Acting like I never fell behind... or 'Christmas Festivities'

I am just going to pick up where I left off and act as though I never fell behind on the blog.  :D

I love all the excitement nestled in the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I so enjoy the decorations that pop up all around town, the Christmas music playing on the radio and in stores, the movies (both on TV and my own personal collection of 'can't miss classics')...   And I look forward to all the special holiday activities like gatherings with friends & family and holiday concerts.  Thankfully, this season was chock full of ALL of these!  Here is a quick recap...

Near the end of November we attended the Lyceum series concert of Tonic Sol Fa, a remarkable a cappella group.  I mean, these guys rock!  I would encourage you to check out their website and if you have an opportunity to see them in person, you definitely should.  They helped us get into the Christmas spirit.  Marvin went along with us this time, in no small part because True Men were the opening act and it was our first chance to see Matthew perform with them.

Then we had 4 nights in a row of festivities, starting with the Christmas party at Julie's house.  It is always fun to get together with folks and share laughter and conversation and yummy food.  Below are a few photos, but you can see the entire album by clicking here.

The next night Jackson and I attended the Living Christmas Tree performance at First Baptist Church.  They only perform this every other year so I make a special point to see it each year.  It never fails to move me... sitting in the church of my childhood, watching people I have known most of my life and just soaking in the beauty of the songs, the words, the meaning.  This year we had a special treat of sitting with the M's, as Matt was one of the singers.  I also enjoyed watching Jerry and Alicia do their bit in one of the skits.  I chuckled out loud when Jerry's 'character' used the mistletoe to sneak a kiss from Alicia, understanding immediately why he had volunteered them to do the part!   :)  After the performance the M's invited us to the reception with them and again, I enjoyed so much getting to visit with many dear, old friends.

Matt and Brenda

Megan, Melina, Jackson and Brenda

The following night we all attended dear friend Rich's Christmas Community Concert at the First Christian Church.  This concert is a highlight of my year!  Rich has such a unique and wonderful gift for arranging music and bringing out the very best in his talented choir.  He can reach out and touch our very hearts, and always does.  I especially enjoyed his 'surprise guest'; his beloved aunt who sang a few songs for the crowd.  I got teary watching and listening to her, not only because of her lovely performance, but also because of the obvious bond she and Rich share... beautiful.

Although you could say we were a tad bit tired, the next night we again ventured out for another holiday treat - the True Men Christmas concert at Truman.  We have been long time fans of the True Men since their inception in 1997 back when Daddy was President at Truman.  In fact, when Anna was a little girl she would dreamily listen to them perform... never imagining that she would one day be dating a 'real' True Man!!   :D  ha!   Between the extended M family and us, we filled a couple of rows.  What a fun concert!!  And we were all proud of Matthew's performance.

Absolutely terrible photo... all of them turned out this way.  But, Matthew is in there!!  :)