swordsmen, and ye jugglers. It's an incredible production carried out almost entirely by a high school cast.

The choir performed nearly two dozen carols throughout the evening.

The jesters kept spirits light in the hall. Here, we see several forming a human pyramid, which toppled over moments later.

The food was probably as good as the entertainment.

Throughout the evening, the jesters tried to steal food from the Lords and Ladies. A few succeeded.

The choir continued singing after the feast as well.

The jesters assisted in the singing of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" by acting out each of the gifts. This is one of the seven swans.

At the end of the evening, the dessert of "Ye Flamyng Puddyng with Custard Vanylla" was served.

We had a very fun time and best of all, the carols and narrative of the Christmas story stayed focused on Christ in addition to being entertaining. It was a great reminder of all we have to celebrate at Christmas.

Infamy

Emmanuel: God With Us

Since the beginning of December, I have been searching for Jesus.

One of our neighbors has a Christmas display in their front yard complete with Santa Claus, his reindeer, snowmen, candy canes and brightly colored lights. I can assure you that it's quite festive. Jesus even makes an appearance in the yard, but after our recent winter storm, all you can see are Mary and Joseph staring down at the drifted snow.


I thought it was an interesting metaphor: Jesus came at Christmas but ended up being buried by the season.

I have seen other displays where Jesus is attended by reindeer rather than cattle, or where snowmen, Santa Claus, and the Nutcracker guard the baby instead of the wise men. Jesus has begun to keep some strange company at this time of year, not at all like the porcelain manger scene above my parent's fireplace.

With the voice of past generations I want to lament that Christmas has become too commercial. Then again, maybe this isn't that far from how Jesus lived when He came to earth. After all, He did associate with the kinds of people we didn't expect Him to, and He went to great lengths to keep people from promoting Him for the wrong reasons. On more than one occasion, He warned people not to tell about His miracles, lest the masses try to use His power for their personal gain. Is it worth putting Christ back in Christmas if all it means is a boost to the economy? Is this the only battle that Christians have worth fighting?

In his book, The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne talks about a homeless group he lived with in Philadelphia. For Christmas, a church sent them a carton of microwave popcorn, not thinking about the fact that homeless people typically do not have electricity, let alone a microwave. The local mafia who were more familiar with their situation sent bicycles and coats for the children. Who do you think showed them greater love? Without associating with someone and understanding their needs, it's difficult to love them.

When Jesus came to earth, He demonstrated love by associating with us and getting to know us. Understanding our greatest need, He gave us Himself. Maybe we should welcome Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph to the manger to remind us to love the real people around us.