O Night Divine

I love singing Christmas carols and always look forward to them in church during the holiday season.  We sing with our church to the shut ins, bringing fruit baskets and cheer every year.  I  hear them on the radio in the car, and in the stores as we Christmas shop, on commercials, and TV specials.  This time of year we are surrounded with the songs of the holidays.  I sing them as on automatic pilot, enjoying, but not always thinking beyond my voice while I sing.  One of the girls was caroling today singing: "Mark the Harold angel sings, glory to the newborn king"   

In came O HOLY NIGHT, knocking at my door.  It's always been a favorite Christmas song, the commercial I'll turn up to hear, heard often enough to almost make it trite.  However it was one of the songs chosen to sing in our choir this year and sing, and sing, and sing.   And every time I sang there was a phrase whispering to me, 'pay attention'.  Here is the the first part of the song:

O Holy Night

O holy Night the stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees.  Oh, hear the angels voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O holy night, O night divine.

Never before had those words revealed themselves in such a way.  The whole reason for that first Christmas was us, the world in sin and error pining, heavy and tired with the hopelessness of our own sin .

 Worthless, and out of hope.    

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.  Worth, what a word,  has your soul felt its worth?   "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son",  what a price was paid.   God gave his only son to pay the ransom for our soul.   Until recently, not really noticing before and having just sung the song thoughtlessly, I thought the world was the big blue ball we live on, not really the humanity, us, Me, that the song refers to.  
  
Wow, Alisha in sin and error pining, till He appeared and my soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary Alisha rejoices,  for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.  Fall on your knees! Oh hear the angel voices, O night divine when Christ my savior was born!

My soul feels its worth, I am a Child of the King, Savior of the world.  O Holy Night!

All I want for Christmas is...

As written by Anya:

Dear Santa,

How are you and Mrs. Claus doing? I hope you guys are good. How are your reindeer doing? Say hello to Mrs. Claus please. Thank you so much for the toys you gave me last time Santa. Me and my sisters are doing good today. I like you guys!

What I want for Christmas this year is a little Mermaid doll, some bubble gum, a candy necklace and a my little pony, tinker bell figurines set, lip sparkler celestial strawberry, some caramel candy, fairy and a fairy acorn house, chocolate marshmallow Santa, Beauty and the Beast movie, Belle doll and some twister color crayons, a princess and the frog doll and a Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue movie.
Are you allergic to nuts, or other things?

Love, Anya


As Dictated by Lila,

Dear Santa, 

How is Mrs Claus doing and the reindeer?  How are the elves?  How do your reindeer feel?   Can you send me a picture sometime?  I would like to see how big you are.  Do you always eat cookies, or do you eat healthy stuff, what do you eat?  
    Can I have some Tangled figurines, a fairy log house with fairies, the Great Fairy Rescue movie, and a set of old fashioned cars?  But most of all I would like to have Aunt Cheryl for Christmas and snow.

I love you,  Lila



And by Annette (exactly):

Dear Santa,

I love you so much and I love Mrs Claus, I love the elves, and love cookies.  I love to eat them with Santa and Mrs. Claus too.  I love Daddy and Mommy, and Lila and Anya and Santa and Mrs. Claus.  I love to get pictures with you.  I love Santa,  I love Mrs. Claus!  I love Grandma Ahmi, and Mama Teri!
  I would like a John Smith doll, a pink marshmallow (Mushroom) fairy house with a pink roof.
I would like some toy cars to play with Justin. I love Justin I want to marry him when I grow up, and I would like a picture of Justin and me.  I would like an elephant family, a mommy, a daddy, and brother and sister.

Love Annette.