“What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer.” ~ Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens ‘ "A Christmas Carol"

Example: From an image off the internet.

Hello friends and neighbors, it's Friday, December 27, 2019, and I hope you are still basking in the glow of the true Christmas spirit. May I say to you the Christmas inflatable yard ornaments do not look so good during daylight hours. They look like they have been the subjects of a massacre of some sort. Reminds me of Bourbon Street and the Vegas Strip in the bright sunlight. It does look different. Which one is closest to reality. I report. You decide. I notice people are not typically driving around to look at them during the day. I know that's not very astute, but, I did think it was worth sharing. More than one of our neighbors celebrated Christmas Day evening by shooting off fireworks from their driveways. I found the remains of at least four fairly large bottle rocket in our front yard. Our beloved across the driveway neighbors, Ellis and Ruth, who are both gone to their reward, used to stay up worrying about some of the fireworks landing on their roof. Fortunately, this time, no harm was done, but, we do have New Years coming up.

Here's the first paragraph from a blog I wrote 8 years ago. ~ Santa's sleigh rings too loudly with all the little bells for him to qualify for the No Bell Prize! Welcome to Wednesday and we are still in the Christmas countdown mode on this mild 14th day of December in the year of 2011 (as we calculate days). I've thought about thinking about what my favorite Christmas memory is but I'm not sure I can come up with one that stands out so as to be my all-time favorite. I do have many to choose from and I'm not bragging because good memories are a blessing and we know that any and all good things come from God, therefore, we thank Him for allowing us to have so many good recollections of our Christmas celebrations. But when in doubt, Google it. You do know what I mean. Right? Here's a sampling: My favorite Christmas was .....When I got my Atari. I almost cried. ~ My favorite Christmas was the year I got a BB gun from my dad. It was awesome! And, contrary to my mom’s fears, I didn’t shoot my eye out—or anyone else’s. ~ It was in 1943. My sister was a new baby. My family had been into the nearby town of Kennett, Missouri and were returning after dark. As my mom lit the old kerosene lamp, my dad built a fire in our wood cookstove. As we stood there in our kitchen around the stove, my mom and dad looked at each other, smiled and started singing, Silent Night. Our smiling, singing parents did more than the cookstove to warm us and to this day, tears come to my eyes when I hear Silent Night. ~

I've already heard folks connecting vision for planning and future projects to the new year coming up next week. 2020! That's one that will be hard to avoid. That's all well and good but keep in mind, visual acuity of 20/20 is considered “perfect vision” because no aids are required to see better, but people can have better than 20/20 vision. Many young people are able to see letters smaller than the general “20/20” size. Further, the best-recorded vision in humans is 20/10 vision—the ability to see objects clearly from 20 feet when a normal human can only see them at 10 feet. Now you know! In my own experience, those smallest lines on the eye chart, well, they continue to be missing in action when they do my eye tests these days. I can remember them being there but not so much anymore. I sure hope it's not some kind of trick they play on older folks. You know the one. Now you see it, now you don't. Just kidding. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday and I will do my best to show up again come next time here at the ole blogger ranch. Lord willing. Amen. ....More later.