Rob Crowe
Christmas time again.
Time for the phenomena known as the “Christmas Program.” I volunteered to be a part of the choir this year at church, not realizing that that would land me in the “Christmas Program.”
Usually I am able to make an end run and land the job of running errands and taking pictures, but not this year.
Before I knew, I had opened my mouth and volunteered to sing a solo (male voices bring a premium even if of dubious quality) and then my wife volunteered me to be the narrator for part of the program.
My three little girls were also in the program – Alyssa was a shepherd, Katelyn was an angel and Valeri was a baby camel.
The ladies in charge of the program were old pros ...
well ...
they didn’t look at all old but handled the job like pros (how’s that, Jan and Kathy?).
We practiced for several weeks as a choir and last Saturday had a joint practice with hundreds of little kids and then on Sunday during the Sunday School hour had another run through with the hundred or so kids.
It was chaos, or so it seemed.
Probably only about 40 kids, but it seemed like hundreds.
The pros were unflappable throughout the proceedings and the kids were more or less well behaved although on more than one occasion a not so happy momma would leave the choir to reprimand or cajole a wayward child.
Now, I’m not so sure if the program is deemed a success if you have a Funniest Home Video moment or if you do not have a Funniest Home Video moment.
At any rate, this program went off fairly well considering the amount of practice the participants had.
The kids who were 3 or under split time between their mothers and the stage and the closest to a funniest video moment was when Mary, who used the baby Jesus doll as stuffing to make her look like she was “with child,” had some problems removing it, and looked like she was literally “giving birth” onstage.
I even recognized two of my three children onstage and managed one wave to Katelyn.
Part way through, Valeri decided she wanted to be an angel instead of a camel and went to sit on Mom’s lap.
I didn’t flub too many of my readings and my solo ...
I’d rather not talk about that.
It was good to participate in the telling of the Christmas Story and sing the songs, great to see all the little ones enthusiastically sing songs about Christmas and parade in the costumes from the 2000 year old story.
Everyone likes the fun things that are associated with Christmas: the gift giving and receiving, the singing, the holiday feeling, eating with family, bonuses, parties, etc.
On the other hand, my heart goes out to you if you are experiencing the loneliness that comes with the recent loss of a loved one or a family breakup.
It is easy to forget that Christmas really should be about the gift of salvation that is possible since Jesus was born in Bethlehem on that night so long ago.
It is imperative that those who believe in the story of Christmas put into action the precepts that have been handed down to us by Jesus Christ.
Editorial peace
This being a political column, the critique could be that the precepts I try to follow in my personal walk with God are irrelevant to my politics.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
In reality, everything I believe is probably visible to those who come in contact with me whether through this column or by personal contact.
I may be able to hide some things, but I think my real personality and beliefs will ultimately be seen whether I want them to or not.
The old adage which says: “Never discuss religion or politics,” is relevant because they are closely related in many aspects, both have everything to do with morality or lack of it.
I hope that what I’ve written on these pages has been a positive indicator for my Christian witness.
No, I’m not going to take back anything I said but with the aim of “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men,” I’ll start by trying to bring a little peace to the editorial page of this paper, at least for a week or so.
First, it is good to see Marcia gracing the pages of the paper again.
Welcome back, Marcia.
Dave, thanks for noticing the little things like spiders in the dewy mornings.
I’m astounded when conditions are right and the sun shines through the dozens of spider webs in the swamp next to my house.
I may not agree with your political writings, but I appreciate your willingness to contribute to the debate in a forthright manner.
For the readers of this column, both those who agree and those who write in disagreement with my columns, I appreciate you for taking the time to read them and respond.
Larry, Terry, Bill, Dallas, Kathy, et al, I appreciate the interesting and well written columns.
Ann, Kathleen and Jeanne, you do a fine job of editing and reporting.
Many other staff make it happen for the Age.
Finally, Publisher Dick Norlander who gave me the opportunity to write for this paper and also appreciation for his efforts to publish two fine newspapers for the Aitkin County and Mille Lacs Lake area.
Merry Christmas to all, and may God bring his peace and prosperity to your household.
Rob Crowe chairs the Aitkin County Republicans and raises kids and cows on a farm near Hill City.
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