Ebenezer Scrooge: “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.” ― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Good morning and welcome. It's Thursday, November 5, 2020, and I bid you a warm and hearty hello from my abode to wherever you happen to be. Christmas as a season has always been a major part of our lives and even more so in our many years of portraying Santa and Mrs. Claus. Thanks to the Coronavirus, this year is about as different as any we have ever experienced. While we will always embrace the true meaning of the Savior coming into our world as a baby born in Bethlehem, the so-called Christmas spirit seems to be quite elusive this year. Anticipating the few events we will be doing is hard to get excited about. I've been watching a lot of Christmas shows to try and help this situation. I've seen at least six different Scrooge movies, watched Elf, the Grinch, and countless musical renditions of Christmas music from all over the world. My favorite thus far has been watching the live taping of Perry Como in his 1994 Christmas show from Ireland. This show became his last released album and maybe the fact that he appeared to be frail and even his voice was comparatively weak is why it resonated with me. He was said to have had a touch of the flu but he didn't disappoint the 4,500 who attended including the President of Ireland. What a trouper! Just about every Christmas favorite tune is included as the then 82 year old entertained. I watched Perry Como's TV show as a kid growing up. Back then, a baritone crooner with a great voice and stage presence was not thought to be old fashioned or boring. One of the songs he sang on the special was "And I Love You So" which had these lyrics that caught my attention, 'The book of life is brief And once a page is read All but life is dead That is my belief'. I recommend this show to anyone who enjoys variety entertainment with excellent music. The one hour and twenty-minute presentation is available on YouTube.

Charles Dickens, (1812-1870), Novelist and Social Crusader

I think most of us recognize Charles Dickens and his writings as their influence and impact still carry on today. He was considered to be the greatest novelist from the Victorian Age even though he did not have a formal education to prepare him to be a writer. During his lifetime he was a champion of the underprivileged and downtrodden. He created some of the most recognizable characters in his novels that continue to be relevant even in modern times. According to the UK's Independent Newspaper, some well-educated experts ranked the uneducated Dickens' finest novels like this: 1. Great Expectations (1861) 2. David Copperfield (1850) 3. Bleak House (1853) 4. Oliver Twist (1839) 5. Little Dorrit (1857) 6. The Pickwick Papers (1837) 7. Nicholas Nickleby (1839) 8. Barnaby Rudge (1841) 9. Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) 10. A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Any list without A Christmas Carol would seem to be off, or, that's my uneducated opinion. Perhaps they didn't put it on the list because it is considered to be a novella (a short novel or long short story). Many believe that his character and theme templates became the inspiration for countless stories with characters like George Bailey and the Grinch as examples. God-given talent and ability should never be dismissed out of hand and Dickens is but one example of this truth. As a high school student, I actually read several of the books on the top ten list. I tried to think of any other author where I read that many of their books. Offhand, I can't think of any.  No doubt his writings is still deemed important for today.

My eldest had this to say about the election, "Well, dad, you have continuously said it is in God's hands, therefore, it looks like you may have to be ready to demonstrate that belief." It would have been that way regardless of the outcome and I remind us all there are still legal challenges and recounts before the final outcome is known. (Remember, pagan Rome was the governing authority when Paul's inspired admonitions informed believers of their duty to submit to its God-ordained authority. Romans Chapter 13.) The radical left may very well have more say going forward than they had before, but, even their power is under the control of our sovereign God. The Prophet Habbakuk couldn't believe God would use godless heathen nations to deal with His chosen people, but, God always does what is right and that which is in keeping with His plan and purpose, and throughout history it has included all types of human governments. He is, after all, The Creator of all things. (Romans Chapter 9)  I do hope everyone will have themselves a God blessed day. Until next time, let's find ourselves thanking and praising Him. Amen. ....More later.