I almost forgot that last year I did a series on My Sticky Notes called "SNACs" = Sticky Notes Advent Calendar.  I posted fun Christmas themed ideas/posts/links each day leading up to Christmas.  Check it out for some holiday cheer!

One of my favorite depictions of the Christmas story by one of my favorite authors, Max Lucado.

So realistic, raw and true. May we all remember to look for God's tiny miracles, not just today, but throughout the year. Merry Christmas!

The Arrival

THE NOISE and the bustle began earlier than usual in the village. As night gave way to dawn, people were already on the streets. Vendors were positioning themselves on the corners of the most heavily traveled avenues. Store owners were unlocking the doors to their shops. Children were awakened by the excited barking of the street dogs and the complaints of donkeys pulling carts.

The owner of the inn had awakened earlier than most in the town. After all, the inn was full, all the beds taken. Every available mat or blanket had been put to use. Soon all the customers would be stirring and there would be a lot of work to do.

One’s imagination is kindled thinking about the conversation of the innkeeper and his family at the breakfast table. Did anyone mention the arrival of the young couple the night before? Did anyone comment on the pregnancy of the girl on the donkey? Perhaps.  Perhaps someone raised the subject. But, at best, it was raised, not discussed. There was nothing that novel about them. They were, possibly, one of several families turned away that night. 

Besides, who had time to talk about them when there was so much excitement in the air? Augustus did the economy of Bethlehem a favor when he decreed that a census should be taken. Who could remember when such commerce had hit the village? 

No, it is doubtful that anyone mentioned the couple’s arrival or wondered about the condition of the girl. They were too busy. The day was upon them. The day’s bread had to be made. The morning’s chores had to be done. There was too much to do to imagine that the impossible had occurred.

God had entered the world as a baby.

Yet, were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would behold.

The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor.

A more lowly place of birth could not exist.

Off to one side sit a group of shepherds. They sit silently on the floor, perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him—so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds.

Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is dozing, he is. He can’t remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement has subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He still hasn’t figured it all out. The mystery of the event still puzzles him. But he hasn’t the energy to wrestle with the questions. What’s important is that the baby is fine and that Mary is safe. As sleep comes, he remembers the name the angel told him to use . . . Jesus. "We will call him Jesus."

Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph’s saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel, “His kingdom will never end.”

He looks anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat.

Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.

She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey!

This baby had overlooked the universe. These rags keeping him warm were the robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen. And worshiping angels had been replaced with kind but bewildered shepherds. 

Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility.

Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply weren’t looking.

Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?

If you aren't in the Christmas spirit enough, maybe some of these homeowners' cheer will rub off on you.  TackyLightTour.com features photos of houses from around the world that have truly embraced the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation style of 'decorating' their house for Christmas. At last glance there were 49, 101,721 lights 'on display' on the site. You can even search by zip code and go hunt down some of these crazy abode's OR upload your own!

Happy Christmas Eve to all and to all a good night!

Check out our Howard Merrell & Partners social media team office door decoration. Happy Twolidays! 

(download)

Click here to download:

snac-23-twitter-wall-door-dec-DnFBkzAkmpJCFkDcnxIm.zip (149 KB)

See how you did from the quiz this morning!

ANSWERS: 
1. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 
2. Silent Night 
3. O' Little Town of Bethlehem 
4. Good King Wenceslas (or some say Jolly Old St. Nicholas) 
5. Deck the Halls 
6. Joy to the World 
7. Hark the Herald Angels Sing 
8. We Three Kings 
9. Away in a Manger 
10. Come All Ye Faithful 
11. O Holy Night 
12. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas 
13. Silver Bells 
14. The Twelve Days of Christmas 
15. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 
16. Frosty the Snowman 
17. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth 
18. I Saw Momma Kissin' Santa Claus 
19. Walking Through a Winter Wonderland 
20. Up on the Rooftop 
21. Sleep in heavenly peace... "Silent Night" 
22. Hark! the herald angels sing... "Hark the Herald" 
23. O tidings of comfort and joy... "God rest ye merry gentlemen" 
24. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... "The Twelve Days 
of Christmas" 
25. Deck the halls with boughs of holly... "Deck the Halls" 
26. Then one foggy Christmas Eve... "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" 
27. Ooh star of wonder, star of might... "Star of Wonder" 
28. With a corncob pip and a button nose... "Frosty the Snowman" 
29. It's a marshmallow world in the winter... "It's a Marshmallow World" 
30. Giddyap, giddyap, giddyap let's go... "Let is Snow" 
31. O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining... "O Holy Night" 
32. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... "It's Beginning to Look a 
Lot Like Christmas" 
33. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow... "The Christmas Song" 
34. Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more... "Have 
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" 
35. Rockin' 'round the Christmas tree... 
36. King of Kings, forever and ever... "Hallelujah" 
37. Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant... "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" 
38. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style... "Silver Bells" 
39. Oh, the weather outside is frightful... "Let it Snow" 
40. Sleigh bells ring, are you listening... "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" 
41. Said the night wind to the lamb... "Do You Hear What I Hear" 
42. May your days be merry and bright... "White Christmas" 
43. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men... "I Heard the Bells on Christmas 
Day" 
44. Jump in bed, cover up your head, 'cause Santa Claus comes tonight... "Here comes Santa Claus" 
45. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.... "We wish you a Merry Christmas" 

RESULTS: 
34 - 45 Correct - You don't need any Yuletide spirit! 
21 - 33 Correct - You could use something in your stocking! 
0 - 20 Correct - Are you the grinch?? 

Test your Christmas Carol knowledge with the quiz below (originally found at here).  Carol names are written literally and you decode!  Answers coming later this afternoon!

1. Quadruped with crimson proboscis 

2. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise 

3. Miniscule hamlet in the far east 

4. Ancient benevolent despot 

5. Adorn the vestibule 

6. Exuberance directed to the planet 

7. Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing 

8. Monarchial trio 

9. Yonder in the haystack 

10. Assemble, everyone who believes 

11. Hallowed post meridian 

12. Fantasies of a colorless December 25th 

13. Tin tintinnabulums 

14. A dozen 24-hour Yule periods 

15. Befell during the transparent bewitching hour 

16. Homo sapien of crystallized vapor 

17. I merely desire a pair of incisors 

18. I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red 

19. Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy 

20. Aloft on the acme of the abode 

21. Slumber in ethereal quiet. 

22. Hey there! The announcing celestial beings carol. 

23. O greetings of ease and happiness. 

24. On commencement of Yuletide my honey bestowed upon me. 

25. Decorate the passage with branches of evergreen sprigs. 

26. Once upon a misty night prior to Christ's birthday. 

27. Ooh, celestial body of marvel, celestial body of strength. 

28. With a vegetable stem smoker and clothes fastening snout. 

29. It's a fluff-ball sphere in the cold season. 

30. Come on, come on, come on, get moving. 

31. O scared darkness, the asterisks are brilliantly shimmering. 

32. It's fixin' to appear extremely similar to December 25th. 

33. Small children with their optical aids entirely illuminated. 

34. Loyal buddies that are important to ourselves collect closely to ourselves again. 

35. Boppin' while circling the tannenbaum... 

36. Royalty of royalties always and always... 

37. O approach, y'all devoted happy and victorious... 

38. Urban walkways, congested walkways, trimmed in a festive manner... 

39. Ah! The atmospheric condition beyond is terrific... 

40. Percussion instruments jingle, are you harking... 

41. Remarked the evening breeze to the tiny sheep... 

42. Wishing your dates be gleeful and intelligent... 

43. Harmony on the planet, kindness to Homo sapiens... 

44. Hop in the sack, hide your noggin, since the fat man comes this evening... 

45. Ourselves bid yourselves a joyous Noel and a cheerful neoteric 365 days...

The Nativity story - if it were to happen today in our digital world - 

With all this cold weather I'm thinking a tropical vacation would be pretty nice right about now.  For now, some Kenny Chesney island Christmas will have to do...

"All I want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan" - K. Chesney

One of my favorite annual traditions at my alma mater, Elon University, is the Luminaries event that kicks off the Christmas season. Luminarias line all the brick pathways that criss-cross the center of campus, the tree lights are lit, and carolers, santa, and the santa 'train' come to campus! It is always such a nice treat in between finishing up the semester and studying for finals. Check out some of the photos. Beautiful.