A Christmas tradition

It used to be that we would bundle the girls up at about 10:30 at night, throw them in car and drive a 1/2 hour to North Portal on the Canada/US border to see the "Canadian Pacific Railway Holiday train".

For those unfamiliar with the "CPRHT", it is a train that is decorated with thousands of Christmas lights.  It has a boxcar with a side that folds down revealing a stage from which various performers sing Christmas songs.  The purpose is to raise money and food for food banks (Admission to the show is a non-perishable food item).

Anyway, the train used to arrive very late in North Portal and (though it was sort of corny) it was a fun little outing.  Riding home at about midnight or 1 o'clock in a long stream of cars heading back to Estevan is one of my vivid memories of those nights as well.   The other big memory is of how cold we usually were..... it was always super frosty!!

In the last few years, the train as come right into Estevan.  Worse than that, it shows up at about 5 pm when the sun is still up.

The kids are older now and it is not a really big deal anymore.  The daylight and the fact that we don't have to make a trip out of it, changes it.

But it is still sort of corny..... and super cold (the girls could not feel there legs by the time it was done this year) ...... and it is still part of our Christmas tradition.   Here are a couple of quick pictures......

Ooops.... that ain't good!

To understand the following story, you have to understand three things......

1.  If you come to my (Tim's) office, you will find an old picture of our church members.  It was taken in about 1956 and I have it in my office to remind me that things were happening here long before I showed up (in other words, the world does not revolve around me).

2.  If you come to my office, you will also see an aluminum bat.  Why?  Because of "Crazy Santa" that is why!  My office is in the far back corner of the building and one day this old dude (who sort of looked like Santa) came in asking for money.  When I did not give him any he became quite upset and refused to leave.  Finally I threw him out (not literally.... he could have been the real Santa after all) and since that time I have had a bat in my office for just such an occasion (If he had stabbed me or something I would have laid there forever until Sari came looking for me so.....)

3.  You need to know that I NEVER sit down while I am on the phone..... especially at the office.  Why?  Well, if you keep moving the snipers can't get a good shot at you.  If you sit behind the desk and talk on the phone, they know right where to aim (Same reason you close your curtains at night..... don't let the snipers get a clean shot!!!!  Lessons learned in the hood!)

Put all three of those things together and you have today's lesson.......

My mom called this morning, so of course I got up to talk to her.  While I am visiting and walking around my office, I see the bat, so I pick it up and start throwing it in the air like a juggler would throw a bowling pin.

Somehow, which is very strange considering my massive juggling skills, the bat shot straight out of my hand..... flew about 10 feet across the room..... and smashed right into the middle of the 1956 picture of the church people.... smashing the glass into a million pieces.

Now, keep in mind, this is about the only picture in my office..... it was on the floor leaning against the bookshelf (because I had used it as an illustration of something in a class recently)...... and I am a very accomplished juggler (or so I tell myself).

The best part:  I acted like nothing even happened.  Just kept talking to my mom about Christmas like everything was fine.... started cleaning up the glass..... and then, while I am on my hands and knees on the floor I hear "hello" from behind me.   Here is a lady who used to go to our church.  She wants to drop clothes off for our clothing outlet and here I am talking on the phone, crawling on the floor, with a bat, cleaning up glass from the picture I just smashed (From the confused look on her face, I don't think she is coming back to worship with us any time soon).

The moral of the story:  I don't think bats like pictures of church people.

The question I am going to ask some of the old people at church from now on:  Why, in 1957, didn't people put glass in picture frames??????   This one doesn't have any!  :)

A Sari Picture

It was "Twin Day" at school so Sari and her buddy Melanie decided to dress alike in ugly Christmas sweaters.  When they could not find any that were "ugly" enough, they decided to make their own.  Hence a reindeer barfing Christmas stuff all over their sweaters.  Very nice!

As an added bonus, this sweater could be yours!!!   It could be your "parting gift"... stuffed in your suitcase or tossed into the back seat of your car only to be found after you get home!!!

Just another great reason to come and visit us this Christmas!!  :)

A bunch of pictures

Food safe course anyone?????? Christmas baking in progress

A look.... not sure what look but a look none the less

The traditional "Juggling of the Christmas tree ornaments".... a tradition that becomes more threatened with every passing year as there seems to be less and less ornaments for some reason

Write your own caption for this one (and include it in the comments section if you like)

The girls (one or the other) used to be the one to put the star on the tree and I used to have to lift them up to do it.... as you can see, that is no longer necessary

Another "look"

Random sky pic that Sari took

Now you may notice that there are no pics of Sari in this set.  There are two good reasons for that... 1.  She was taking most of the pics and 2. I have a really good picture of her to share - maybe tomorrow.  Stay tuned!!!  :)

I learned something today and a video

Today I learned that rocks are heavy (Not exactly a "scientific breakthrough" I know, but still something worth knowing).

Specifically, "1 inch thick Brazilian slate", as in the kind you find on a pool table, is heavy.

A buddy of mine bought a table and since I own him about 369048790 favors, I agreed to help him put it together today.

The first part was fun.... building the frame. Easy.... light.... nice!  The second part was good..... lunch!  The third part was where I should have left.

Who would think that it would take 4 guys (My buddy Dennis, me and two dudes who were at Dennis' house putting up a back splash in his kitchen) to carry a chunk of rock that is only 6 feet by 3 feet (the table is approximately 6 x 9 with the slate cut in 3 chunks), but it did!  Good thing it did not come as one entire sheet or he would have had to play pool in his garage (where the whole thing was unloaded by the trucker that hauled it to his house).

Many times I have said that Bible college should have offered courses in construction and furniture moving because I would have used those way more than I have used the Greek classes that I was forced to take.

That or at least they could have given us fake doctor's notes stating that we could not lift anything over 40 pounds..... one or the other.  :)
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Hey here is a song that I have heard on the radio a bunch recently but only just now looked up the video.   I like the words/idea of the song..... have a listen.

A Moment of Reflection

Christmas and the end of the year is usually a time of deep thinking and reflection for me.....

I hope the day never comes that I would be forced to choose between my family and potatoes.......I really like potatoes!   :)

(I don't really know what that means.... but I stole it from comedian Jim Gaffigan because I thought it was funny..... only I improved it..... I replaced "garlic toast" with "potatoes"..... a much more believable dilemma)

The Christmas tree adventure!!!????

On Monday night, I was out in my garage when Megan burst through the door and announced, "Mom says it is time to go get the tree!"

I assumed that meant that she and I were going to get the tree.  However, when I went inside the girls had their coats on too.

"We are all going?" I asked.

"Mom says we are" was the reply.

"What is wrong with you people?" the gentle mother of the family inquired.  "Of course you are all going!  Getting the Christmas tree is a family event.  It is tradition!!"

"Of course you know that we are just picking one out of a line-up and not happily marching through a beautiful forest in search of the perfect tree to cut down, right?" I asked.  "It is more like going to the police station and picking which guy stole your purse than it is some magical movie adventure."

"I know, but it is still tradition" she said and so off went.

On the way to the tree lot we discussed the fact that we ought to have cash with us just in case they did not take debit.  Since none of the females in my family carry cash and by default (because they steal all of it out of my wallet) neither do I.... we went to the drive through teller thing by Wal-Mart.

"This machine is being serviced" said the screen, so we made the trek all the way back across town to the bank (not that far in a small town but still......) and then back to the tree lot.

Did I mention that it was 8:30 at night and the temperature was -32 with a wind chill of - 84678943768943678467878436?????? 

So we jump out of the truck.  At the same time a guy from the Kinsmen comes out of his little sales shack.

"What do we need to know?" we ask.

"These are trees" he responds helpfully.

"How do we know which type is which?" we ask and begin to shiver.

"There are tags on the bottoms of them." 

This turns out to be true but terribly unhelpful information because at - 8463904869048360 no one is going to bother getting down on the ground to read anything that is tied to the bottom of a tree stuck in the snow.

At this point, because they are teen-agers and are allergic to warm winter clothing, the girls look only slightly warmer than the chickens in our deep freeze.  Fearing that they be frozen in place.... meaning that we will have to leave them in the tree lot until spring.... we decide to move things along.

Looking at the rows of trees, all bundled up and offering no clue as to their "fullness" or their "beauty", the decisive (and equally frozen) mother points at one tree and says, "We will take that one".

With that I grab the tree.... the girls run to the back of the truck.... Megan opened the door on the capper..... Katie opens the tailgate..... I come running around and toss the tree into the back like a mobster stuffing a body in the trunk of a car (I grew up in the hood remember)..... Sari paid the dude and away we went.

Tree shopping done in 38 seconds..... a new world record!!!!!

On the way home I asked why we did not buy a tree from "No Frills" (a "Superstore" subsidiary) because they were like $30 and we just paid $80.   Sari said that the ones at "No Frills" were only 5 to 6 feet tall.   The one we bought was 6-7 feet tall.

"So we paid $50 extra dollars for an extra foot of tree that will likely be too tall when we get the angel on it and have to cut it off anyway?"

"Yes!"

"Oh good!"

It is tradition after all!  :)