“Oh, I’d love to be an Oscar Meyer wiener.
That is what I’d truly like to be.
‘Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener,
Everyone would be in love with me.”
This jingle kept running through my mind when I was up about 5:00 this morning. I couldn’t get rid of it, so I figured why fight it — blog about it.
Bet you’re hungry for a hot dog now, huh?????
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Hop over to the “Show My Face” blog for details of how to participate.
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Don’t miss out on the last week of the Christmas Writing Challenge.
Gingerbread and stockings …
Christmas trees and holly …
Loving friends and family …
Peace and hope and laughter —
These belong to Christmas.
God’s rich love for mankind …
Word made flesh incarnate …
Coming for one purpose:
Dying that I could have life.
Christmas belongs to me!
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One of my blogging buddies was feeling a little sluggish about Christmas decorating this year and said she could use some good pictures of decorations from my neck of the woods to get her in the mood. So I decided to post a few from my own house, my sister’s house, and several places in my community. Maybe it will light a spark for some others who can’t seem to get started this year. (Click on any picture to see it larger.). MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Every year for decades now, my hometown has celebrated Thanksgiving Day with a city-wide community dinner. Over a hundred people volunteer for all the preparation, serving, and clean-up work, which takes weeks. Hundreds of citizens from our own town and from several surrounding communities converge on our civic center that day and celebrate together, expressing gratitude for each other and for all of the blessings we’ve experienced during the year.
We generally have a continental breakfast for those who like to start early. We have a big dinner with all the traditional Thanksgiving elements from 11:00-2:00. That dinner period includes easy-listening and Christmas music by one of our favorite local singers, and many people get up and dance. There are big screen TV’s for watching football and/or movies, and there are numerous board/table games (and games for kids) for anyone who wants to spend the day. Then about 5:00 the left-overs from dinner — as well as some extras like pizza and finger foods — get set out for supper.
Volunteers deliver mid-day dinners to anyone who is home bound and cannot get to the civic center to participate, and to local police officers, fire-fighters, and store clerks who have to work that day. When all is finished, any left-over food goes to local nursing homes.
All of the food (including over 1300 pounds of turkey), supplies, decorations, and equipment are donated by local businesses, churches, civic groups, and individuals, and every year more people want to be involved. The coordinator of the dinner, who is a dear friend of mine, is licensed in food preparation and safety, and he takes his responsibility very seriously.
For several years I covered the event for the local newspaper. Some years I interviewed as many as 40 and 50 people, many of whom had some wonderful stories to tell about how much the event means to them. It’s a community treasure, and in an age when so much is done in this world out of selfishness and greed, I’m proud of my community for still focusing it’s time, energy, and resources on appreciating the value of community and togetherness.
The short video below shares just a very few photos of the fun involved.
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Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner,
And I am set to have a lovely time.
First I’ll make a jaunt to church and, kneeling down,
I’ll thank the Lord for all His blessings kind.
And then I’ll journey farther to meet kith and kin.
We’ll hug and laugh and tell each other news.
Then next I’ll help dish up the yummy treats in store;
So many dishes, all from which to choose.
Then after eating more than I could ever need,
And going back again for one more pinch,
I’ll sit by fireplace warm and cuddle little ones,
And soon we’ll be asleep; it is a cinch.
Oh, my, how dear Thanksgiving is to all of us.
It gives us one whole day when we can part
From all that pulls and presses us and wounds us sore,
And give ourselves to healing, loving hearts.
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“Ah, Thanksgiving, How I Love You!
“What’s For Dinner”
“A Lesson In Thanksgiving”
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Just one more week to the Christmas writing challenge!
The Happy Wordcrafter 