It's the 11th day of Christmas, so I'm going to share a Christmas hymn, along with a devotional thought.

Lo, How a Rose is Growing *

* Sts. 1 & 5, LW #67

"Lo, how a rose is growing, A bloom of finest grace; The prophets had foretold it:  A branch of Jesse's race Would bear one perfect flow'r Here in the cold of winter And darkest midnight hour.

"O Savior, Child of Mary, Who felt all human woe, O Savior, King of glory, Who triumphed o'er our foe:  Bring us at length, we pray, To the bright courts of heaven & into endless day."

The Christmas Story

"One can listen to the Christmas story so callously that he does not recognize what an astounding great wonder God accomplished through it. We Christians, however, cry out in astonishment:  'Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom & knowledge of God!'" (Rom. 11:33) 

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE . . . NYC

"Agressive squirrels attacking NYC residents."  Drudge Report, 12/30

CHRISTMAS TREE FACTS *

* Omaha World Herald, 1/2

* "There are approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year.

* There are close to 350 million real Christmas trees currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted by farmers.

* North American real Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states & Canada.

* 80% of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China . . . 

* Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource.Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics & possible metal toxins such as lead.

* For every real Christmas tree harvested, 1-3 seedlings are planted the following spring.

* There are about 350,000 acres in production for growing Christmas trees in the U.S.; much of it preserving green space.

* There are close to 15,000 farms growing Christmas trees in the U.S.,  & over 100,000 people are employed full or part-time in the industry.

* It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6-7ft) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years.

* The top Christmas Tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, & Washington.

* There are more than 4,000 local Christmas tree recycling programs throughout the U.S."

No real Christmas trees are grown in Hawaii, so there was much excitement when the first containers of Christmas trees, grown in the Pacific Northwest, arrived. There were huge crowds lined up to get a tree, & trees were incredibly expensive, so we went with an artificial tree. Lois & Nathan are very sensitive to pine resin, so we pretty much have used artificial trees in our house. There were a few years when we bought Scotch or White pines, which didn't have the same effect. We use an artificial tree now.