The answers

-1) Quadruped with crimson proboscis - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

-2) 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise - Silent Night

-3) Miniscule hamlet in the far east - Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem

-4) Ancient benevolent despot - Good King Wenceslas

-5) Adorn the vestibule - Deck the Halls

-6) Exuberance directed to the planet - Joy to the World

-7) Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing - Hark the Herald, Angels Sing

-8) Monarchial trio - We Three Kings

-9) Yonder in the haystack - Away in a Manger

10) Assemble, everyone who believes - Come All Ye Faithful

11) Hallowed post meridian - Oh, Holy Night

12) Fantasies of a colorless December 25th - I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

13) Tin tintinnabulums - Silver Bells

14) A dozen 24-hour yule periods - 12 Days of Christmas

15) Befell during the transparent bewitching hour - It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

16) Homo sapien of crystallized vapor - Frosty the Snowman

17) I merely desire a pair of incisors - All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

18) I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

19) Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy - Walking in a Winter Wonderland

20) Aloft on the acme of the abode - Up on the Rooftop

Christmas Quiz

Below are 20 titles of familiar holiday songs, but with a twist. The titles have been reworded into ambiguous trifle.

How many can you identify and supply the correct title? Answers to be posted later.

-1) Quadruped with crimson proboscis

-2) 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise

-3) Miniscule hamlet in the far east

-4) Ancient benevolent despot

-5) Adorn the vestibule

-6) Exuberance directed to the planet

-7) Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing

-8) Monarchial trio

-9) Yonder in the haystack

10) Assemble, everyone who believes

11) Hallowed post meridian

12) Fantasies of a colorless December 25th

13) Tin tintinnabulums

14) A dozen 24-hour yule periods

15) Befell during the transparent bewitching hour

16) Homo sapien of crystallized vapor

17) I merely desire a pair of incisors

18) I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red

19) Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy

20) Aloft on the acme of the abode

My Advent Rant

I know most of you will not read this post because you think you have heard this rant before from me. Well I think you might be surprised with this one.

I will sum of my feelings in one line: This year I decided that instead of spending my energy crusading against those who are skipping Advent and celebrating Christmas now, I would spend it celebrating Advent more fully in my own life so my Christmas will be even richer.

Now I realize that this is a rather dramatic change for me and some of you might be shocked. There are several things in that line so please allow me to explain a bit more. The first would be the fact that I find myself crusading a lot less these days then I did a few years ago. Now when I get my soap box out I find that there is sometimes a thin layer of dust on it, as before when I wore boxes out about once a month. Why the temperance... age, complacency, indifference, grace or something else? Well I am not sure but I think all might have a little part in it.

There is a phrase that I think come from the 80's: Let go and let God. Well I like this a lot. That is what I am trying to do. Letting go of trying to force people to prepare for Christmas with Advent and letting God worry about their hearts. I don't mean I have given up on my fellow brothers and sisters but I realize I can only walk with others and lead them to Christ beside them, not in front of them.

So how am I making this Advent special for me? How am I preparing the way for Jesus in my heart? Both great questions and let me answer them. This Advent marks the first Advent since I was in high school that I have spend the whole previous liturgical year in one spot. I have discovered that when one is not constantly looking forward to what is next then they can spend time reflecting on what is current in their life. This is what I am trying to do. I think I have been avoiding a lot of life processing and other personal goals for awhile. This Advent I am starting that process. I don't expect it to be done when Christmas comes, but nor do I expect my anticipation of the coming of the Lord will be over on Christmas either.

Keep up the fight and Happy Advent / Merry Christmas / or happy holidays for my pagan friends

Highlights

"This guy I have like on and off again since grade school did just get out of the seminary." Say what? No, that is not a line I said but rather a line a friend of mine said last night when I was talking to her on the phone. I promised I would not give her name, but I at least wanted you all to get to enjoy that line as much as I did.

Speaking of things I enjoyed, the Torres family thanksgiving was amazing. Those two make such good hosts and are so very blessed, it is an honor to be in their home. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about my buddy Ford hosted me for thanksgiving once again this year and it was wonderful.

As for what we did when we were there I can't really tell you to much about it yet, but I can fill you in, in a few months. You might want to read my other buddies Pat's blog about our football game that we played. You could also read more about the weekend at Chris's blog, but he never updates it so any news about thanksgiving on their would be last years.

In other news I made an Advent wreath. I cut out paper strips of brown and green for the wreath. Hole punched red paper for some little berries. Got purple and pink paper out for candles. I even cut four little flames out that I can tape on as we move through Advent. It looks like a 4th grade art project which is way better then what I was thinking it would turn out to look like. I will try to remember to post a pic. It is hanging on my door to my apartment. I thought it would be the nicest way to remind the person beside me that Advent comes before Christmas.

Keep up the fight