Christmas is Coming...Are You Ready?

Ah...another Christmas season is upon us.  The radio announcer told me it is now less than six weeks until Christmas.  Stores' shelves are filled with Christmas merchandise while the air is filled with Christmas tunes and holiday "cheer" is finding room in people's hearts.  Ah yes, the Christmas spirit...the hustle and bustle of the shops, the hob-knobbing of the office Christmas parties, the rushing to and fro to get things just right, the endless baking and gift exchanges, "Merry Christmas" after "Happy Holiday" and "Festivus for the Rest of Us!"  And on it goes until we collapse on Christmas morning ever so glad the season is behind us for another 364 days.  SERENITY NOW!!

I say not this year, we can do better.  We can spend so much time trying to build some prefabricated experience  of Christmas that we end up missing the point of it all.  My family wants to step back and do something different but are often compelled to participate lest we rob our children of some essential memories of childhood.  And before you know it we are swept away...I'm saying let's get ahead of the Christmas bustle this year.  Let's pause now, before the inertia of the holidays carries us away.  Let's take back Christmas, reshape it and recast it so that it's no longer another hallmark holiday and rather it becomes a Holy day once again.

We do the whole gift thing in our family and we spend tons of time together over copious amounts of food.  Our kids like getting presents and you know what, I really like giving presents and that's okay.  But we try to be deliberate in making sure our focus is more on Jesus than on us during Christmas (and ideally throughout the whole year, no?).  For us this means that our giving comes from the desire to bless each other, because we love one another.  Therefore we try not to get caught up in how many presents we got each other, how much we spent, or if we got the "perfect" present.  Which I'm glad for because I have to admit I used to get stressed out if I didn't find the right gift that conveyed how important my wife was to me and how very much I loved her (in retrospect I think that's asking a little much from a gift).  We spend less on us and give more to various charities.  We want to give more of our time...admittedly we guard our time closely now but I think as the girls get older we'll be able to devote more of our time serving others.  In short, we try to pay tribute to Christ's incarnation by putting that love that we are supposed to have for one another (neigbours and strangers and all) into action.  Again, it would be ideal to do this year round...but it is good to have a touchstone date to remind us of that which we ought to be doing all the time.

The thing is, if you try to live that love out throughout the year, it takes a lot of the pressure off of getting it "right" at Christmas.  You know, if you try to be a blessing to others, through gifts and especially through other means, spend quality and quantity time together and serve others a little bit more throughout the year then it's like having Christmas all year round without the stress of having to do it all in a 4-6 week window.

So in light of the coming Christmas, here is a little video to inspire you to raise the standard Christmas and a link below the video if you want to know more about such stuff.

Advent Conspiracy

Heroes They Were and Heroes They Are

We took the girls downtown yesterday to see the Remembrance Day ceremony at the war memorial.  They were very proud to see Grampa up on the memorial as one of the WWII veterans present.  I believe it was a significant moment for them and one that I hope they remember.  John, my father-in-law, is the second veteran that I've been close with.  My own Grampa was a WWII vet as well and I have clear memories of proudly watching him in a Remembrance Day ceremony.

I've benefited greatly from my relationship with my father-in-law.  One very tangible way is in the wisdom and perspective that he readily passes down to me.  He will be the first to say that he doesn't have it all figured out but I'm not sure he gives himself enough credit.  I believe that age should speak wisdom and the young listen closely and hopefully learn.  One topic that John readily discusses is the war - which has given me a whole new perspective and even greater respect for the men and women whose efforts and lives were given to the war.

It's so important for us and especially the next generation, my kids, to remember the horror of war.  The farther we get from the last great war, the less impact it seems to have on us.  Whether it's because we have become desensitized to the terrible aspects of war due to the constant barrage of violence as entertainment or the ubiquitous coverage of contemporary conflicts (covered in such a way that often casts it as an uber-reality show), the devastation of WWII seems to be slipping into the history books.  Sometimes I forget that the consequences of that war are still being felt.

Just from a physical, literal stance - the wounds of the war are still wreaking havoc.   My father-in-law still has trouble sleeping some nights because of the bullet fragments left in his arm that he collected running across a field in Holland.  On a whole other level he questions what it was all about...he's still coming to terms, wrestling with the things he saw and did in the war.  He often talks about the boys on the other side of the war, how they were probably just like him.  Here they were, trying to kill each other...why?  Because they were ordered to.  For freedom and democracy.  To defend those who could not defend themselves.  Sure.

Sure...all of that.  But often it came down to the fact that they were boys trying to stay alive. I've heard John say time and again that it doesn't make any sense.  He ponders the notion that during the war, him and I (if I were older) could have been shooting at each other (due to my Finnish heritage).  But here we are...now...family.

The Remembrance Day ceremony is something else.  It's a great tribute - but let it not be just in remembrance of those things done and gone.  Sometimes I think that on Remembrance Day, it's easy to go through the motions...it's easy to wear a poppy and say the right things.  We remember the bygone sacrifices and are grateful for the freedoms we enjoy.  But sometimes I think we do it all on a very superficial level that does a disservice to the depth of the sacrifices made (past and present) by our men and women in the Forces...many of which have resounded through the generations and are still being and will continue to be felt.

Heroes they were, and heroes they still are - lest we forget.

Remember

Pop Culture Daddy Hall of Fame III: Cubs Over Bears

Charles Tillman, cornerback of the Chicago Bears made some minor news this week by voicing his intention to be at his wife's side for the birth of their baby - even if it meant he would miss this weekend's game against the Houston Texans.  Apparently, according to the writer, there were some detractors who claimed that he had a duty to be on the field since players only play in 16 games a year.  "Rubbish," I say. 

The fact that there is even any debate as to where Tillman should be is ridiculous.  We're talking about the start of a new life that he helped create.  We're talking about being by his wife as she goes through one of the hardest things a living being has to go through.  How many times has she probably stood by him as he goes about his "business" of playing a game?  How many times has she picked up the slack that enables him to pursue excellence on the grid-iron?  How can anyone expect that her needs at a time like this would be relegated to second fiddle because football's fan base takes the game a little too seriously?

I say, way to step up and be a man Tillman, despite the pressures of your marketplace. Good on you for choosing to be a husband and a father first before being a football player.  Truth be told very few people will remember Tillman the football player in 50 years...sure he'll probably be part of some nice montages, maybe even make it to the hall of fame.  But really...can you name the top cornerback from 50 years ago?  How about QB's?  That's a little easier, but tell me, do you remember the games that Unitas or Tarkenton missed?  I can't...it doesn't make a difference to their legacy as a football player.  But I bet you their families would be able to tell you the things they missed because of football.

My point is, for all of us, we have to measure our legacy against things and people that actually matter - against those that our choices really have an effect on.  That's why it has been easy for me to take parental leave for each of my kids - two years out of a 35 year career isn't going to be missed, at the end of it all.  But 2 years given to my family now has had a tremendous effect now and will be remembered down the road possibly through the next generation.  Tillman's kids and grandkids will be talking about him long after crazed football fans have shifted their attention to the next generation of Bears...they'll share stories of Tillman the husband and father that surely will eclipse the memories of Tillman the cornerback held by the masses.

So here's to Charles Tillman and his family as they prepare for their new arrival!  May they be blessed for making the right decision and for being an example and an inspiration to the masses.

Ryan the Tool Man?

I love home ownership.  I'll tell you why, because it forces you to become a handy-man.  It's great being able to work on something in the house and know that I can do whatever I want to it because it's mine.  I woke up one morning in the spring, felt a little restless and so I decided to knock a wall down.  Not just any wall, the first wall you see when you enter the front door. Since I've moved into this house, I've done my fair share of painting, plumbing, electrical work, wood work, demolition, construction and all around general labour.  Before this summer when I built my own fence, the last big woodworking project I undertook was when I was six years old and built a toy helicopter out of scrap pieces of wood. 

I'm not saying my craftsmanship is top notch, definitely not at a professional level, but I generally get the job done - even if it doesn't always look the prettiest.  Then there are other times that I'll work a couple of days on trying to solve a problem - like the clogged basement sink that I took the completely apart including the plumbing - only to have to end up calling in a pro.  But even then, I end up knowing a lot more than I did when I started.

I love the projects that I don't even know are coming.  Like the other day when my wife and I went to Ikea to buy a shelf and ended up walking out with a new ceiling light for the dining room.  I didn't even know we were considering replacing the 40 year old chandelier that was hanging in the dining room...I thought we liked that ol' thing.  Well, now we have a little more modern "pendant" light.  Very chic.

As I sit here and feel good about my ability to play with electricity and hook up a light, I realize just how much more needs doing around here.  Yes - owning a house is great blessing...a privilege.  And like all privileges it comes with a lot of responsibility.  Sometimes we let our blessings become burdens - but it's all perspective.  I'm blessed with a house - work and all.  I'm also lucky that once in awhile that work includes taking an axe to a wall or a chainsaw to the logs in my backyard...fun stuff!

GRUNT GRUNT GRUNT!!

Someone Tell the Kids

Ahh...fall back time.  The end of daylight savings...when we gain an extra hour.  The best part about it is the extra hour of sleep gained on this day.  That is of course unless you have kids who are young enough that time is still kind of an abstract concept to them.

Even on regular days the girls don't seem to care about what time they wake up at.  All they care about is that they're awake and ready to go and no amount of rationalizing with them will do.  I've been woken up at four o'clock or before at times by a kid who is convinced it is time to wake up.  And you would think that it's a treat when you tell them, you don't have to get up for another 4 hours...but it's not.  They're just excited to be awake and see what good things the day has for them.

I wonder when that excitement ends?  I suppose it's when you stop getting the proper amount of sleep required to feel rested in the morning.  It would help not to be woken up multiple times through the night for various reasons from needing a drink to wanting a back rub.  I don't know why kids don't seem to be affected by late nights or rough nights.  And I don't know why they don't coordinate their rough nights.  It'd be nice if both decided to sleep through the night on the same night - or if both decided to sleep in on the same day.  But they don't.  One of them usually sleeps in while the other one gets up and gets everyone else up.

Ahhh...to be young and carefree again.  If I knew then what I know now, I think I would have slept more...but then again life is grand and too good to spend in bed...unless you have young kids, then a day in bed sure seems as good as a month in paradise.

Post-Mortem: Halloween

Well it turned out to be a perfect night for trick or treating.  No rain, nice and warm...fantastic.

Despite being a bit sick, we decided to take the girls out for a quick tour of the neighbourhood to see what we could scour up.  I'm very impressed with my girls tonight.

Noli made it for about a block and a half, maybe two blocks then she decided that she had enough.  So she hopped in the stroller and lounged for most of the rest of the night.  Evie was raring to go and demonstrated such empathy and consideration for Noli that I couldn't help but be impressed.  At each stop, she advocated for Noli, her poor little sister who wasn't feeling well and of her own initiative collected candy for her.  Then when she decided her bag was full enough, she took Noli's bag door to door as she felt Noli didn't have enough on account of her stopping after a block and a bit.

She pretended to be Balto, the heroic sled-dog who braved harsh conditions in 1925 to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska, who badly needed it to save some of Nome's citizens, particularly its young people.  Of course Noli was the sick child and the candy the serum.  Evie bravely trudged along though her legs grew tired and her arms weary from carrying her burden...until she decided that Noli finally had enough candy.  Then it was time to go home.

We weren't out very long at all...my wife and I had to confirm that they in deed wanted to go home.  It surprises me that they have the wherewithal to know when they've had enough - despite the availability of untold amounts of candy.  There's often the temptation to project our own thoughts and feelings onto a child (don't they know we could have gotten so much more candy?) but to what end.  I was worried that they would miss out...but really how wise of them is it to be content with the amount that they deemed enough without spending time on extra candy that they don't want and certainly don't need?  Ah, lessons learned from kids...if only we could always be content with "enough" without constantly striving for more.  How much more at peace would we be?  It's something to think about.