And that brings the 16th edition of my Christmas Music Marathon to a close. May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas. May the Light of the World shine brightly in your life and may the joy of Christmas follow you through a most blessed New Year.

I am going to take a little break, so I will post again in the new year.

We had a wedding!!! The youngest grand daughter got married. This image is the four grandkids in the courtyard of the wedding venue. It was a wonderful evening. More photos will be posted at a later date.

Seems like yesterday, it was 2007!

On a different note, the other day we decided to take a couple of photos in our wedding attire. Lucy decided she needed to be in the photo, so my wife picked her up and Lucy looked directly into the lens while I snapped the images. It made us both laugh out loud!

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Have a blessed Christmas celebration with those you love and may you have a memory making day.

We have been blessed with four wonderful grandchildren. In 2016 only the oldest grand daughter (far right) had graduated high school and was in college. Each addition of a grandchild changed the family dynamic in some way. In 2019, the oldest grand daughter got married and in 2023 gave birth to the first great-grandson. There is truth in the song, “A Baby Changes Everything”.

We are in the final week before Christmas and it is time to pull out two of my all-time favorite videos. We have seen the the birth of Christ was announced by prophets over 700 years prior to the event and they told us every detail. The 9th chapter of Isaiah declares, “a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders and he will be called: wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah also tells us that a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and call His name Immanuel (God is with us) and Micah 5:2 declares that Bethlehem will be the birthplace of the Savior. On the night of the birth of Christ a host of angels announced the arrival of the Messiah to shepherds in nearby fields. Why were shepherds among the first to hear the news? After all, shepherds were a pretty rough crowd.

The job of a shepherd required that he guard the flock from wild animals and thieves, keep them calm during storms, and lead them to green pastures and pure water. They were not looked upon with much favor in society. All of this shows us that the King of kings and Lord of lords came for everyone. When John 3:16 says, “whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but be saved”, it means everyone regardless of who they may be. Christ did not come only for the wealthy, intelligent, and governing class, He came to save whosoever because all of us are in need of salvation! It is the reason all, who have placed their faith in Christ can sing Hallelujah for that most Holy Night.

May the peace that only comes from the heart of our Savior live in you and yours this holiday season. Merry Christmas to one and all.

The Ghosts of Christmas Past 2019-20

The great grandsons meet Santa Claus!

There are a couple of new ornaments on the tree this year. My wife and a few of her friends took a “girl trip” to New York City. They saw the sights & sites, including the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. Since this is the Rockettes 100th anniversary, it was mandatory to bring home a commemorative ornament. When you get to check an item off your bucket list you need to have a token of the accomplishment.

That lady in the front right, with the big smile on her face is thoroughly enjoying the bright lights of the Big Apple. Have a blessed day.

Most of the images I have shown this season have come from photos I have taken in restaurants, retail stores and flea markets. I don’t own the objects and they don’t occupy any space in our home. Today I’m going to take a little different path to the music. It will be a little more family oriented. Have a blessed week.

Christmas has always been about the birth of a Savior. There is a special joy when we can celebrate as a family and, with the grandcrew growing into young adults and going their own ways, that is becoming harder to do. One of the reasons I have always captured images of the family at Easter, Christmas, and other special occasions is so I can pull the images up from the past and enjoy the memories once again. Today is one of those days.

This image is from 2021 and the sense of humor expressed here is as much my daughter’s as it is the kids.

Every year I change the lights just a little to present a new look to the season.

The focus of the Christmas story in literature and song is Jesus, as it should be. A lot has been written about Mary in literature and song, the mother of the Savior, as it should be. What about Joseph? Scholars tell us that Mary and Joseph were probably in their teens when Christ was born. When it became known that Mary was pregnant Joseph had a decision to make. Since their marriage had not been consummated, Joseph was advised to end the relationship because many thought she had been unfaithful to her betrothed.

As Joseph pondered his options he received an angelic visit as was informed that his bride was going to give birth to the Messiah. In order to protect Mary from public ridicule, Joseph took Mary with him to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. Prophecy tells us that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem and Joseph was descended from the line of king David, fulfilling additional prophecy. Being obedient to God, through the voice of an angel, Joseph became the earthly caregiver to the King of kings.