Thank you Santa!!!!

I'm so excited to tell you what I'm doing when I'm not blogging these days!!!! After much research, advice, and shopping around...the DeBoers now own a

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

It will be weeks before I have everything figured out but that's half the fun!

Non- Traditional

That kind of sums up our Christmas Eve celebrations and this year is no exception. We had such a fun day though!!! (Yesterday was awesome too, Craig got his G1, and had his first job interview!!)

Earlier in the day we were able to go see the Olympic Torch come through our town. It was so neat to see so many people downtown. It is fun to see everyone's Facebook status updates to say they were there. Afterward we came home, had some hot chocolate and got ready to go for a run. Ray, Blixie and I ran, and the boys went skating on the lagoons. Then home again, pop the lasagna in the oven and wait for supper. Write out a few cards..have a glass of wine. Joe made caesar salad. Yum!

We also had a fun movie night together, and watched "Field Of Dreams", one of our favourites. (The boys were skeptical that something on "tape" could actually be worth watching, but they ended up really liking it!)

It's hard to have traditions when there are so many "firsts" and "once in a lifetime" events occurring. Maybe our tradition will be to just continually embrace spontaneous situations as they arise, even during holidays. :)

Jammin'

I'm sure everyone has taken in at least one candle-light service over the past week or so...well maybe not the people who are camping in the back-country in Kenya, but almost everyone...

A few friends and I stayed after the morning service to transform the sanctuary from Advent purple to Christmas Day white. The tree is wrapped in white, we use LOTS of extra lights, and we bring in extra greens, reds, and grasses. We add candles to all the ledges, bring in lanterns and extra lit trees. It is one of my favourite transformations of the liturgical season...so celebratory and festive.

The service was lovely, mostly in the dark, the trees and candles glowing, the words on the powerpoint projector, and the kids were oh-so-cute. The coffee and cookies fellowship time was very gezellig and then people began to go on their homeward way. There are always a few people who stay later and chat which is such fun, unless I'm doing the chatting and Ray wishes we were done and ready to be on our homeward way:)

Just as the last dishes were being put away, the sound of "Shine, Jesus Shine" came out of the sanctuary on the piano....and some drums (I wonder who that could be....) and before long it was a duet. Joe and Jeremy playing alongside each other. It was so cool! And when they finished we all clapped...

Joe has always thought the school should have a praise band. Jeremy's mom thought it was a neat idea too....hmmmm.