Suburban Shalom

seeking peace and purpose from my little neck of the suburbs

A 2-cup day…

Some days I know one cup of coffee isn’t going to do it. A snowy pre-Christmas Monday in December is one of those days.

All through my school days and continuing into college, I, like every other student and teacher, hoped and prayed for a snow day with every wintry forecast. Fast forward to this season, though, and I would prefer it only snow on the weekends… or on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays. Why must the preschool follow the county school’s snow schedule? I think the policy should be that at least one teacher in each toddler room must own a vehicle with 4-wheel drive or chains so that in the event of inclement weather, school can carry on… at least during December. I know of several volunteers who will join me in salting the parking lot 🙂

Switching gears… please join me in trying to decipher the meaning of the Christmas scene that is set up in a field very near our house.  (I had the Spouse take this picture on his way to work this morning, and as you can see, he was in no mood to vie for a photography award with his efforts.  I am grateful, though, for his willingness to amuse me given the sub-zero windchill.  You’ll just need to click on the picture to enlarge it while you imagine better focus and improved lighting…)

In the center we have the traditional manger scene.  You will find Mary, Joseph, and the infant inside.  When lit up at night, this is lovely.  
If only they had stopped there.  
To the left of the nativity, you will discover a few Bethlehem visitors.  Yes, we have Mickey and Minnie Mouse en route to the manger.  Just like it says in Luke chapter… wait a minute, there’s more.  Not far behind Mickey we discover Santa and Mrs. Clause (in the sleigh) also on their way to visit the baby.  I’m not sure if they were following a star or if they just got word on the location from their cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Vol Clause on the far right of the snowy scene.  The Vol Clauses have apparently already taken their gifts to the baby and are headed back to Neyland, waving to by-passers as they go.  Also not to go unnoticed, immediately to the right of the stable, we have Snoopy, a miniature version of Santa (possibly one of his elves), and a snowman.  At last, a complete nativity.  Oh, the beauty.  
We have to drive slowly each time we enter and exit our neighborhood just to take it all in… and to explain to the girls all the many confusing inaccuracies of the humble Bethlehem meets Disney meets college football scene.  
It’s things like this scene that make it clear how far we’ve gotten from the real meaning of Christmas.  So, in a strange sort of way, I’m kind of grateful for this visual reminder to cut the clutter out of the scene and focus solely on the stable and its characters.  That’s where the beauty lies.  If only we could all stop there.
Wishing you (and ourselves!) a safe, fun, peace-filled day in the snow…
                

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