Let the Christmas Movies Begin!

Four years ago we boarded the Christmas Carol Train, and tonight we were once again watching the movie - somewhat of a kickoff to Christmas movies this year.  We're starting late - usually, we're going by November 1st!  Madison didn't watch this one - it's still a bit too intense at parts.  But we enjoyed it for the most part, especially the shots of England at that time.  We're doing a series of messages that are based on Christmas movies, so Daddy wanted to watch this one tonight as a bit of research.  Last night, we watched the 1955 version of "Miracle on 34th Street," which was a little under an hour long.  The highlight of that movie would be seeing/hearing Hans Conried, the voice of Captain Hook.  Wish he had a bigger part, actually.  This was a lightning round version of the same exact movie from 1947, and it felt so rushed all the way through.  The one big takeaway scene is where Santa uses his cane like a baseball bat - two handed swing there - and calmly whacks that poor psychiatrist in the face.  It was more pre-mediated than the usual interpretation, where Santa kind of loses his patience and gives that character a gentle bonk.  No, in this version, it's gangster style!  Anyway, we weren't terribly impressed - but that's the thing:  this time of year, we watch all kinds of Christmas movies, and we're always checking out something new.  Soon, Madison will be in on the act - although she wasn't in the mood for a movie this afternoon.  No, instead she wanted to play some video games.  No problem, Daddy said.  Why?  Because she spent a long time with her piano practice, finally getting the hang of "Tengo Laya," with both hands, even.  This has been a challenging number to learn, but she's got the swing of it.  Her motivation was video games, but she also has her "NEVER GIVE UP" stuff from the N.E.D. program all over.  Coincidentally, tonight's story from the Winnie the Pooh series actually had a theme of never giving up:  Piglet was not going to stop trying, that's for sure.

This morning we were at church, just as we are every Sunday.  Our theme was fighting the good fight of faith, which for her class involved a bit of praying for some of her friends who were going through a few things:  bad dreams, and bad health.  Madison was praying, as were all her friends, surrounding those who needed that prayer, and asking God for healing.

Generation Praise was performing this afternoon, right after church.  This is the youth choir, for kids in KidPak to practice and sing for parents - and for the entire church upstairs as well.  Today there was a concert downstairs, and the kids were great.  Lots of energy and volume!  Madison and Daddy sat in and listened as the kids sang a few different songs with passion.  Madison was singing along with a few of the tunes, and perhaps she'll be with Generation Praise next year when she's that age.  We'll see if she's interested...

The weather today was gorgeous.  The leaves are falling all around, swirling down in front of you as you drive down the road.  The blue sky contrasts the bright oranges and reds of the trees, making it such a beautiful time of year.

This afternoon was little later getting home, of course.  But we did manage to do a bit when we got home, despite the typical Sunday fatigue.  Sometimes you have to fight that urge to just plop on the couch after church, and just do something.  Anything!  It can be a tough fight, but remember NED:  Never give up!