November is coming!

Here it is October 31st already and I am realizing yet again how unfaithful I have been at posting to my blog. (Not that many people read it anyway - and I have only one person who regularly leaves comments - but it's a nice place to creatively release thoughts and vent emotions at times.) Since my wife and I don't celebrate Halloween, my thoughts today are more on the month ahead. I can't believe November is already here again! Is it just me or did God speed up time?

OK, so I guess I should preface this by saying that I'm not a big fan of winter... or at least I'm not anymore. I used to love winter and snow as a kid but the older I get the more I think I could just skip it if I had the choice. (However, I will choose the snow and ice storms up here in the good old northeastern part of the U.S. any day over the hurricanes, tornados, forest fires, mud slides, and earthquakes that so many other people suffer annually across this country. My heart goes out to them as do my prayers.)

That being said, my real love for this time of year are the holidays and the gathering of family and friends. As a kid, I always looked forward to Thanksgiving, smelling the delicious aromas of the holiday dishes wafting their way through the house, having fun watching the parades, floats, marching bands, and the board games with family following the big meal. These days I have grown fonder of reuniting with old friends at holiday parties and driving the long distance to my wife's parents' house to hear the happy laughter and see the twinkle of joy in my kids' eyes when we pull in to "grammie and grampie's" driveway.

November also marks the beginning of the annual run of holiday programming on TV. Everyone awaits their favorite show(s) and looks forward to the new additions, whether it's an old cartoon or a new movie. One of my favorite activities between November to February is to grab a cup of hot cocoa, a warm comforter or quilt, a seat in my favorite chair or on the couch with my wife and kids, and a good movie in the VCR or DVD player. Any good movie will do, but holiday flicks are the best because they're usually sentimental and good for the heart.

Most importantly for me, however, is that the holiday times also bring back a renewed focus on our Savior and Lord. Yes, we should have our minds fixed on Christ all year through, but it is always good to have special times of the year when we gather together to remember and contemplate publically. At Thanksgiving we thank Him for all He has done for us, whether in His providence throughout the year or in His death on the cross. At Christmas, we remember His birth and entrance into the world He came to die to save. At New Year's we thank Him for taking us through another year of life, the lessons He has taught us, and we ask for His blessings in the coming year.

As we draw nearer to the opening of this holiday season, take time to really focus again on Christ and what He means to you personally. Let's not just celebrate the holiday season out of habit but really let them be "holy days" in our hearts.