the Bethlehem Candle

This morning at church we were the family that lit the Advent wreath candles and led the responsive reading. This is the second Sunday of Advent, and I read to everyone today that the second candle is the Bethlehem candle. Since I was dreadfully ill last Sunday, I am left wondering what the first candle is named. David and Dennis did a masterful job lighting the candles! This was early in the service, and Dennis opted to go back to his children's church room, saying "Big Church is loud--the music is too loud!". Going to have to let him hear organ music more often so that he can appreciate it! He'll be attending the Christmas Eve service with us, and next Sunday he'll be attending morning and evening services in Big Church. The preschoolers are coming in to watch the children's choir musical in the morning service, and the preschoolers will be singing in an evening service. We don't often have evening church, but we are during this season of Advent. Tonight, in fact, Dennis and I attended the youth group's special program, and he loved watching the drama team and handbell choir, the guitar, piano, and violin music, the solos--each member of the youth group demonstrated a talent or spoke about the meaning of Christmas to them. Dennis and I sat by his friend Grace and her mother (the children's minister), and he was surprisingly well behaved! He LOVED watching all that was going on, and most especially loved the handbells and the sign language performance of Silent Night. And I left refreshed and renewed, ready to keep the focus of Christmas where it should be.

After church this morning, I asked Dennis if he wanted to go home and cook lunch with me and he announced "let's just take a little drive--a little drive to San Marcos!". We didn't go, though. And tonight after the service, I asked if he was ready to go home and help me wrap his cousins' Christmas gifts. He said he wanted to go around and look at Christmas lights (and go get Happy Meals). I was excited because David has never been a fan of driving around to look at Christmas lights, and it was great that Dennis actually wanted to go so much that he suggested it. As we drove, he bombarded me with question after question after question. He asked what garland was, asked why we listen to Christmas music, asked me half a dozen times if we were lost (and if we were, we needed to "find a policeman and he will help us find our way"). Then he wanted to know where the policemen were and where their station was, and was it on a different road, and "where was the Lego store again? Was that Texas?" and "let's go to Ross right now and buy Daddy some pajama shirts to match his pajama pants--where is Daddy? Why is he at Winn Dixie? Why does he work there?" and "can we go to the Space and Rocket Center now?". We did actually see and comment on some lights. We saw a neighborhood with many tastefully decorated houses, and he commented that they were pretty, but what really excites him (and I admit, excites me as well) are the disorganized, redneck, every-color-of-light-outlining-every-straight-line-on-the-house-or-trailer displays with every tree in the yard illuminated and blinking all out of sync, weird inflatable decor combinations (Santa Snoopy, Santa Mickey, and The Wise Men?)--yep, that's the good stuff!

Time for bed--St. Nicholas comes early! We've left our shoes out in preparation. Dennis put out his largest shoes (his rain boots) so as to get the most stuff. I hope he's not disappointed to find that his rain boots have been switched for his Crocs. Probably not. They are crammed full of treats.

This was a very happy day here in Dennis world! Great church services, and long naps at home for both of us!