The Rush Before Christmas

All I wanted for Christmas is to be caught up. I know in the world of farming and ranching that is an impossible task. I just wanted to be at a point where I didn’t feel hopelessly behind. In short, I wanted to be able to enjoy Christmas and not be like Thanksgiving where I was eating and running out the door to get as much time as I could in the combine. My number one wish was for harvest to be done by Christmas.

I am happy to report that the never-ending harvest of 2018 is in the books. For those of you who are still harvesting you have my sympathies and I feel a little guilty writing that I am done. I have to say that in my relatively short span of experience that this was the most difficult and frustrating harvest of my lifetime. We finished Saturday and I told Jennifer that I hoped this would be the harvest we tell the grandkids and great grandkids about. For years they will hear me talk about the harvest of eighteen when we were in the field nearly up to Christmas. They will probably look at me the way I looked at Dad when he remembered a corn harvest that went into February. I guess it could be worse.

We slogged through the last of the soybeans a few acres at a time. Getting out as early as I could to cut while the ground was still firm and frozen. That lasted until about mid-morning. I know many of you have suggested that I could have cut at night. That works fine if you have lights. Cutting in the dark in our fields would not be a great idea.

It came down to Saturday I had the last four acres to cut. I know, you are thinking, “why didn’t he cut them the day before?” Trust me when I say there was a very definite time when you quit or got stuck. In any case, I had four acres left but Saturday was also the day I had finally scheduled the vet to come preg check the cows. I also know that preg checking was one of those things that should have been done in October or November. However, due to the rain and not being able to get the cows out on stalks, it had to wait until the middle of December.

That left a tough dilemma. How was I going to finish cutting the last four acres of beans, put the finishing touches on the electric fences and preg check the cows all at the same time. That was when I once again learned how well I had married and that I had raised a capable cow hand. Jennifer and Isaac assured me that they could get the preg checking, sorting and hauling done with the help already had coming. In fact, they seemed to think they might be better off without me. I hate to admit it, but they are probably right.

The finish to harvest went off without a hitch. Unless you count me hitting a corner post with the header and bending up a shield a hitch. I may have been a bit distracted. We took the bent shield off and finished the patch in no time flat. Next, I hurriedly worked to get fencers working and fence up before the cows started coming. My crew was amazingly efficient, and the loads of cows started before I had the finishing touches up. Fortunately, I did get all the gates closed and all the holes plugged.

In a perfect world we would have had the electric fences up soon enough the deer could get used to them. We would have also hauled cows out a little earlier in the day, so they would have had a full three or four hours of daylight to walk the perimeter and see the fence. Usually the illusion of an electric fence is all my old cows need. If they get shocked by the first fence that usually keeps them in for a while at least.

Like I said, in a perfect world and this fall was anything but perfect. I guess you could say it was the perfect storm maybe. The last load of cows came with the last little bit of daylight, I was a bit nervous to say the least. That night I made a couple of laps to check and thankfully found no cows out of place. In fact, the next morning I found the cows just a few yards from where they were turned out, happily grazing. I guess they were as relieved as I was.

I am not sure I have ever been so happy to have harvest done and the cows on stalks. The only thing I can compare it to is getting a nasty thorn out of your thumb. The relief offsets the memory of the pain it caused earlier, to say I was relieved would be an understatement. Christmas will be the best this year, I can finally enjoy the season. Best of all, I don’t care what I get because I have had the best present of all early.

O' Christmas Tree

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is our Christmas tree. I guess in the hustle and bustle of the season it gives me a place to get away from the hurry. I enjoy sitting in front of it with a cup of coffee just relaxing, reflecting and taking in the lights. I enjoy almost everything about the Christmas Season and the tree is right up there at the top.

I remember as a kid that we would go out in the pasture and cut a cedar tree. Usually Dad had scouted several and would take us on a tour to pick out just the right one. It must have been fairly crowded in the pickup cab, there were four of us, but I don’t remember being cramped. Usually we would have to cut down two or three before we found just the right one, I am pretty sure it was one way to get rid of a few more cedar trees.

I remember the smell of the tree and to this day the smell of cedar brings back good memories of Christmas past. A time when I lived for the anticipation of what might show up under the tree while we were away at Christmas Eve Services (if you grow up the son of dairy farmers you do things differently).  Later, after my sister and I left home, Mom started a new tradition and used a fern as a Christmas Tree. I love my Mother dearly but that was one thing that was not an improvement.

When Jennifer and I started our life together we started new traditions and one of those was our Christmas tree. We tried cedar trees for a couple of years and I must say that my eye for size and space is not very good. The tree often required multiple trimmings. Then as the kids got older and busier and we started doing a better job of cedar tree control, we moved on to an artificial tree. I miss the cedar tree smell but not the mess, I think they make candles that can take the place.

Our tree reflects our lives, it is a Hodge podge of our interests and the places we have been. I guess the predominant theme would be western, but we have ornaments of varying origins and themes. Most of them come with a story and a good memory. Decorating the tree has always been a family activity, or it was until this year and the empty nest. Although it wasn’t the same without the kids around, it did take on a new twist.

Without the kids around to voice their opinions about where ornaments should go and what was the most important, Mom and Dad got to exert their opinions. Yes, the homemade ornaments from church and school found a new place in the front of the tree and were not relegated to the back and out of sight anymore. Right there front and center are the notes written in grade school penmanship and best of all are the school pictures with toothless grins and the pony tails glued onto the ornaments. That will teach them for not showing up.

Our tree skirt is one Jennifer made from denim and it has our brand front and center. While I really like our tree skirt it is not my favorite part of the tree. Instead of garland our tree has something more suited to our lifestyle and certainly more available. Our tree is circled by several rounds of rusty, or should I say vintage, barbwire. It might not have been the most kid friendly, although I can’t ever remember a problem and you probably ought to have your tetanus shot updated before you decorate the tree. Jennifer also made a cross for the top of our tree out of the same vintage barbwire. I think it looks kind of cool and it works good for hanging those heavy ornaments. I say if it is good enough for our pasture fences, it is good enough for our tree.

It is not secret that I am a pretty sentimental guy and Christmas has a way of really bringing it out in me. Nearly everything on our tree has a memory and that is a good thing. Christmas is about the birth of our Savior, but it is also about family, memories and good trips down memory lane. It’s those times in front of the tree when I think of Christmas past and the good memories of being a kid, of my mother and times at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I also think of the great Christmas memories when our kids were young and excited about the season. We all need a dose of little kid Christmas excitement.

I bet I am not alone in my memories and love for our Christmas Tree. I hope you will take some quiet time this Christmas Season to reflect and enjoy the memories hanging from the branches. Christmas is about family, memories and joy. At least in my world that is pretty much all summed up in lights and barbwire in my living room.

All I Want for Christmas

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas. It is festive with all the snow on the ground, decorations galore and Christmas music on the radio. I must admit that I am not feeling it. We still have crops out in the fields and cows that need those crops to be harvested so they can graze those fields. I am afraid it just isn’t going to feel much like Christmas until we get all the work done. That alone is really bumming me out because I really love everything about Christmas and the season.

Of course, those Christmas decorations really have nothing to do with the season, most of the retail stores put their Christmas displays up sometime after the Fourth of July. No, most years, the Christmas Season starts after Thanksgiving, or at lest it does for me. I like to enjoy my holidays one at a time and I refuse to move the timeline up. This year has everything discombobulated. Normally, my goal is to have the cows and the sheep in their winter resting spots by Thanksgiving. Instead I spent Thanksgiving afternoon on the combine. An interesting side note to this is that I have never felt better the evening of Thanksgiving than I did this year.

In any case I am feeling just a little bit stressed (that is an understatement) lately and the weather gives me the hives. I know we are all wishing for a white Christmas but a week of sixty-degree temperatures would be the top of my Christmas list this year. I don’t want to seem greedy but two weeks or even three would be best, but I would settle for one week of warm, dry weather. I don’t think that is too much to ask for.

It is that time of the year when I am asked for my Christmas wish list. It is also this time when I realize I have reached the point in my life where Christmas gifts just aren’t that important. Yes, I have become my parents. I remember the frustration of asking Mom and Dad what they wanted for Christmas and getting the response of “nothing”. I tell my kids that I really don’t need anything and what I want, you can’t afford. But just in case, a new tractor, pickup or combine would be at the top of my list.

I guess I have gotten to the point in my life where if I need something, I go get it and that makes my wish list to Santa Claus much more abstract. Let me give you some examples. I already shared my number one wish and that was for dry, warm weather. If anyone knows how to make that happen, I would be eternally grateful. I don’t need much, just the nice fall days I was shorted around the end of October and the beginning of November. I bet that would be a popular gift with the farmer and rancher types this year.

I would also like a decent price for my crops. I am not going all out and asking for fifteen-dollar beans and seven-dollar corn just a little something above the cost of production would be nice. If that happens, we can knock the new tractor, combine and truck off my list. If I could make a little money, I could buy them myself. Just this week I had some work done on my house, the carpenter joked that he would like to be paid like a farmer. I said, sure, you owe me a hundred bucks.

Next on my list would be things that worked like they should, started when I wanted them to and tires that held air. Really, I don’t think that is too much to ask. To go along with that I would like my animals to cooperate, little things like staying where I put them and not getting sick. Those all seem like simple things on my list to Santa Claus, hopefully the old guy can come through with them.

My Christmas wish list can be summed up by three things. I want good weather, good markets and good luck. Maybe that list with a new tractor, combine and truck doesn’t sound so daunting after all compared to the three things farmers and ranchers have absolutely no control over.  We aren’t hard to buy for, we are impossible to please.

Call me the Grinch but I will continue to sit here in the glow of our Christmas tree, drinking hot chocolate, listening to Christmas music but not really in the mood. I guess all I really want for Christmas is to be caught up. Its funny but my whole family agrees as to what they want, a father/husband who is not so whiny. Let’s hope we all get what we want.        

My Christmas Wish

Judging by the music in the malls and the decorations that line the streets I would say that Christmas is near. OK, that really isn’t a good way to judge the time of year because the decorations have been up and the Christmas music has been playing since sometime early in September. However, the temperature and, more importantly, the calendar, tell me that Christmas is near. Maybe I ought to start my shopping this week. Awe, what is the rush, I still have five days.

Honestly, I haven’t even really had time to think about Christmas or even enjoy the season. It seems like every year the hustle and bustle of the season gets to be more and more, drowning out what are the best and simplest joys of the season. We all have commitments and obligations that spring up this time of the year and distract us from the real meaning of Christmas.

My wish for you in the next few days is to put aside the rush of the season and take a few moments to relax and reflect on what Christmas really means. One of my favorite things to do this holiday season is to plug the lights in on the Christmas tree, turn off the lights and the TV and sit in the quiet. It gives me a chance to clear my mind and focus on what really matters.

Maybe it is a side effect of getting older, but the highlights of Christmas are far different now than they used to be. Christmas is a time of renewal and anticipation, it’s not about presents, lights and noise. Christmas is the joy of Christ’s birth and the promise of a new life. I often think about the shepherds (I guess they are the group from the nativity that I identify with the best) and wonder what that experience was like for them. The faith and courage it took to seek out the stable is beyond my comprehension.

Christmas is also a time we spend with family and friends. This year more than any other I am looking forward to Christmas being a time with family. I suppose Ike being in college and coming home for the break might have something to do with that and I suspect as the years go on it will be even more of a highlight. I hope that you will not allow the preparations for those family events and homecomings get in the way of enjoying time together.

Another thing I have noticed is the greetings as Christmas gets closer and closer. People seem to be happier this time of the year and more often than not we wish each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as we part ways. Did you ever wonder why we are more likely to wish people well this time of the year as opposed to other times? I think we might all be better off if we greeted and departed with the same attitude year-round that we do at Christmas time.

I want to share my Christmas wishes for each of you. They are simple but if we each find time for them I think it will lead for a much better and more meaningful Christmas.

My wish for each of you with these last few days of Christmas is to find that time to unplug, find that quiet place and reflect for just a moment. It might be in your easy chair in front of the tree, maybe with Christmas music, a hot cup of coffee and a cookie (that is the method I recommend) but take just a few moments and let the season soak in.

When you are with family and friends allow yourself to be there and enjoy the time together. Don’t let your mind get cluttered with the things you need to do, the obligations you may have or any other distraction. You can let your mind stew over those things later, but for right now focus on the people around you. For a little while let your worries and stress go.

Finally, I hope you find time to spend focused on what Christmas is truly about. I know Christmas Eve services and the services during Advent are some of the most meaningful for me. My favorite part of Christmas is a darkened church, lighted only with candles as Silent Night is sung. That is when I truly feel the Christmas spirit.

I hope that during these final days of Christmas you find time to unburden from the daily grind of life, and take time to remember why we celebrate Christmas. My wish for you is to be able to spend time with the people most important in your life and truly focus on that time together. Most of all I wish each and every one of you a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

Dad's Christmas List

The Christmas Season has officially started on my calendar. I know everyone was waiting with much anticipation for my signal to start the Christmas Season. Now I will acknowledge Christmas decorations, go Christmas shopping and listen to Christmas music. I guess one might say, “Tis the Season.”

This is also the time of the year when my family asks for a Christmas list. I must admit that making that Christmas list is not nearly as much fun as it was forty years ago, Then the formulation of such a list required many hours of study using advertisements and catalogs. Yes, forty years ago, was back in the dark ages back before the internet. Kids have it so easy these days.

In any case, it is much harder to come up with a wish list at my age because, let’s face it, if I need something I usually go out and buy it when I need it. Couple that with the fact that I am old and boring and really don’t require much to make me happy. I have settled into being “Dad” and making it both easy and hard to buy Christmas presents for me. So, I thought I would help with a handy guide to buying gifts for the ag dad.

Tools are always a great idea. Tool supplies seem to dwindle as the months go along with spikes in disappearances coming during planting and harvest. Often wrenches are missing from sets, usually the 9/16 and ½ inch wrenches but if you need an 11/32 I can almost promise it will be gone too. Buying the whole set often just leads to the surplus of 11/32 wrenches and sockets (of course, until one is needed). One novel idea is just to go to the various tractors and trucks and simply collect the misplaced tools, wrap them up and save some money.

Shirts are always the go-to present for any dad but especially the ag dad. It doesn’t mean we will wear the shirt. Often, they languish in our closet as we wear the same shirts day after day because they are our favorite. That is until we are either publicly shamed into wearing other shirts or our favorite, thread-bare shirts just disappear and we are forced to start wearing and breaking in new shirts.

Coffee mugs and travel mugs are nice gift ideas but I also suspect you could use the same tactic as I mentioned in the tool section and simply retrieve the mugs left in our trucks and tractors. This method will require much cleaning and often a strong stomach. Gloves are also another much needed and very appreciated gift and you can also recycle those found in the pickup, however, good luck finding a matching set, one without a hole and a right had glove of any kind.

Hats are tricky. While they may be appreciated by ag dad, they probably will be viewed with a great deal of disdain by ag mom and may suffer the same fate as the gift shirt and spend years of gathering dust while the favorite hat is worn into oblivion. Socks are a great gift because none of us have too many socks, this is in stark contrast from the wish list of the six-year-old me. I guess it is just lowered expectations and greater appreciation for the little things in life like not having holes in your socks.

On our farm, gifts often reflect the passing of various tools such as axes, hammers, fencing pliers, etc.… throughout the year. Sometimes the tool is broken and this is the best way to replace it. Most often, the tool has gone missing and in many cases, the person giving the gift is most responsible for the disappearance. On a side note, many times I get the idea that my Dad’s gift to me is often a message to quit borrowing that tool. I probably need to be much more strategic in what I “borrow” during the year.

If your ag dad tells you all he wants for Christmas is world peace, a million dollars or everyone to just be happy it is a stall tactic. It is not that he doesn’t really want those things because they would be great. However, it is more likely that he really cannot think of anything and it is the buying him time.  Before he gives up and gives you his old stand-by answer, a new shirt.

As I get older most, if not all, of my satisfaction from Christmas is derived from watching others receive their gifts. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate and like the gifts I get, but my perspective has changed. The bottom line, at least for myself, is that we ag dads are basically very simple guys and we really like what you give us, it is really the thought that counts and the clean pickup.

Mom's Nativity

I am a sentimental sap; I admit it, especially this time of the year. I find it amazing the things that trigger those sentimental moments, and the trip down memory lane that follows. Such was the case last week when my friend Mary posted a picture of a nativity set that my mother had made for her.

My mother was an artist, and a really good one (proving that artistic ability is not genetic). She made clay sculptures, often people would send her pictures of special memories, pets and people and she would custom make a sculpture based off of the picture. I have heard from many people over the years about how they cherish those sculptures, but what Mom was most known for was her nativity sets.

She gave nativity sets out for graduation and wedding presents and often I enter the home of friends and those very sets greet me. Mom gave Jennifer and me one when we got married. It is a white glazed set just like the original set that goes up in Dad’s living room each year. Mom even included Jennifer’s dog Cisco in our set, because who better to guard Baby Jesus than the best dog ever. My nativity set is one of my most cherished possessions.

Mary posted the picture of her set on Facebook and that picture and the comments by others sent me down memory lane. Mom has been gone for over ten years now so any excuse to pause for a moment and remember her is very much welcome and is a great blessing. I miss Mom everyday but Christmas is one of those times I realize just how much.

Mom made Christmas special. She didn’t make it special by lavishing us with lots of presents or rushing from this event to the next. No, she made Christmas special by reminding us of what was important and making sure we kept our priorities in the right place. Sure there were special things about the season but they never overshadowed the reason for Christmas.

Mom lived a simple, orderly life and she celebrated Christmas the same way. Our tree was a simple cedar tree that we, as a family, would go out and cut down from the pasture. Mom and Dad would have a couple of trees picked out from frequent trips to check cows. The decorations were simple and few in number, most were handmade by my sister and I. Most importantly, I got to put the elf on the tree each year, no exceptions.

Christmas cookies were another one of Mom’s traditions. To this day I can still smell the sugar cookies, date rolls, chocolate peanut butter chip and jello cookies baking. A few presents would be under the tree but Andrea and I knew the big present was hidden in the house somewhere and we dared not go look for it. We also knew that we would get one big (in a relative sense) present and some years, based on the farm, would be bigger than others. We learned the importance of being thankful for what we received.

The biggest moment of the Christmas Season was Christmas Eve. The day would be spent preparing to spend Christmas Day with family. Chores had to be done and extra needed to be done in anticipation. We also knew that sometime before noon, Dad would leave for town for his annual Christmas shopping for Mom. We would eat supper before Christmas Eve service and it would usually be oyster casserole (it would have been fried oysters like my great-grandparents but frying oysters was a mystery Mom would never unlock) and then we would go to Christmas Eve service. We always had to wait on Mom in the car when we left. Why she took so much time that one night of the year was a mystery.

To this day Christmas Eve service is the highpoint and the most important part of Christmas to me. I am pretty sure that was what Mom would have said too and that is why I feel that way. No Christmas is complete without singing “Silent Night” in candlelight. We would return from Christmas Eve service to find Santa had come while we were gone. Mom always explained that Santa always came to the dairy farms on Christmas Eve.

Often during Christmas Season I will spend a few moments looking at my nativity set and reflecting on my memories of Mom and Christmas. I worry that as time goes on my memories of my mother will dim, and I work to keep her in the forefront of my thoughts. I cannot thank friends like Mary enough for jogging my reflections and sending me down memory lane. I hope each of you will take a moment to remember cherished memories and celebrate the important things this Christmas Season.

I am Dreaming of a Warm, Dry Christmas

We are into one of my favorite times of the year, the Christmas Season. Often I think I like the anticipation of Christmas the best. Too many times it seems that we can’t wait for Christmas to get here and then in a flash it is gone and we are left waiting another whole year. I want the season to last longer so I can savor each moment, but somehow each year I manage to pack more and more onto my calendar.

This year is no different. I had plans to clear my calendar and spend time in preparation for Christmas. Enjoying the sights and sounds of the season, but just yesterday I looked at my calendar and I have something on every day until the 21^st. To make matters worse, I did it to myself. Well at least I can enjoy Christmas music as I drive to the various events, parties and basketball games.

I enjoy Christmas music about as much as anything during this season. My family will tell you that I enjoy singing along but I am the only one who enjoys my singing along. Eleven months out of the year my radio is firmly tuned to AM but from Thanksgiving to Christmas I leave the dial on the all Christmas music station.

Such was the case yesterday. Tatum and I were driving into town, listening to Christmas music and I was holding myself back from singing along. Somewhere on the road to town “I am Dreaming of a White Christmas” came on. I turned the radio up and we were both enjoying Bing Crosby.

After the song was done, Tatum mentioned that she hoped we had a white Christmas and asked if I agreed. I didn’t hesitate. “No,” I said, “I am hoping for a dry, brown Christmas.” The look she gave me indicated that I had once again lost my bid for Dad of the Year and she viewed me as the Grinch and Scrooge all rolled into one. I might as well go ahead and told her the truth about Santa Claus and that Frosty the Snowman had melted. I knew what she was thinking, “the guy who can’t get enough Christmas doesn’t like white Christmas, how can that happen?”

Maybe my answer was a little jaded, after all we had just come off of an icy Thanksgiving and a white Christmas didn’t  really sound like a good idea. Between the stress of worrying about Dad doing chores by himself while I was out of town and the treacherous drive home, I just wasn’t very crazy about the thought of any more precipitation right now. Especially precipitation of the frozen variety.

It could have been because I was still in my knee boots and I could smell the odor of muddy lots and see the grime of slop on my coveralls. I am sure that the reality of feeding cattle and sheep in the snow didn’t help my attitude either. A snow looks really pretty until you have to go out in it and feed hay. Of course wet chore clothes and gloves didn’t help my outlook either.

OK, before I get labeled as a curmudgeon and a fun hater, let me explain. Some of this was definitely tongue in cheek. At times I do enjoy a white Christmas. When it is the kind that could be made into a Norman Rockwell painting of a white Christmas. There is nothing that gets me in the Christmas spirit more than watching snow come down and seeing the new blanket of white on the ground. I love looking out my picture window, sipping hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music. I like it as long as there is no wind, I don’t have to drive in it and it doesn’t get too deep. If we meet those criteria, I am all for a white Christmas.

I am also aware that I am whining a little bit and we all know that Santa doesn’t like whiners. So I guess what I am asking for is a little time to dry up after this last storm and time to prepare for the next one. Then maybe I will be ready to whole heartedly wish for some snow toward the end of December (as long as it lays right, doesn’t last too long and behaves itself while it is here).  After all the chorus of “I am dreaming of a warm, dry Christmas” just isn’t as catchy.

My Christmas Wish

I did it again. Each year I say that I am going to clear my calendar out between Thanksgiving and Christmas and just enjoy the season. I make plans to savor every moment and live life a little slower. Then reality hits and this time for reflection, worship and family becomes one of the most hectic times of the year with a packed calendar. I get caught up in all that is going on and soon I blink and look at the calendar and it is the week of Christmas.

I think Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. It is the day we remember Jesus’ birth and that alone should make it one of our favorite days. Too often I think we lose sight of that and it is minimized in this time of political correctness. If you view Christmas as just another holiday and a reason to buy presents then that is your right and your perspective. However, to me, the day has a much deeper religious meaning and that is my right to celebrate Christmas.

I enjoy many other things about the Christmas Season. I must admit I really enjoy Christmas music. Yes, this is the only time of the year when you might catch my radio not being tuned to talk radio. I have heard many people Bah Humbug the all Christmas music stations. Not me, as soon as Thanksgiving is over (but not before) my radio dial is tuned to one of those stations and I will be singing along as I feed the cows (that might be why they go off of feed this time of the year).

I also enjoy all of the Christmas decorations and lights. Although I must admit that I do not like putting them up or taking them down. If it were not for my wife, I would be one of those people who would leave the lights up year round. I enjoy driving around and looking at the lights others have put up and one of our family traditions is to drive through the Christmas lights in Lemon Park in Pratt. If you have never been there, it is worth the drive.

Another one of my favorite things this time of the year is to either get up early or stay up after everyone else has gone to bed and admire the Christmas tree. I like to turn the lights on, get a hot cup of coffee and just sit and bask in the glow of the lights. There is something soothing about it. I do miss the smell of a live cedar tree and that would add to the experience, but allergies and the fear of a dried out tree necessitate a fake tree.

Of course there is always the food. You probably never would have guessed by looking at me that I enjoy food (a little more white in my beard and I could be Santa Claus). From the candies and cookies to the great meals hosted by friends and family, I just can’t help myself and often I add pounds to the memories from Christmas past.

However, the one thing that makes Christmas the best is being around friends and family. Each year right before or right after Christmas, I sit in my chair, with the Christmas tree lights on and read all of our Christmas cards at once. I really enjoy hearing from friends and reading about their lives. I know many make fun of Christmas letter, but I truly enjoy them.

Christmas cards and letters are great but they are not as good as seeing friends and family in person. When we gather during the holidays and visit, I often wonder why we do not get together more often. I know it is because we all lead such hectic lives with full calendars and I suppose it is a little sad that we need special occasions to find time to be with friends and family. That being said don’t sweat it and enjoy each moment during this Christmas season spent with those closest to you.

I know the clock is rapidly winding down on this Christmas season and I am sitting next to the tree, cup of coffee in hand as I write this column. My Christmas wish for you is that you take a moment to relax, reflect and remember what is most important to you during this busy time. Remember it isn’t about presents, shopping or anything commercial. Christmas is a time of worship, family and memories. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Thinking of the Nativity

Well, once again time has seemed to move at warp speed between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I mentioned this last week when I stopped to see my wife at the school she works at. The high school student helping her responded that she thought Christmas was earlier this year. At first I giggled and reminded her that Christmas is always on December 25^th but then it occurred to me that maybe she was on to something. I bet if we take a closer look December 5^th through the 12^th were eliminated from this year’s calendar.

I admit it, I love Christmas. I listen to Christmas music constantly, enjoy looking at lights, relish sitting by the fire in front of our Christmas tree, but my most cherished Christmas item is my nativity set. The nativity set is one my mother made; she was an artist and specialized in hand carved, clay nativity sets. She gave them out as wedding presents and it gives me great joy and comfort to see them in my friend’s homes this time of the year.

My affinity for nativity scenes goes even deeper than fond memories of my mother. My greatest joy during this time of the year is to hear the Christmas story. Each year, when I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the commercial Christmas season I take time to read or listen to the original Christmas story and it gives me a deeper sense of calm. It reminds me that there is a deeper more spiritual meaning to Christmas.

Maybe it was all those years of being in our church’s Christmas program and actually being part of that nativity scene but I often think about what it would be like to be right there in the stable. Often when I do this I see myself as a shepherd (I know what a big stretch). I can place myself right there in their camp the evening the angel appeared.

 I picture them sitting around the campfire talking about wolves they had seen, lame sheep that needed doctoring, where the grass was the best.  They were probably making plans for what needed to be done the next day and who would do it. In my mind they are relaxing in camp, enjoying their evening meal and maybe even giving each other a hard time. Then suddenly it all changed.

A bright light appeared and an angel was in the midst of the bright light. That would certainly get your attention. I would guess that they were overwhelmed, shocked and scared. Then the angel spoke and told them of the birth of Jesus and where they could find him.

Upon hearing this they immediately gathered themselves up and left for Bethlehem. Now this was no small undertaking. Any of us involved in animal agriculture know that to leave your animals for any amount of time takes a lot of work and planning, but I think they just got up and left. This was also a huge act of faith on their part. Those sheep were all they had in the world and they left them susecptible to predators both four and two legged.

They made their way in to see the new King. They didn’t bring the lavish gifts that we are told the Magi brought Jesus. However, they also did not tip off Herrod by asking directions either. The sheepherders knew exactly where to go to find this newborn King. I know that their simple presence of my fellow sheep producers was just as appreciated as the grand entrance of the wealthy and learned wise men. I think the fact that the nativity scene contains both groups is something we can all learn from.

I am proud to be associated with the shepherds in the Christmas story. I am comforted by the idea that some of the farmers and ranchers of that day were among the very first God invited to meet his son. This Christmas Eve as I check my own flock of sheep I will look at the night sky and think of my fellow sheepherders standing over that manger in Bethlehem that first Christmas night. Then and only then, will I understand the true meaning of Christmas.