Yesterday Bob & I were treated to a wonderful opportunity. Our friends, Ann & John, drove us in to Bozeman to enjoy the phenomenal “Christmas Spectacular” by the Bozeman Symphony.
The players were joined by the Symphony choir and an amazing tenor soloist, Tamar Green. I broke the rules, held my phone down where no one could see it, and recorded a bit of Tamar’s extraordinary voice. You just have to hear him!!
I held the phone down in front of the chair… Oh, please listen. His voice is amazing!!
His personality is as enchanting as his singing voice. When he is not here, he is in New York, on Broadway, playing the part of George Washington in the musical, Hamilton!!
I had to peek between two tall heads to see him – and lean over between two other heads to see the amazing conductor, Norman Huynh, but I managed… and was mesmerized by the lighting, the staging, and the quality of the musicians.
We are so blessed to have this delightful, talented conductor here with us in Bozeman, MT. He is such a gift to our music community! Thank you, Norman!!
The light show on the walls left, right, above, and on the stage was such an enhancement to the show!
As you can tell by the menorah, the music was varied and celebrated many of this season’s traditions.
The concert ended with a rousing singalong. I wish you coulda been there with us!
Did you sing along? Could you hear it?
Try not to let my scratchy alto voice distract you from the fun of an auditorium of music lovers singing with gusto!
Silent Night is my favorite carols. What is yours?
I hope you have a chance to attend a spectacular Christmas concert in your area, this season.
God bless you, dear friends! Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas!
The Christmas cards are done They’re ready to be mailed But we can’t leave our home We’d surely be derailed
The winds were 40 mph gusts, and The drifts have blown like crazy I’ll have to ZOOM church tomorrow And it’s not cuz I am lazy
I’d attend if I could get out And after church I’d go To the post office to mail the cards But I can’t get through the snow
So we are at the mercy Of a kind and helpful neighbor When he comes with his bobcat blower We’ll watch him work and thank him later
He’ll blow out the driveway And clear a path for us So we can get to church Without shoveling and lots of fuss
But if you don’t see us And if our card to you doesn’t come, You might send out a sled team To rescue us… we’re frozen and numb!
That’s our driveway that’s the culprit The wind swirls the snow in piles Inside between the rabbit brush It blows in from many miles
That photo was a light snow This time it’s at least two feet tall After our neighbor plowed us out The piles were a five foot wall!
We haven’t seen a winter like this This storm has been a doozy It started way too early this year – The freezing wind makes me woozy
The Christmas cards are done They’re ready to be mailed But like I said, I’m stuck in here Our Christmas travel might be curtailed
Try coming in through the drifts I’ve some hot chocolate to share But if you don’t make it here Mr Snowman will be content floating there
Hope you’re having a happy December so far. God bless you! Stay in touch.
Love ya, JanBeek
Take a look at this photo I found! That’s me – pregnant with our 1st child, Ty. And that’s my sis and her hubby with my niece, Denise and my mom and dad… 1964 Christmas … Sweet memories!
That’s the luncheon at our Madison Valley Woman’s Club yesterday. 45 ladies showed up from our little Ennis community!
My dear friend, Susan P, came and helped me decorate our house from tree to…
…fireplace mantle and lotsa places around the house. She did things I could never do by myself. God bless her!
Those candles on the mantle are battery operated and can be set to change colors!!
Isn’t that fun? They can all be one of any choice of 8 colors or they can rotate. Good ole CostCo. They have lotsa fun things to get you in the holiday spirit!
But nothing depicts the Christmas season quite as well as this treasure that I found at our Christmas bazaar last Saturday. It’s a manger scene made by a darling lady in Nairobi. She used the bark from banana trees!!
It’s not Christmas unless we recognize the nativity as central to the holiday!
Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas at your house? Tell me about it!
Have fun fixing your home to reflect this holiday season in a way that is meaningful for you.
For me and my family, it’s Christmas…
Thanking God for the gift of Baby Jesus, sharing time with family & friends, sending out cards, decorating with trees, candles, music and presents…
and the fun has just begun!
Our TazE looks just like this Boston on the right. She has decided the blanket under the tree is her bed. She thinks the presents are for her. Help!
Have fun this Christmas season… and good luck keeping your dog, cat or kids out from under the Christmas tree!
I was up in my sanctuairee this morning reflecting on the subject of waiting, anticipating the coming of Christmas – and I realized, Oh Lord, help me my God!! I mixed up Lent and Advent!! I said we had 40 days of waiting for the Christ Child during Advent! No, no, no… Lent is the 40 days of waiting for Easter, Advent is the 4 weeks before Christmas with 4 Sundays to celebrate the coming of the Baby in the manger. It might be the period of time the Wise Men followed the star to find the manger scene and present their gifts to the Savior.
But there is a mystery about the Wise men and their travel to follow the star. The wise men arrived after the birth. If they saw the star at the moment of Jesus’ birth, then it would have taken at least a few months for the wise men to arrive.
Regardless of the time it took the Wise Men to travel, since when did Nov. 27 to Dec. 25 equal 40 days?? Sheesh!!
The season of Advent is celebrated over four Sundays before Christmas – this year, those Sundays are Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, 11, and 18. The Advent season ends at sundown on Christmas Eve. The end of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical or church year for Christians.
So, this season of “Waiting” is a time when my Jewish friends wait, too. They celebrate Hanukkah. The word Hanukkah is Hebrew for “dedication,” which refers to the rededication of the temple after the Maccabees’ victory. They need to wait for that season to begin on December 19th. Hanukkah, (Hebrew: “Dedication”) also spelled Ḥanukka, Chanukah, or Chanukkah, also called Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights, or Feast of the Maccabees, Jewish festival that begins on Kislev 25 (usually in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. Hanukkah reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and often involves a festival with lighting of candles each day of the festival. Although not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Hanukkah came to be widely celebrated and remains one of the most popular Jewish religious observances. Hanukkah is celebrated from Monday, December 19 to Monday, December 26 in 2022.
The menorah is a symbol of Hanukkah. The menorah is meant to spread light to others. It is traditionally placed in a window,on a table or outside your door. Jewish faithfuls are supposed to light the menorah just after dark each night of Hanukkah.
As Christians, we pause and take time to put up our Christmas tree, decorate our home, our church, our community, and purchase the presents we want to give to our loved ones. Santa Claus has usurped the place of Jesus Christ as the central Christmas figure in many homes. It’s not Santa’s birthday we wait for and celebrate, however.
It’s not 40 days til Christmas! It’s coming sooner than you think… sooner than I imagined! We need to approach this season as innocent children… a Child of God … waiting expectantly. Focusing on the real Reason for the Season.
Jesus actually tells us to be like children and to come to Him full of faith and trust. The popular children‘s song “Jesus Loves the Little Children” reminds us that “all are precious in His sight” and no matter your race, gender or nationality, God wants to see all children come to Him.
So, forgive my “Ooops!” from yesterday… and get busy, my friends. Finish up those Thanksgiving leftovers, and get in the spirit! And let’s look – as through the eyes of a child – at what Advent really means:
Thanks for visiting JanBeek and my OOOPS today! See ya tomorrow.
Hugs to you and your loved ones!
By the way, I am missing the Bell Choir this year. Our director, Jan Thomas, is moving from Ennis to Bozeman. Tomorrow the moving van comes. Keep her and her hubby in prayer, wouldja? They are going to be sorely missed in our community.
We are WAITING for a new bell choir director to emerge. Got any recommendations?