Merry Christmas!

I've been making it a point this year to wish people a Merry Christmas. A lot of the politically correct mumbo jumbo says that you should say Happy Holidays, to incorporate all the other celebrations that happen at this time of the year. For me, Christmas is the most important, and I like to go against the flow a little bit anyway, so Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Here's another installment of Christmas music history. Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" while sitting beside a pool in the heat of Arizona in 1940. He walked into his studio/office the next day and told his secretary he had written the best song that anyone had ever written. I don't think he was far off the mark on that!

The original version of the song had a verse that poked fun at all the people living in Los Angeles, wishing for a home-type Christmas with a treetop glistening and children listening for Santa. Berlin changed it to the version we all know and love because he felt it might be a little overkill. Aren't we glad he did so!

In 1942, the movie Holiday Inn premiered with Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds, and Fred Astaire. The song- hinted at throughout the movie and finally sung at the end, by Crosby's character even though it was supposed to be sung by Marjorie Reynolds's character- won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. At first, Crosby didn't see anything special about the song, and only did the recording as a favor to Irving Berlin. The recording session for that single took only 18 minutes. It was released at the end of June 1942, and by October it was topping the charts. It stayed number one through the New Year. The song had a revival during the 1945 and 1946 Christmas seasons, and is the only song in history to be top of the charts for three separate runs. Crosby had to re-record the song in 1949 because the original recording had been damaged by all the copies that had been created from it. It has been re-recorded by hundreds of artists, but it continues to belong to Bing Crosby.

The movie, White Christmas, was released in 1954, and starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. This movie always makes it Christmas for me. If you get a chance, check it out. It will be on TV a lot over the next few weeks, so take a couple hours out of your day and kick back to watch a classic. I never feel it's Christmas until I watch White Christmas!

Here's a clip of Bing Crosby and the cast from the movie singing White Christmas.

The Toughest Day

Last Tuesday, a student in my school was critically injured in a car accident. She passed away Thursday morning after doctors could do no more. Kailey was only sixteen and a junior. School administrators came in to tell each class of her passing. She was a very popular student, and her death has affected more people than I think she even thought possible. Her funeral was today, in the school gym, and it was seriously one of the most difficult hours I have ever witnessed. Please keep my school in your prayers.

It's Not Christmas Without Jingle Bells

Last year, I blogged a few times about some of my favorite Christmas Carols. I thought I would do it again. My first song this year is one that even the smallest child can sing.

"Jingle Bells," written by James S. Pierpont, first made its appearance not at a Christmas concert, but at a Thanksgiving celebration in 1840. Pierpont's father, the pastor of the Medford, Massachusetts Unitarian Church, asked his musically gifted son to create a song of celebration for the church's annual Thanksgiving feast. James had no idea where to begin, so he started watching the young men playing with their sleds in the snow. After spending some time cheering on the races, James had a tune in his head. He headed to a neighbor, the only person in the town with a piano, knocked on the door and told the mistress of the house that he had a tune in his head. Upon hearing this, she stepped aside and let James plunk away on her piano.

As he left the neighbor's house, the very wise woman told him that it was a very catchy tune and the whole town would be singing it before long. Boy was she right! James presented a fully orchestrated choral arrangement for the feast and title it "One Horse Open Sleigh." The town loved it, and even though it spoke of racing and gambling, they asked that it be part of the Christmas program. People from all over the area came to celebration and heard "One Horse Open Sleigh." It was a huge success, and since it was heard at a Christmas concert, the song was then associated to Christmas as it was passed all over Massachusetts.

By 1857, James had the song published and it became one of, if not the, most recognizable Christmas songs in the world. Today, we hardly see a Santa without a jingle bell laden reindeer. One of the most popular recordings of "Jingle Bells," as it came to be known, was done by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1945. Unfortunately the only video with a good enough quality to share is a video of a record playing. Some of you may never have seen a record, so enjoy a glimpse into the past. Cheers!

Thirty-Five Years is a Long Time...

On Tuesday, my parents will celebrate their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Congratulations Mom and Dad!

The Best Part is the Giving...

One thing I've struggled a lot with this year is trying to make sure I have a present for everyone for all of the Christmas celebrations I will be attending. It seems like every time I turn around someone is asking me to give some money here or buy an ornament for a gift exchange or some other mundane task. Oprah even got on the giving kick this year. Rather than doing her "Favorite Things" episode, she did a sort of pay it forward type of episode, where every audience member was given $1000 with the stipulation it must be spent on someone else.

I decided earlier in the year that I wanted to buy chickens from Heifer International as presents this year. Several people were very appalled that I would suggest such a travesty (if I did that, then what would they get?). I still think I'm going to do it as a present for our entire family. How cool would it be to buy some chickens for a hungry family in need that they could use for eggs and meat?

I started thinking about what I could do other than that. What could I do to help? With all the financial problems the country is facing right now, Christmas looks bleak for a lot of people. I really want to be able to share the true meaning of Christmas with as many people as I can. One organization that does that is the Salvation Army. We've all seen the red kettles and heard the bell ringers as we walked into Wal-Mart, Target, or any shopping area. And I always try to give a little each time. But I never have cash, and if I ever did, I would probably try to put it all in there.

One of the new things the Salvation Army has started is your own "Online Kettle." So I've started one. Click here or on this link (http://give.salvationarmyusa.org/goto/gloria_brown1) or the red kettle on the side, and it will take you to my kettle. Help me help a lot of people and show the love that God has for us. If you can't spare a large amount of money, even a dollar or two can help. Remember, God gave us His only son to die for our sins. There's no way to repay that debt, and as Pastor Tony talked about this morning in service, we have to remember to help our fellow men when they ask for it.

Merry Christmas!