The last day of 2010 - what did this year bring for you? How do you want 2011 to be the same? Different? If you had a great year, I hope 2011 brings more joy and happiness your way. If 2010 wasn't so great, I hope 2011 is filled with moving forward and many new beginnings for you. To ring OUT the last year, here's one of my favorite songs, which in it's own right is amazing. This Sing Off Acapella version is outstanding as well. If you don't know the lyrics to this song, Google them. And if you are wishing for a better 2011, this song is my hope for you. Happy New Year, and goodbye 2010.
More catchup on the Countdown! Here are days 11-14!
JTR – Dave Matthews Band, live at Folsom Field
You don’t have to like Dave, but you can’t deny this band is insanely talented. Their live shows blow me out of the water. This song in particular blows me away – once you get to the instrumental part, you’ll see what I mean. Carter is a beast on the drums – and who Brady is aspiring to be someday :)
And So It Goes – Billy Joel
Just a beautifully-written song. Sung by David Archuleta of American Idol a few years ago.
All I Wanted – Paramore
I couldn’t really choose just one Paramore song, but I’m really in the mood for this rock vibe right now, so this song wins. Other favorites are Turn It Off and My Heart. A great example of young musicians who really get music. So sad to hear they are breaking up :(
Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
This song is so interesting to me. So many time signature changes, interesting guitar tuning, it's just simple and complex at the same time which I love. And the lyrics are great, too! This live version in the rain is amazing!
I've gotten SO BEHIND! Posting during a crazy Christmas weekend didn't happen, so here are days 7-10 in the countdown, all in one post. ENJOY!
September – Daughtry
I generally like Daughtry, but this song stands out because it reminds me that I don’t want to live with regrets in my life. No matter what happens or what I do, I’ve seen good come from it, I’ve grown from it, I’ve lived because of it, and that makes it all worth it in the end.
What Can I Say – Carrie Underwood
While I don’t love Sons of Sylvia or the guy’s voice, this duet is powerful. I also heard this for the first time at Carrie’s concert and it was insane. She is definitely one of the most powerful singers around.
iPad Christmas – North Point Church
Just watch it. Pretty amazing sound from “fake” instruments.
Shake Up Christmas – Train
What a fun song! So much better than other “contemporary” alternatives for Christmas (If I never hear “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime” again, it will still be too soon.)
Here's our version of a Christmas letter - what we've been up to in 2010! Merry Christmas!
(Click on the image to expand, then click on it again to make it even larger!)
Yesterday got away from me! So today will be a double-post day :)
I love Paramore, but this version is incredible. It’s so different from the original song, and the piano parts are outstanding. I know they aren’t actually playing this live, but it’s so fun and different, I just love it!
Brick by Boring Brick –Michael Henry and Justin Robinett
Here's Day Two of the 2010 Music Countdown. Post one is here.
When I close my eyes and listen to this song, I always see the same vivid image. A young woman in a simple, flowing white dress and dark hair blowing in the breeze as she walks toward a young man whose smile is so big he almost can’t believe he’s so lucky to marry her. The sun is shining, and there is a small gathering of friends and family, but they don’t notice any of it – just each other.
I have no idea why I see this same thing every time I hear this song, (well besides the fact that the song is called MARRY ME!) but I hope someone somewhere gets to experience what I see it in my head, because it’s simple and beautiful, just like this song.
I love music – anyone who knows me at all knows this. I sing it, I play it, I dream it, I live it. I take for granted things that come naturally to me, but I’m trying to be more aware and appreciative of that lately. Sadly, though, I am largely embarrassed by what my generation considers to be “music”.
I am ALL for creativity – don’t get me wrong. But seriously – Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Willow Smith, Justin Beiber, Kesha….oh excuse me….Ke$ha....the list goes on and on. The “music” is all. the. same. Techno beats with endless monotone nonsense rhymes being autotuned to the point of losing any raw vocal inflection. Instrumentation done purely by computers. How is this music?!?!
And I don’t know what is worse: the fact that people who are devoid of any talent whatsoever have become these pop icons, or that extremely talented artists, like Lady Gaga, feel the need to sell out to the pop industry through songs that in no way express their true talents. And what message does this give future generations? Kids, kids – don’t worry about learning to play an instrument, to write songs, or develop vocal skills! Simply wear less, lip sync more, and the fame is yours!
Well, thankfully this world is not completely devoid of originality and creativity in music! It might not be on the radio when you turn it on, but it is certainly out there – you just have to look for it. I am grateful for interesting artists and great musicians who are truly talented. So to ring in the new year, I bring to you my 2010 Music Countdown. Here’s what I’m listening to these days. If you find yourself feeling the same things I do, take a listen to any one of the songs I post today through the end of the year – and enjoy!
Use Somebody: King's of Leon, as performed on The Sing Off
While I don't love Kings of Leon, Paramore does an acoustic cover that is fantastic. Then, I heard it on NBC’s The Sing Off, and I’m truly a fan of the song now – this is all A Capella! Amazing! A great way to kick off the Countdown!
I have to wonder why are some families so quick and ready to embrace the tradition of Santa, yet unwilling to live in the faith of Jesus Christ? How is it any scarier to believe in Santa, who clearly does not exist, than to believe in Jesus, who has been proven to at least have existed? Why would anyone want their children to believe in something that ultimately doesn’t exist and not want them to experience faith in one who does? I honestly think anyone who can allow their children to believe in Santa, even the most stubborn atheist, in their hearts are longing to believe in a Santa that does truly exist.
I think these people should look at the parallels between Jesus and Santa. Both are believed in all over the world; both have a small group of close followers who are present wherever they go (Disciples/Reindeer); both have the ability to know your thoughts and actions without being present; both require faith in the unseen; both have beards (at least our perception of them does!), both spread joy; and both are celebrated at Christmas time. Seems to me that whoever “invented” the idea of Santa was perhaps taking the idea of Jesus, dressing him up in a fat suit, and stuffing him down chimneys and into our homes.
I know a lot of Christians who debate whether or not their children will or won’t believe in Santa. My children will definitely celebrate the tradition of Santa. But more importantly, I will use that belief, that faith, to help them form and understand what faith in Jesus looks like. They will know the true meaning of Christmas, and when the time comes, their faith in Santa, I believe, will help solidify their faith in Jesus Christ.
When I was in fourth grade, my classmate started hinting at the notion that Santa was not real. I didn’t want to believe it – but it planted the seed of doubt in my mind. Then I noticed the wrapping paper and handwriting of Santa was the same as my mom’s. Then I started planting the seed of doubt in my sister’s mind….if I was going down, she was coming with me!
Ultimately, I had my first taste of making a choice about my convictions: stand by my beliefs, or question what I knew was truth. My faith was tested and tried. I attempted to bring others (i.e. my sister) into my doubt and hesitation. I was teased and mocked for my steadfast belief that Santa did, in fact, exist. It was up to me to decide if I would allow that seed of doubt to penetrate myself and others, or if I would remain steadfast in my convictions.
To me, belief in Santa is very much akin to belief in Jesus Christ. Now hear me on this: I do think it’s important to make a clear distinction between faith in Santa and faith in Jesus when a child gets to a certain age. Otherwise, the kid just might lump Jesus in with all other fictitious characters (Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Santa, etc.). And I do realize the outcome (Santa not actually being real) isn’t comparable to the outcome of Jesus. But how can we expect a child to understand faith in the unseen, joy in multiplied gifts, and the desire to do good works? How can they understand the concept of what faith produces if they have never experienced it? And how can we expect them to remain steadfast in their convictions when the pests of this world try to invade their thoughts and change their ideas?
The answer: Santa. To deprive a child of experiencing the joy and faith of believing in something they cannot see actually deprives them of forming their first ability to experience the joy and fruit that comes from faith in the unseen and a desire to do good, even when the world tells us not to.
When I was growing up, I LOVED waiting for Santa to bring our Christmas presents. Sometimes, due to traveling, we had to write letters to Santa to get him to come early, but he always came. Without fail, every year, he faithfully brought our gifts. Oh the joy of waking in the morning to find our gifts had doubled overnight. To wait expectantly with anticipation, knowing he would deliver the goods, but curious to see just what exactly he would bring. Hopeful anticipation.
You can’t see Santa, but your belief that he exists will produce a much larger yield of presents than unbelief. You have faith that if you just believe in him, he will gift you with the desires of your heart. Your desire to do good and be good will in turn allow you to reap the good you have sown in the form of gifts that bring joy to your life. If you are good at heart, Santa will deliver. Why wouldn’t you believe in Santa?! Why wouldn’t you believe…
Lots to catch up on! The 4th of July holiday weekend was terrific: we played Frisbee golf (Joel did, I pushed Brady in the stroller!), we watched fireworks, we ate, and we (mostly Joel again) stained the deck. Then, the 4th came….RAIN all day long. But that was ok since we ended up in the hospital that night. Yep, Joel has a reoccurring back injury that flares up every six months to a year, and all the Frisbee throwing, deck staining, and chair sitting caused a MAJOR spasm. He was on our floor for 10 hours on Sunday, face down, mostly unable to move. So finally in the evening he let me call an ambulance, and he spent the night and whole next day in the hospital until he could move enough to get home. After some intense pain medication, rest, and relaxation, he’s back to (mostly) normal. However, I think it would have been cheaper and quicker to hire someone to stain the deck! Hindsight, I tell ya…
Since this last bout landed him in the hospital, we are going ahead with x-rays and physical therapy to get his back strengthened and fixed. Working at a computer all day does nothing to help the situation, but he’s too young to be experiencing this kind of back trouble already. So, prayers for his strength and healing are appreciated!
Then, Thursday was my birthday. I turned the big 2-6, and while we didn’t do much on my actual birthday, Joel surprised me with a party the next day! It was great to have all of our family and good friends celebrate with me :) He also took my gigantic hint and got me Carrie Underwood concert tickets when she comes to town in December! I’m not much of a concert person because they are so dang expensive and it’s hard to find artists for whom I want to sit through an entire concert, but this was a no-brainer for me – LOVE HER!! I also got a variety of other fun kitchen, beauty, and garden gadgets from my family, which was awesome! My in-laws had a terrific idea to get us a fire ring for outside, but sadly we already got one a couple weeks ago :( So, I’m excited to return it and get a jewelry tree since my current box is full and overflowing onto my dresser!
Today is my three-year anniversary of being married to Joel. I was standing in the bathroom last night just thinking about how much longer it feels. So much has changed in just three short years: our house, our jobs (oh, the jobs and insurance!!), our baby who really isn’t a baby anymore, our figures (not really for the better, but we are working on that!), our travels, even the people we hang out with has changed.
I wonder what life will be like three more years from now: what we’ll be doing, where we’ll be working, how many kids we’ll have, where we will have traveled to, what new friends we will make…if anything is certain, it’s that a LOT can change in just three years!
Happy Anniversary to my best friend and husband: here’s to another year of great memories :)
You would think without a job, I would have more time to write - sorry for the laziness. Although I'm not exactly out of a job anymore (more on that in a different post).
Anyway, probably a lot of you know that I used to compete in the Miss America Organization (more about that in another post, too!) When I was training for my fourth and final attempt at the crown, I ran...a lot. I am not a natural runner by any stretch of the imagination. I run weird, I don't know how to properly breath, I probably don't even use the correct muscles. But it was the best and fastest way for me to shed pounds and tone up, so I worked up to four miles a day toward the end.
Once Miss Iowa was over, I was kind of tired of running, so I stopped. Then I got pregnant. Then I never got around to losing the baby weight. My mom told me don't worry, it takes nine months to put it on, it takes just as long to get it off. But when Brady turned one and those pesky ten pounds lingered, I didn't think I could use him as the excuse anymore! So, I joined the gym and started running again.
Now that the weather is nice, I run outside. We have a loop around our house that is exactly one mile, with two monstrous hills. That loop kicked my butt right out of the gate, but today I am proud to report I ran an entire four mile circuit - something I haven't done in four years, and with those killer hills! I would have tried for a fifth mile, but I ran out of time (haha, RAN out of time. get it?!).
Last weekend, we went to Parkersburg for a visit to Joel's family on Memorial weekend. Although we didn't make it up there for the 5k run the town was holding, the path was still marked for several days. So Sunday morning, I got up at 7:30 (I don't think I've ever done a morning run!) and followed the arrows. It was the most enjoyable run I've ever had! Those hills back home really conditioned me to run more easily, it was fun not knowing where I was going or how much farther I had to run, and I got to see a lot of the town this way. In case you didn't know, Parkersburg was leveled by an F5 tornado two Memorial Day weekends ago, so it was nice to run through old and new parts of town and really take in how much has changed. It's still eerie to see all the nice, new houses, but no trees. There are huge, tall trees in the older part of town, but you can clearly see just by looking at the vacant skyline where the tornado ripped through town from the lack of trees. And of course, running past the barn where Joel's coach and family friend, Ed Thomas, was shot and killed last summer was a somber reminder to myself that I should only hope to affect one person the way that he has affected so many.
So to the point of this post: I said I wanted to do this last summer, but I never took the initiative to do it. So I figure writing it down for everyone to see should help hold me more accountable, right? Even though I am not a good runner, or very in shape at this point, my goal is to run a half marathon this Fall. I don't want to win, I want to finish. I want to accomplish something for me that I never thought I would ever be able to do. And I know the way I have been treating my body lately has not been healthy, either. God has given me this body as a gift, and it's my responsibility to take care of it. To continue neglecting it is, well, sinful I think. And that perspective has made all the difference. I just ate a brownie five minutes ago, so it's not like I am all healthy with everything, but my health is important, I'm not getting any younger, and this goal will never be easier to attain, so here I go! I'll try to update on my progress - and for you runners out there, if you have any tips, tricks, or advice to pass along, I am all ears!
“Page NINE!” he mouthed in desperation while flapping his arms. That is what it took for me to relax and enjoy what will probably forever be my most memorable Easter “performance”.
As many of you who read this know, I attend Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, Iowa, and have since its inception 16 or so years go. I like to consider myself the “original” child singer of the church J and have grown up as part of worship ministry in one form or another. One of the things I love to do most is connect people to God through a song.
Anyway, if you know Hope, to say Easter is a celebration is a bit of an understatement. I know this style of service is not for everyone, but for some 18,000 people this past weekend, it was their church of choice to celebrate the resurrection. And while they might not have realized it, some 4,000 or so of those 18,000 witnessed an Easter miracle right in front of their eyes.
I am very fortunate to almost always be involved in Easter services at Hope in one way or another. This year, I was asked to sing a duet with my good friend, Bridget, at all of the services, and we readily accepted. Revelation Song is just one of those songs that, once you hear it done by a certain person or people, no one else can do it justice. For example: John Cheatem and Amazing Grace. Or really anything he sings, but he’s an exception. I’ve never really had a song like that before, but I would say Revelation Song, when sung with Bridget, comes the closest. Sorry Philips, Craig, and Dean, but you got nothin’ on us :)
So there I was, ready to start the “marathon of services” as we like to call it, at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. We would be singing at six services that weekend, and the first is usually a little bumpy because, well, it’s the first time we see the entire service unfold. This year, however, we didn’t have a bump in the road: the San Andreas Fault opened up right in the middle of the service. And somehow I was charged with bridging the gap.
Last month, we Iowans, specifically West Des Moinians, had the delight of watching Hope’s own Kaitlyn Epperly make the top 24 of American Idol, season 9. As an on-and-off watcher of the show, it was nice to see one of the very people I always thought could do well on the show actually make it. When Kaitlyn was prematurely and surprisingly cut from the show, she became available to sing at Hope for the Saturday evening Easter services. She would sing “Call on Jesus” with our church choir, which she had done a few years before, at the 4 and 6:30 p.m. services.
She showed up for rehearsal, did her thing, and left for a couple hours to get ready. Thankfully I caught the end of her rehearsal, although in hindsight, I sure wish I had paid closer attention to what she was singing! The 4:00 service rolled around, the service started smoothly, and we were off and running.
After the opening songs, I left the worship center and was chatting with Bridget and Chris Petrick. We were just hanging out when the music began for the offering piece, “Call on Jesus”. I was subconsciously listening to the music: I think mostly because I wasn’t expecting to hear that song. I thought Kaitlyn was only singing at the 6:30 service, so I was a little confused, but immediately dismissed my confusion and went back to my conversation. Until I heard where she was supposed to start singing, and noticed the introduction loop back. I said to Chris, “Something’s not right….Kaitlyn missed her cue or something, she should be singing right now”. We both went into the worship center to see what was going on, and realized that while the choir was in place, the pianist had started playing, and the offering plates were being passed, there was no Kaitlyn on stage.
The details past this point get fuzzy in my mind. I don’t know if it was the speed at which the next things occurred, the adrenaline, or simply God taking over that caused the fuzziness, but I will do the best I can to relay how the next five minutes transpired. Somehow I figured out that Kaitlyn had not shown up. I’m not sure if someone told me, or I just figured it out or what, but when I realized what was happening, I didn’t even pause for a second to think, I just heard “GO!” in my head, and I went. Somehow in high heels and a dress that didn’t exactly allow for long strides, I ran backstage. At some point I thought, “This is dumb, just stay out of the way and let someone else figure it out. It isn’t your problem to deal with and you will just delay the solution.” But yet my feet kept running. I opened the backstage door and found a wide-eyed music director trying to figure out what to do. I quickly approached Perry and before I even knew what I was doing, I said, “Do you want me to try it?” The look on Perry’s face was priceless: it was a combination of fear, hope, and skepticism all rolled in to one expression. He asked if I knew it well enough to do that, and I said I wasn’t sure. He handed me a microphone and we walked to the stage curtain. I asked if there were words; if I had words, I would be fine. He said no. I peeked out of the curtain and met our choir director’s intense gaze as he was desperately looking for some form of rescue to come through that curtain. I remember thinking, “What else are they going to do?!?!” So, I pointed to myself and with a flick of Mike’s wrist, my feet were walking once again.
I walked across the stage and planted myself somewhere toward the middle-left of the stage. I think maybe I felt less conspicuous back there than front and center, which sounds silly really, but then again I clearly wasn’t thinking straight. I knew I had the first words ok, so I started in and away we went.
The start of the song was somewhat of a train wreck. I made up some words because I couldn’t remember the right ones; I remember thinking, “Just sing about Jesus and you’ll be fine!” I still have no idea what words came out of my mouth. Then I skipped an entire verse because I had no idea what the words were, and went straight to the bridge of the song. To say that this confused the band would be an understatement. The pianist was lost. The drummer had no idea where to come in. And then apparently it was just a little too easy for them because I decided to skip the second half of the instrumental interlude and jump in with another verse. All while this was happening, I could feel myself shaking, wanting to shut down and just admit defeat, but yet I just had this overwhelming confidence that it would work out. I kept thinking, “If I can just get to where the choir comes in, it will all fall together.” That’s when I looked over and saw him.
As the pianist was frantically leafing through her music, mouthing, “I don’t know where we are!”, I saw our choir director, with his flapping arms directing the choir, “shout” (as much as you can shout in a whisper) to her “PAGE NINE!!”. That was all it took for me to relax and know that we would be fine.
The choir came in on cue and carried us out the rest of the song. If there was a part I was unsure of, I had the choir to cover it and back me up. Once I was past the part where I felt like I was on some frantic lyrical game show, I was able to enjoy singing a song I’ve always wanted to sing with a choir I always love to sing with.
Now I’ll take you inside the story and explain why this was truly a miracle. First, even though I sing quite often, I sometimes get bad stage fright. I let my nerves get the best of me, and it’s something I’ve always struggled with. The longer I have to sit and think about it, the more nervous I get. So, it was truly miraculous that God made all of this happen so quickly because if I had had time to think about it, I honestly think I would have stage fright-ed my way out of doing it. No, I KNOW I would have. Second, let’s consider the fact that I was even there for this service. Had I not been asked to sing Revelation Song for every service, I most certainly would not have been there, and definitely not ready to sing at the drop of a hat. I was not in the bathroom, or seated in the congregation, even though my family and my in-laws were all there. I thought about sitting with them, but decided that since it was the very first service, I didn’t want to risk missing my cues so I would just remain in the backstage/lobby area. And then there’s the fact that I showed up in time to hear Kaitlyn’s rehearsal earlier that day. Had I not seen it, I wouldn’t have been able to pull off as much of the song as I did.
Then there’s the vocal side of this. There’s the fact that Kaitlyn and I happen to have similar enough voices that I could do the song. This part gets a little musically technical, but here it is anyway. People think singing is easy for me, but it’s not. I have to deliberately rehearse what I’m going to sing because I actually don’t have that great of a chest voice range. So to compensate, I often bring my head voice down and make it sound as much like my chest voice as I can, but it MUST be rehearsed. Otherwise, I risk cracking/shouting or sounding weenie in a really powerful moment. Yet somehow this song fit perfectly in my register, unrehearsed. And honestly, I have sung along to that song in my car before: there are notes that I was very concerned about hitting and yet, I hit them with less effort than songs I’ve sung a million times.
Then there was, I would say, the biggest factor of them all: I went. If I had been on my own that day, I would not have gone. I felt little bits of me bubbling up at every crossroad, but God instantly smashed those thoughts with His own. As my feet stumbled and turned away from the backstage door, He righted my path and kept me going in His direction. And as my mind collapsed around the actual words of the song, He gave me words to sing.
As soon as I was done and walked off the stage, my thoughts returned to me and I remember thinking, “What did I just DO….” I would later tell Joel, “Who DOES that? Who willingly gets up in front of 4,000 people to sing a song she doesn’t know?” I can honestly say, not me. Not me apart from God, that is. But with God, he prepared me and gave me the tools for the moment he would call to me and say “GO!”.
The next day, I learned that Revelation Song was being bumped from the sermon. I thought the service felt bit disjointed, but that was not the solution I was hoping for. Perry can tell you, I was more than a little peeved when I heard this. We gave a lot of time to prepare for and rehearse that song and to come to every service, and we are not paid staff members. And honestly, I felt like it was kind of a huge slap in the face after the previous evening. But then I started considering this: maybe the reason God had me singing at all the services had nothing to do with the song I had prepared and labored over for a month. Perhaps it was simply the excuse for me to be present when God came knocking. And while my plan was to sing the heck out of one song, God had a different plan and chose to move through a different song, maybe even more powerfully. Quite a revelation (pun….ha ha) compared to how I first reacted.
Now, if anyone needs proof that God has a sense of humor: a mere hours before this all happened, I was listening to John rehearse his song and I commented to someone that the reason John is so good is that he just feels the music and lets whatever is in his heart come out of his mouth – which is different every single time. I can’t do that, I have to rehearse exactly what I’m going to sing and do it the same every time with minimal improvisation. Little did I know God was preparing me for the biggest improvisation of my life in just a couple hours. And I have to say, it felt pretty good to put all the logistics aside for once and sing only what God orchestrated. Those of us on that stage truly did have to call on Jesus, because without him we were toast. I would like to think that if God had chosen to speak audibly to me after the song, he would have said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Well done.”
Did you make any resolutions last year? If you did, how did you do with them? I personally hate New Year’s resolutions – I never stick to them and usually forget they even exist oh, about half way through February. I am not patient enough or strong-willed enough to stick to even one year-long resolution, let alone several. So my 2010 New Year’s resolution is to make no year-long resolution. I just want to have as happy, healthy, and adventurous a year as possible in 2010, whatever that means :)
I was listening to the radio the other day, and a Christmas carol came on. I LOVE Christmas carols. I can hardly wait until Thanksgiving is over so it is acceptable for me to listen to those festive tunes. Sometimes I cheat and start early, but either way, I just love them. I particularly love Harry Connick Jr. and this mixed artist CD that I own.
Anyway, I was surprised to hear a Christmas tune on KISS 107.5, but there it was - so I listened. I listened to Lady Gaga take Deck the Halls and turn it into a sexually charged rap. Some lyrics: Light me up, put me on top, let's falalalalalalalala. The only place you want to be is underneath my Christmas tree.
Well isn't that just a treat. I hear the familiar tune of one of the most beloved Christmas carols, and that's what I get. Thanks. A. Lot.
I just don't get the world's fascination with Christmas. The world is happy to light up their windows, trees, and houses. They buy gifts and give to the needy. They gladly take paid holidays and celebrate December 25 with cheer. They accept Santa Claus and all those reindeer. Yet the thing for which Christmas is credited must be omitted. In fact, it's not PC to even tell your classmates "Merry Christmas!" It must be "Happy Holidays."
I don't understand. I don't understand why it's ok to exchange gifts and good will with family and friends, but not discuss Jesus. I don't get why it's ok to decorate in various shades of red and green while lighting our homes and trees, but not to celebrate Jesus. I don't get why it's ok to declare unbelief toward the Christain holiday, and still take December 25th as a paid holiday - if you don't like what Christmas celebrates and represents, then get your booty to work on the 25th! I don't get why it's ok for children to believe in Santa, but not Jesus.
The bottom line is it's NOT ok. Christmas is about CHRIST. There would be no happy holidays if it weren't for Him. No presents and holiday cheer without that baby. And no matter how secular you believe your holiday is, anything you celebrate resembling the Christmas holiday has its roots in Christianity. From the candy cane to the star on the tree to belief in Santa, it's all part of this religious holiday. So, you can try to secularize (and even sexualize) this holiday all you want, but it doesn't matter what you do - Jesus WILL be found, try as you might to hide him.
I hope you have a wonderful CHRISTmas, and that you pause to reflect on how every part of this holiday, even the commercialized and secularized parts, revolved around and relate back to one simple miracle: the birth of our Savior.
Christmas season has officially begun. It sort of began the second Halloween was over, but now that Thanksgiving has passed and it's December (CRAZY!!), we can officially start the countdown! I love the holidays – I don’t really know why, I just do. I even love the cold and snow, until January I love being with family, eating great food, giving gifts (and getting them!), singing at Christmas Eve services, decorating my NEW HOUSE, lights and parties…it’s great.
The day after Thanksgiving, known to most as Black Friday, was not as “festive” for me, however! My sister-in-law and I decided to skip sleep altogether that night and head out for the Cedar Falls and Waterloo stores at midnight. We made great progress (minus an unexpected 1.5 hour wait outside of ToysRUs), getting in and out of stores in 15-30 minutes each time. We got to ToysRUs at 12:45 a.m., and after a supposed fight, they only let in 30 people at a time. We missed a couple deals we wanted, but were in and out quickly. Then across the way to Old Navy, in line 20 minutes to 3:00, when they opened. A mom brought her toddler son out in the cold with no more than pajamas and a hat on. NO GLOVES even. While some people half-heartedly asked her if she wanted to go to the front of the line, I actually grabbed her arm and made her go in. While we were all probably thinking how stupid it was, no one complained. Poor kid – she said he wanted to go to the toy store. So….I’m pretty sure unless you WAKE your kid up at 3:00 a.m. and tell him you are going to get toys, he wouldn’t have known where you were going. And since when is Old Navy a toy store?
The lines at Old Navy were HUGE, but thanks to quick thinking, I kept my eye on the lines and got in place once they started forming. We took turns shopping while one person stood in line and let others go ahead as needed. Then when we were both done, we checked out. GREAT strategy instead of getting in line at the back of the store! Less than 30 minutes and we were on our way to Kohl’s.
We arrived at Kohl’s less than five minutes before doors opened. We quickly gathered our things, did the same line-holding strategy, and were out the door! Then on to Wal-Mart. This is where our awesome morning started sliding downhill. Because the store is open 24/7, they let people in the store but did not un-wrap the carts of “good deals” until 5:00 a.m. as advertised. It was great not standing in the cold, but the store was chaotic. People were hovering around the bins, placing hands on TVs to claim them and such. They did a great job organizing the store so that lines wound through the groceries and such, but there was one problem: I had no idea which lines were for what! I immediately headed back to electronics to attempt to get a 42” TV on sale for $450. I thought it would logically be there. But an employee told me to head to the dairy section, and I did. I waited around the bins….only to find out later that the bins were full of DVDs, not TVs (I wasn’t even close enough to be able to tell!). So off I went with my little cart, scurrying as much as one can through a sea of tired, angry shoppers. I found the line for the Emersion TV! I stood in line for a few minutes, only to overhear that although I asked an employee if this was the line for the 42”, it was for the 32”. SIGH. She tried to tell me the 42” didn’t exist. I showed her the ad. Then someone FINALLY said it was in the lawn and garden section. Clear. On. The. Other. Side. Of. The. Store….so I ran. Well, I dodged and scrambled and weaved….but I hurried as best as I could! At one point I was literally in a traffic jam – couldn’t back up, turn, or go forward. Finally a clearing – yes! Then some girl pushes her cart toward me, blocking my escape route. She had some big thing under her cart blocking my way. I said, “I have to go forward!” and she said, “So do I!”. We stood there, neither wanting to budge, even though I was clearly there well before she was. Finally what little patience I have snapped. I backed up, gave a sweeping gesture to my side, and said, “Well please then, go on ahead!” with all the sarcasm I could muster. Not my finest moment, but it was obvious she knew she was wrong. Before the gap that she created was swallowed up again, I foraged on to find the TV.
Even though an employee tried to tell me the TVs were in the dairy section, I got a little terse and finally got the answer I needed: my TVs were out with the Christmas trees. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law caught up with me, only after a huge guy “stole” a TV out from under her! She was literally sprawled on a TV when a big guy came up to her, said “Not today, missy!”, and took it from her. Luckily, it was not the TV I needed, but still….Merry Christmas, dude.
After a long wait, we were done! So we headed back to Kohl’s for some leisurely shopping and to try to get a few more things on the list. Bad idea for this patience-worn-thin, extra-tired girl! Although there weren’t any lines, we had probably our longest wait yet. The lady in front of us was buying a Monopoly game that didn’t have the proper sticker on it. So they had to get an employee to grab another one….which also didn’t have a sticker…so they had to go find ANY game worth $18.99. At that point, we decided to hop lines. The person in front of us (coincidentally it was Julie’s out-of-town relatives!) also had an issue with their sticker. So the first line was done at that point and we jumped back to our original spot. The cashier scanned one of our items when the lady in front of me (the one with the Monopoly game) exclaimed, “Oh shoot, I have one more thing in my bag!”. So the cashier asked if it was ok if she took care of the lady’s one item. I said fine, none too happily. After that, it was FINALLY our turn…again. She scanned one item….again. I opened my big mouth and said something about Kohl’s cash when the lady in front of me (isn’t she gone yet?!?!) exclaimed again, “Oh shoot, I didn’t get my Kohl’s cash!”. Now I was done. I said, “Are you kidding me?!?!” while the cashier proceeded to assist this lady again.
We got out of there eight million hours later, and after driving for a couple minutes, I said to Julie, “What are the chances that, even though you gave her the coupon, she gave us our 15% off?”. I knew before even looking at it what the answer was. On a $125.00 bill, that’s about $20, so BACK TO KOHL’S we went. At this point, the other two “teams” (Jennifer and Joel, Rebecca and Wendy) who set out to shop much later than Julie and I did were all returning home. Fabulous.
At Kohl’s, even though it was the CASHIER’S ERROR, I was sent all the way back to customer service, where a snippy little girl asked me what was wrong. I told her. She then proceeded to answer the phone and help facilitate the longest ever hunt for a credit card. Meanwhile, a new customer service rep came to the back and asked if I was being helped. Stupidly, I said yes. When she turned to help the person standing behind me, I was just DONE. I said, “Wait – that girl’s phone call has nothing to do with helping me. I still need to be helped!” She ignored me. Then the snippy girl got off the phone and told me she had to “return” all the items and rescan them, and that it would take a long time. I said that’s fine. Eight million hours later, after she threw my receipts back at me, I LEFT for the third time.
We had a $10 off anything coupon at Younkers that we frugalistas could not waste, so we spend eight million more hours just trying to find something that wasn’t excluded or a “bonus buy” that we could use the stupid thing on. Finally, around 7:00 a.m., exhausted emotionally and physically, we headed back to Joel’s parents’ house.
I couldn’t help but think about the madness of Black Friday. Last year, one person even died in the stampedes. This year, adults were getting in brawls outside of a toy store. Why do we let all humanity, kindness, generosity, and general good behavior go out the window to save a couple bucks? When did we become so greedy? And how did I become one of them?
I got my good deals – but at what cost? I’m sure there are some people out there that, while they’ve probably forgotten it by now and I will never see them again, don’t think very highly of my actions that day. It was certainly an eye-opener to what our nation is about, and what started as a pleasant day turned into a chaotic mess….and it was only 7:00 in the morning.
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