Let the last-minute cleaning, shopping, baking, wrapping and petty bickering commence!

To all of you on this board who have become so weirdly dear to me, I hope your Christmas is full of joy, hope, security and most of all, the steady love and light of Christ.

For Cece/Elaine - I wish better health in body and soul, that she might be able to see herself as those who love her see her and most of all, that all of those circumstances she worries and weeps over right now, will cease to flood her life and become like damp places on a freshly mopped floor, clean and drying fast.

For Kiersten - I wish much greater ease in learning to love and trust others, both in giving and receiving, and that her cup overflows with healing in her family relationships as well as some flourishing new ones. Oh yeah, and that she meets a nice guy who looks like Napoleon's brother, Kip, and quits drooling over you-know-who's dad which has completely freaked everyone of us out! (Just kidding, Kiersten. Your salivatory habits are the high point of our days!)

For Kayla who was Kay-luh and is now K-k, I wish she would laugh a little more. She just doesn't laugh enough. (HAHAHLOL!!!!) Okay, seriously. Well, shoot. I can't be serious about Kayla who was Kay-luh and is now K-k because she's having too much fun in life to worry with anything serious. So let her fun be fruitful and multiply.

For H4J, I wish circumstances to be a little easier so she can chase her dreams freely. Some rose-colored glasses would be nice too.

For J.F. I wish more fun and especially more Funyuns!

For Meggie, the Christmas angel the Lord saw fit to send me a much needed message through this year, I wish her smiles might continue to lighten hearts and burdens everywhere her sweet feet care to take her, especially if they take her to the mall.

For Nicole, lots of rest, relaxation and a bonafide vacation with her precious family so she'll learn again that re-create is the predominate theme in recreation. (And thank you, by the way, for all you sacrifice in your own life to bring a little grace to the lives of others...plus the occasional pithy messages you leave for us here!)

For anyone else I left out who lurks and reads our astonishing neurosis for a little entertainment now and then, a big Merry Christmas to you, too!

And try to get in a little Charles Dickens ya'll. I'm sure some channel will run a version of A Christmas Carol over the weekend...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Lucie Manette,

awwww lucie your soo sweet!! i actually thought of u the other day when i was at a store and passed by a charles dicken's book and a movie. and i thought of aj when i saw an audrey hepburn dvd collection set along with cece nicole when i saw everybody loves raymond dvd collection!! everytime i laugh i think of "k-K" and kiersten everytime i see a pick of "angie" i hope all of you have a very merry christmas and all your wishes come true this holiday season!! i love u all!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

hey all hope you are haveing/had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I didn't get any funyuns yet this season...i had some a week ago...anyways...i think of yall alot!!! well MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Awww Merry Christmas and best wishes to you Lucie. I'm always thinking of you...

Still drooling, still drooling... (Sorry Kay)

lol!!

Lucie, what can I say besides God is soo awesome in knowing our every need and care, even when we ourselves lose site of what best for us.

He can encourage volumes of the heart with the most simpliest yet, profound words of encouragement from God given friend.

I am so touched right now. I love you all and even though words are escaping me right now, cause I amdead beat tired, I will get back to this one. I need to build some strength to undo the madness the kids created when they returned home from their weekend away and hit the gifts under and around and near the CHRISTmas tree.

Keep me in your prayers as I leave for my trip to,morrow night nad return New Year's Day.

I hope to have some internet access while I am away but am not sure, nor if I will even have a break in the scheldule. Chaperoning is gonna be a never ending job and making sure each teen attend a conference class at the appointed schelduled time and then enforcing curfew may just wear me out.

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THE BIRTH OF JESUS

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be
taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took
place while Quirinius was governor of Syria). And everyone went to his
own town to register

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to
Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line
of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be
married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the
time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn,
a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because
there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch
over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and
the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But
the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David
a
Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign
to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a ."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on
whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said
to the one another, " Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has
happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was
lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word
concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard
it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured
up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard
and seen , which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2: 1-20 NIV)

-- Author KNOWN!

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i like the author known part that's awesome!!

Lucie...you rock...i'm a little late reading this...but i wanna cry...but..why the rose colored glasses??