I LOVE Christmas... everything about it... to me it's a truly magical time of year and as a person of Faith the meaning of it and the reason for the Season add to the Joy... to the Spirituality... and the wonder of this time of year. I've never outgrown approaching the Season as a Child does, delighting in all that is has to offer and eager to celebrate it in a glorious way. And so, when it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, I'm overjoyed and set about experiencing it fully. We have developed our traditions and Family rituals as I'm sure many of you have. For us it doesn't seem complete unless we've gone to look at the lights and a few special residences in particular... such as the Bob Rix Home where he has been delighting generations of Phoenicians for over 31 years now with his private Home display and tour. His Christmas Villages and syncronized musical light displays are breathtaking and transport you to a magical World your imagination always visualized and he has brought to life... his twin Brother Bern Rix also delights the community on his side of town with his own style of Christmas Magic and Wonder brought to life and shared. There is the "Christmas Tree House" in downtown Glendale where the Home is filled with over 50 uniquely decorated Christmas Trees and themed rooms! I know how many hours are spent decorating our Home with one Tree and some modest Seasonal decor, so the labor of Love that goes into these spectacular residential Home displays for the community to enjoy free of charge blows my mind and has delighted my Family for generations now each Holiday Season. Then there are the fabulous Commercial displays like Glendale Glitters, various Malls, Shops and the Desert Botanical Gardens... and the Dillard's Department Store Christmas trees, each a work of Art that have often inspired our Tree's theme at Home. Pictures never do any of these Christmas displays justice, you really have to be there to experience how magical and awesome it all is... but in capturing the moments on film you can look back with fond memories of previous Christmases and document how each Christmas was spent. The various years going to visit Santa at the Mall... our Family is always on the lookout for the most authentic looking Santa to sit on the lap of and share our Christmas wishes and dreams with. We drive around in the car with Christmas Music blaring, freshly baked cookies, hot Coffee for me and hot Cocoa with Marshmallows for the Children... until they blissfully fall off to sleep... with visions of Sugar Plums and the glorious evening dancing in their heads. When we get out our decorations each brings back many years worth of memories... some of our ornaments are well over 100 years old and belonged to my Great Grandparents in Europe... or were lovingly made by each generation... or collected over a span of many years (such as our Hallmark style Ornaments)... or purchased during years we decided upon a particular Theme Tree... or were gifts... or attained at the fun Ornament Exchanges between Friends. This year's Tree we're going Retro with all the Vintage Glass Ornaments and Religious inspired Ornaments. We attend the fabulous special Christmas Services at Church and enjoy seeing the Houses of the Lord filled to capacity this time of year. The Joys of fellowship, especially with all the new people that might not frequent the House of the Lord throughout the rest of the year and we Hope they will come back more often throughout the next year and Worship with us and draw near to the Lord relationally. We often delight in doing Charity work for the less fortunate. Last Night our 10 year old Grandson made Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches and Hot drinks with his Aunt's Family and they delivered them to the Homeless in the Parks and volunteered at the Rescue Mission. There is no greater Gift we can give Jesus on His Birthday than to show His Love towards one another and be His Hands and Feet... so that the Reason for the Season becomes apparent by our actions and reveals Him in all His Glory and makes each precious Soul realize that they are among the Beloved of Him and that is what He came for... Dawn... The Bohemian
IF YOU LIVE IN THE WEST VALLEY PLEASE JOIN US ..."I LOVE CHRISTMAS" IS THE MESSAGE THIS MONTH ... AND CELEBRATE THE SEASON IN AN AWESOME WAY AT PALM VALLEY CHURCH IN GOODYEAR, ARIZONA!