Christmas News + Reminiscence + Thoughts
From Omaha World Herald (12/25): "City hopes 177-ft stocking sets record. A Missouri city has unveiled a Christmas stocking it hopes will make the cut for the world's largest. Sedalia's red-and-white stocking was officially measured last week as 177 ft. tall for entry with Guinness World Records. The city is trying to beat a record set by the Italian city of Carrara in 2011." COMMENT: I grew up in Concordia, MO, about 40 mi. north & west of Sedalia. I made visits to the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia a couple of times, thanks to the transportation services of my Class of '71 classmate & fellow Concordian Mike Flandermeyer. One summer we took in the free grandstand show, & it was standing room only for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They warmed up the crowd for the Jackson 5 [when Michael Jackson was still cute]. When the Dirt Band left the stage & the Jackson 5 burst out, people--including us--left the grandstand in droves.OWH (12/25): "1,400 Nativity scenes fill woman's home. Each DEC, Shirley Squires transforms her modest Vermont home into a veritable creche museum, with more than 1,400 miniature Nativity scenes of Jesus, Mary & Joseph covering every surface, taking over 2 bedrooms & overflowing into a specially built room in her garage." COMMENT: According to an unverified source, one Nativity creche is controversial. Instead of the 3 wise men, it features Larry, Daryl, & his other brother Daryl.
Christmas 1982
Our oldest son Nathan was born on 11/5/82. We traveled from Lincoln, NE, to Ulysses, KS, for Christmas that year. There was no Christmas Eve service at their church in Ulysses, so we had our own, homemade Christmas Eve service in their home. * On Christmas morning we drove 50 miles to Springfield, KS, for the nearest Christmas Day service. The roads were treacherous. Lois, Nathan, & I, her dad & mom, David, Anita, & John made up 50% of the worshippers that morning. As I remember it, we took up a pew or 2 in the rear of the sanctuary. The rest took up 1 or 2 pews in the front.* No, there were no LCMS ordained ministers present, just 2 commissioned ministers. Although I led the "service," I didn't preach. And we omitted Communion.
"Christmas 2017: "Where is God in today's world?"
OWH (12/25): "The vital center of Christianity is that I did not enter God's world; in shocking humility, He entered mine--and that is an eternally significant truth. No wonder that a choir of innumerable angels broke out in rapturous, spontaneous song that Christmas morning, frightening a few shepherds but shaking the entire universe. Christmas challenges us to consider that there is something transcendent, eternal & greater than we are; it is about the Lord of 2 worlds--the material & the spiritual--descending to live, for a season, by the rules of the one, so that He could resolve its dysfunction, disharmony & discord." (Column by James Eckman, president emeritus of Grace University in Omaha)There Is No Place Like . . . Iowa:
- "A solution to Miami's peacock problem? Send them to Iowa. The solution to Miami's polarizing peacock problem could be a man known as Mr. Peacock, who has generously offered to adopt the unwanted birds at his 4-acre farm in IA corn country." (OWH 11/3) COMMENT: Just what Iowanians needed . . . a flamingo feedlot.
- "A snack only the Internet could love. ISU student pressed cheese into service in vile sandwich that went viral. College students are known for low standards when it comes to food. Think ramen & frozen pizza. But a student at Iowa State University came up w/a combo that has nauseated the Internet.Sophomore Chris Jorgensen tweeted a photo of a slice of melty processed American cheese between 2 strawberry Pop-Tart-like pastries w/the caption: 'You ain't from IA if you never had one of these." (OWH 11/16) COMMENT: I can neither confirm nor deny that this exotic pastry will be one of the ebullient food items premiered at the Iowa State Fair next summer.
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