It's been a long time...

I've had this blog for quite a long time. I've changed the name and what not, but I know it's been here for at least a year - I deleted a picture from the pheasant hunt last year (2006). I've just never gotten around to publishing anything. I'm going to give this another shot and see what becomes of it. With that said...

It's the Christmas season, and contrary to what some of the people I know, I absolutely love Christmas. I can't stand the cold weather, but aside from that, I really love most everything to do with Christmas. As a child I would lie awake at night Christmas Eve trying to fall asleep, knowing what was in store for me the next morning. I'll always remember walking into our living room every Christmas morning and looking around in wonder at all of the gifts that Santa had brought during the night. Now that I'm a bit older, I don't struggle as much falling asleep, but my anticipation is just the same, except for one big difference. I can't wait to see the look on faces of my children when they walk into the living room to see what Santa brought. It's one of the highlights of my Christmas. Some of the other highlights are watching my wife open the gifts that I've gotten for her. I love seeing the smile on her face as she opens each gift.

There is another other joy I get at Christmas time, and that's the music. It starts early in my home - generally around August, but never later than September. I don't like it then, it's too early. But once December 1st arrives, I enjoy the sounds of Christmas. I like the classics, the hymns and the new stuff. I've become particularly fond of one album though. It's Michael Mclean's - The Forgotten Carols. Like most albums, there are some songs that I don't care much for, but there are a few that help bring the true spirit of Christmas home to me. My favorite is "Shepherd". The others are "The Innkeeper", "Dream" & "Joseph". These ring true to me every Christmas season. Lastly, I have one other reason I love Christmas day. It's my wife's birthday. As crazy as it sounds, I love celebrating her birthday each Christmas evening. It's not challenging for us, all of our kids understand what the evening brings. It's a great way to send the Christmas season away for another year.