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Christmas!
12/25/00
Look! It's another useless page put up solely for my own pleasure! (Hee-hee)
Well, I'm currently sitting at my computer listening to my new "Audio Adrenaline" Underdog CD on my new discman (thanx, Santa!). I love the Houseplant Song.
I hope everybody is having as good a Christmas as I am. I went to our church's Christmas Eve service last night. I love the candles. I went into the counter's office afterword and found the box that they came in. I think it's very interesting that our church uses menorah candles from Israel for our Christmas Eve service. :)
I finally got the third book in "His Dark Materials" series! Yay! (The Amber Spyglass) Merry Christmas to Philip Pullman! (See here for my changed opinion on this subject.)
Well, in closing, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and I'm wishing you a kiss under the mistletoe.
Once I read a book and this is what it said, if your music has a beat then your gonna wind up dead! It doesn't matter if it's Christian or not, if its syncopated rhythm then your soul is gonna rot and this book was called "Ha! You're Gonna Burn!" and in the second chapter I went on to learn... Take two houseplants and put 'em to the test: set em both in front of speakers and put em to the test. The first one you play Mozart or something lovely like that, the second one you play that Petra or that Megadeth, doesn't really matter what kind of rock it is...
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Words by Henry W. Longfellow, Music by J. Baptiste Calkin
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th'unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bow'd my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
the wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
We Three Kings of Orient Are
Words and music by John H. Hopkins
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
Chorus:O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect light.
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain,
Gold I bring, to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Chorus
Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh,
Pray'r and praising, all men raising,
Worship Him, God most High.
Chorus
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Seal'd in the stone-cold tomb.
Chorus
Glorious now behold Him arise,
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Earth to the heav'ns replies.
Chorus
What Child is This?
Words traditional, sung to the tune of "Greensleeves"
What Child is this,
Who laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fea: for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading:
Nails, spear, shall pierce Him through,
The Cross be born, for me, for you:
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Song of Mary!
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king, to own Him,
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
* . (\ *** /) * . *
. * (\ (_) /) * Guardian Angel *
. . (_/ll1\_) . * .
.* . /___\ * .. *
* THE CHRISTMAS LETTER *
Snowflakes softly falling
Upon your window play,
Your blankets snug around you,
into sleep you drift away.
I bend to gently kiss you,
when I see that on the floor
There's a letter, neatly written
I wonder who it's for.
I quietly unfold it
making sure you're still asleep,
It's a Christmas list for Santa-
one my heart will always keep.
It started just as always
with the toys seen on TV,
A new watch for your father
and a winter coat for me.
But as my eyes read on
I could see that deep inside
There were many things you wished for
that your loving heart would hide.
You asked if your friend Molly
could have another dad;
It seems her father hits her
and it makes you very sad.
Then you asked dear Santa
if the neighbors down the street
Could find a job, that he might have
some food, and clothes, and heat.
You saw a family on the news
whose house had blown away;
"Dear Santa, send them just one thing:
a place where they can stay."
"And Santa, those four cookies that
I left you for a treat,
Could you take them to the children
who have nothing else to eat?"
"Do you know that little bear I have-
the one I love so dear?
I'm leaving it for you to take
to Africa this year."
"And as you fly your reindeer
on this night of Jesus" birth,
Could your magic bring to everyone
goodwill and peace on earth?"
"There's one last thing before you go-
so grateful I would be-
If you'd smile at Baby Jesus
in the manger by our tree."
I pulled the letter close to me;
I felt it melt my heart.
Those tiny hands had written
what no other could impart.
"And a little child shall lead them,"
was whispered in my ear
As I watched you sleep on Christmas Eve
while Santa Claus was here.
-- Author Unknown
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
written by Francis P. Church
Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? ~Virginia O'Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!
Oh! The eclipse is in an hour. I need to go. Bye!
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