himal days: November 2012

Normally, we make our kids and family WAIT after Thanksgiving (no matter WHERE we are living!) for Christmas trees, decorations, celebrations.. UNTIL.. December 6th, the feast of Saint Nicolaus. We celebrate Advent from Dec 1st, but no tree goes up until we learn about the Catholic bishop who cared for the poor.

Then, AFTER Christmas Day, we keep everything up. way past everyone else, (we do NOT take the tree down after New Year's Day, no no, we wait until Jan 5th!) when we celebrate Epiphany, the feast of the wise men from the EAST who visited the Christ child! The "kings" actually "move" about our home, from the most Eastern point, to the manger scene, finally arriving on Epiphany Day! It takes weeks!

Not this year!

Yesterday, Katrina and Corban (and the J & C!) surprised us with the gift of a Christmas tree! It was beautiful. I cried. Corban trimmed and stood it in the stand with no fanfare or arguments about whether it was straight or not! Uh.. he just DID it, and it was right! How does THAT happen? In doing this, our dear eldest daughter and her husband put to rest the annual.. um.. discussion?.. about whether to BUY a tree from a lot (my choice), or cutting down an inexpensive tree from the forest (everyone else's choice.. and what we all like to call a "Charlie Brown Tree" = ugh)... or.. in Nepal, a "fake" tree? Yep we did it last year... confession! But... with Corban's tree... there were no "discussions" about where to get the tree or how straight it was! JOY!

So... the choice was made for us! THANK YOU, Corban & Katrina! We now have a lovely, well shaped, beautiful tree this year! And, Hannah was home to decorate it with us this weekend (she would not have been here on St. Nick's day).. and she left tonight.. :- ( Another confession: We started reading aloud "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens tonight... we usually don't start reading THAT until 5 days before Christmas Day! (we read a stave a night). so, yeah, we're kinda messed up!

Joy, Christmas came early this year.. to the Haegeland home...

I'm remembering last Christmas. We had the privilege of helping our friend, Niru, establish Christmas traditions. (She wanted me to write a book about what we do at Christmas!) Niru became a Christ follower one month after we met her. I miss her and her beautiful family. Perhaps -- with a Colorado team leaving next week (after I teach in their school!) -- I can send some gifts to our dear Niru and her family.

AND.. as I write this, I'm thinking of all those who simply do not know that the God of the universe CAME DOWN to them, and lived life as a man, and died so that they could be in relationship with the ONE who created them and knows them best...

Forget the dates. Christmas is a MIRACLE, a JOY, the greatest thing that could ever have happened to the Human Race. God come down, to KNOW us.

"Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart."

Blessed Advent everyone! and the start of an early Christmas!