Top Five Christmas Picks

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Two of my favorite bloggers often do posts where they simply share links to other interesting sites or useful information they've run across.  I thought I'd do that on this quiet Christmas Eve, before I tackle one last bout of Christmas baking to get the shortbread in the oven.

So here are my top five "Picks" for Christmas:

1. About.com. A great resource for information on just about everything, and Matt Rosenberg's geography newsletter is full of interesting little known facts about the world.  Today he gives us a history of Christmas, covering the Christian story accurately and explaining how it merged with, and eventually displaced, certain pagan practices in Europe.  Check it out at:

http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/The-Geography-Of-Christmas.htm

2.  Breakpoint.  Chuck Colson is in heaven this Christmas, celebrating the glorious event firsthand, but, thanks to technology, we can still read what he wrote and there's some great stuff.  This article explains the process of overcoming evil in a very well-worded nutshell, and includes a powerful testimony of Christian love in action.  A Baby vs. the World

http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/21083

3.  Ignitia Media.  A lighter version of the Christmas story, respectfully presented.  It moved me to both laughter and tears tonight in our Christmas Eve service.  Thanks, Trevor Chong, for your simple but powerful presentation of the good Christmas news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sghwe4TYY18&feature=youtu.be

4.  Samaritan's Purse.  For several years now we've practiced a family Christmas tradition of choosing gifts from Samaritan's Purse catalog to give to people with fewer resources than we have.  Each of the grandkids is allowed to choose a gift from the catalog and Grandpa and Grandma pay for it.  If you're looking for a meaningful way to say "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, or to teach your children how to put Christ's love into action, look through one of these Christmas catalogs:

USA peeps go to:  https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Canadians go to: https://secure.samaritan.ca/catalog/Default.aspx

5.  Mary Did You Know?  Finally, my current favorite Christmas song, beautifully sung by Clay Aiken, and visually produced on Youtube by Chris P.  Thank you, Chris, whoever you are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1oHJR2g7Tw

May your evening be filled with an expectant hush, as we prepare to celebrate the first advent of Jesus into our world, and as we anticipate His second. 

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