Charlie Brown: I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree. Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about.
Charlie Brown: [shouting in desperation] Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?

A young child was watching A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS while her mom tried to get some work done at Starbucks. I tuned out most of the movie, but was struck by this very memorable line (can’t you just hear Charlie Browns low voice shouting it?)

Holiday lights are going up around our neighborhood already; we put ours up on Sunday. Holiday cheer seems to be bright this year. And if it weren’t for the fiscal cliff, we would probably be having an amazing commercial holiday. But as I talked with friends this last weekend who were shaking their heads at how early everyone was decorating I thought back on three years ago. Deep in the recession our neighborhood looked bleak during that holiday season. Some half-hearted lights up here or there, but mainly all was quiet.

I am trying to remember if this was also the year we got piles of snow here in the Northwest. So much, in fact, that no one could drive anywhere… even to the store for holiday groceries. Trudging through the snow with my backpack on, I grabbed what I could at our local Safeway. Some iceberg lettuce, frozen peas, some meat and potatoes. It wasn’t the best holiday meal I had ever prepared, but it was by far the nicest Christmas I’d had in a long time. Without the rushing around (since it was impossible to leave home) we hung out as a family. Things became
quiet… calm and bright.

Charlie Brown may have felt like his pathetic tree couldn’t stand up to the tinselly glamour of a commercial holiday, but ultimately, like us, the true spirit of Christmas shone through.

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Don’t forget to check out my FREE read from the Genre-istas coming out this Friday. Told by one of the BETTING JESSICA side characters, Cynthia, it is a fun story about how crazy family holidays can sometimes be.

“It’s a gift.”

My life right now is a lot about gifts… There are 4 family birthdays in September alone… with my dad’s falling on October 1st. So within the space of 2 weeks I shop for many different presents (not to mention the many birthday
party gifts to buy). Out of all of these, though, my husband is the most difficult to find.

So my overhear today was a gift in itself. The people were talking of the weather… a perfect fall day here in the northwest is always something to be thankful for. As the weather turns I find myself focusing more and more on the impending loss of our beloved sunshine. Viewed from this angle it doesn’t feel very much like a gift… it feels more like a taunt.

Still… if it is a gift, where are the wrapping paper and bows? Where’s the card that comes with it or the fanfare? Can gifts simply show up, unannounced and potentially unrecognized? Don’t gifts have to be acknowledged in order to be gifts?

Does God ever feel unappreciated?

I am 1:1 this year… one gift that missed its mark and another that hit right at the heart. But then my husband’s birthday is still to come and I am at a loss. I planned to get the laundry done early so he wouldn’t have to
(sorry to my mom friends here, yes, he does most of the washing and folding in our house.) But this morning he beat me to it.

I wanted to get him a special book… the one great idea I had, but it was out of stock. (Sorry honey!) We plan to spend the morning together just the two of us… will that time be enough of a gift, I wonder? Can I shine so
brightly on his day that he can’t fail to recognize it for the gift it is?

I hope so… because as of yet, it’s the best idea I have. I’ll take any ideas you have, so send them on over when you can. And in the meantime, we will all be grateful for the wonderful sunny day.