Christmas with The Goos

At this moment, I'm listening to my Riffs playlist filled with the lovely sounds of The White Stripes, 12 Stones, Muse, Vampire Weekend, Linkin Park, Sixpence None The Richer, Queen, Santana, POD, GS Megaphone and U2.

Papa Goo got back this morning from an 8 day location shoot and is still unpacking.

The Goo is running laps around the couch, watching TV and yelling commentary at us.

We have a tree and those shiny, ruffly, spangly Christmas equivalents of feather boas on our walls and 4 sets of Christmas lights. They are all on.

Because The Goo requested it.

It is Christmas Eve and I'm chilling, bracing myself for the last bit of work before Christmas Day proper. The last bit of ironing and folding; the last bit of sorting out the parlour and dining table; the last bit of cooking.

This is the first Christmas where it's just the 3 of us - me and my two Goos. I'm doing the traditional (Ghomorai) Christmas breakfast, and that's the best part of the day for me. After that, anything goes.

Merry Christmas!

The Meaning of Christmas

I don't know why, but I feel like I should start with a warning. I am a religious person. I am a born again Christian. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of a Virgin, sent to the world as a gift and a sacrifice for our salvation. I also believe Jesus Christ is God.

How can he be God, and God's Son? It is a mystery (as our Catholic brethren would say), and Scripture also tells us "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God", and that "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us".

What did that all mean? Jesus is The Word, who was with God in the beginning. The Word is God, therefore, Jesus is God. QED.

But this is not a theological argument, or my attempt to bash you on the head with my beliefs. It all boils down to what Christmas means to me. It's the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It's a big deal because Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection made it possible for a sinner like me to be rescued from a life without God.

Christmas is a big deal for me. So I celebrate it with my family. I celebrate with cake. I celebrate with good food. I celebrate in church, then at home.

I put together all the things I am thankful for - my family, friends, loved ones, good food, and good times, and I enjoy them, offering them to My Father in celebration and thanksgiving. It's my way of saying "For all these things You have given me, for all these things I enjoy, I say thank you because my pleasure and enjoyment of them would have been hollow without the gift of your only begotten Son".

That's what Christmas means to me. On that note, I wish you a Christmas filled with God's love, every good and perfect gift, and the enjoyment of loved ones, good food, and good times.

Merry Christmas!