Grinch-heart update

I'm really trying hard, ya know? I don't want to be a scrooge. I just am. Some things have been helping, though.

The weather hasn't gotten above freezing in two days, and today will be more of the same. We've had fire in the fireplace and hot soup.

I've cranked up the Lost and Found Christmas CD, which is way more my style (if you missed the comic strip "Non Sequiter" yesterday where the guy had a jam box and a wheelbarrow full of money with more people adding to it, and a sign that said, "Will Not Play Any Christmas Music: $5"...well, I don't like much Christmas music). Think Violent Femmes singing your favorite carols. You don't have to like it...but it's more my style.

I watched an old Christmas show called "A Wish For Wings That Work" and had forgotten what a wonderful Christmas special that is. If anyone can find that on DVD, I'll pay more than it's worth to own a copy.

I accidentally saw a clip from "It's a Wonderful Life" on an advertisement.

I hung out at Starbucks yesterday and ran into about 10 students and former students (in addition to the two people I was meeting there...who had a problem they wanted to discuss, which was difficult, but I think we left with a handle on it) and got caught up with them.

We played our annual joke on Sherry, one of our support staff...one in which we hang this silly cherub over her desk from a wire, and this year, we added a spotlight and it's all set for her arrival this morning.

My friend Dave and I made our annual Festivus jokes...it's a perfect release for pastors who get fed up with the superficial focus of this holiday to expound on the created holiday Frank Costanza made up on Seinfeld. Festivus for "the rest of us" who don't buy into the fake commercial Christmas stuff...and Dave and I have quite a list of additions to the allusions made on Seinfeld.

We have our Christmas Eve planned out. This year, Shelby told me that it's "tradition" that we see a movie on Christmas Eve afternoon. Tracy and I checked with each other to make sure our memories weren't haywire, and no, we've NEVER done that...but we gave Shelby points for creativity and will go see a movie.

I've prepared my Christmas Eve sermon (see
Peripatetics, our student ministry web site Bible study) which always gets me going.

Tracy informed me part of my problem was that I hadn't watched "Christmas Vacation" yet, so that's on the agenda for after church tonight.

I guess what I'm saying is that my Grinch-heart now has the x-ray machine in front of it and is preparing to bust the machine. It took longer this year than ever before (if I'd gone to New York City last week, it would've busted the machine already as there's no better Christmas preparation than just walking around the area near Rockefeller Plaza), but I guess it's better late than never.

So, Merry Christmas and all that jazz...I'm getting there. Slowly but surely.