The pageant made us aware that there are many that celebrate every possible occasion throughout the year, such as Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Canada Day and their home team’s big winning game of the season. To them, Christmas means holidays, parties, decorations, bonuses and presents. Their celebrations don’t include carol singing and going to church, but instead, they centre on festivities, gifts and decorations.
A pageant with enthusiastic singing promotes the Spirit of Christmas, and it was wonderful to see how well the children learned the words to so many songs and sang them so well. The director too, was appreciated for her devotion and interaction.
“The In-betweeners,” a group of young at heart seniors from our church, organized a trip to Warm Beach, Washington, to view an extravagant display of Christmas lighting. There were huge scenes of ice-capped mountains. Swans and angels, were reflected in a pond. The tallest cherry-pickers possible had been used to set lights and ornaments on the statuesque coniferous trees. Not another location in the United States has as many lights as this park. There are millions!
Following our walking tour the dinner was superb and then the theatre afterwards was most enjoyable. The setting for the play was a country home and their entertainment was in portraying the story of Jesus’ birth. Mary was played by a corpulent farmer, which made the play humorous and enlightening. Instruments played were the spoons, a washboard, the violin and guitar. Their singing was extraordinarily beautiful.
In December, “The Fellowship Singers” choir of which I am a part presented a program of Christmas music to the seniors in Westminster House, and again on a Sunday evening at church. From Vancouver, The Welsh Men’s Choir, along with a Senior High School choir presented an outstanding evening of singing. Afterwards, those of us from our small community who attended were invited to a lady’s home for wonderfully prepared party food.
Our home is decorated for Christmas, with new LED lights along the gables, and a Noble Fir in the living room, ornamented with the same delightful ornaments used in our family for many years. Our daughter and her family are expected for a pre-Christmas dinner and games.
A potluck dinner in the home of our bible study leaders is planned for a week before Christmas, with approximately twenty people, and our small neighborhood community will be having a luncheon for thirty.
As a family event, we attended a play called “Robinson Crusoe,” in White Rock’s Playhouse Theatre. It had no relation to Christmas other than that it was colorful and its talented participants were dedicated to its presentation.
Another highlight in this season’s entertainment will be our trip into Vancouver to enjoy a musical concert by Denzal Sinclair, a notable jazz singer who we first met at McGill University in Montreal when he performed in his graduating year. This evening of entertainment is a Christmas gift to us from our daughter and son-in-law.
We will attend the Christmas Eve service at our church. Then, we will have a family gathering at our daughter and son-in-law’s home. Christmas day will be celebrated as a family time enjoying a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
In keeping with Christmas celebrations, The Langley Legion Pipe Band to which I belong, is planning a concert in Surrey on New Year’s day. Harmony was assigned to me and it’s a challenge.
With so many special events that surround the celebration of Christ’s birth, we will not lose sight of this great event as the most fantastic one in the entire history of mankind. It was the fulfillment of a plan by God, to relate to every one of us personally. Jesus, God’s own Son, came as a tiny baby. In humility, He was born in a barn. When He became a man, He gave His life as payment for our sinfulness, to enable us to have a relationship with God. Jesus arose to live again, giving more evidence of God’s unfathomable love. We will not let the trappings of the world cause us to take our eyes off the Savior
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