Tree Sunday

This was my second week as co-teacher for our (tiny) Youth Sunday School class, and it went really nicely this week. The Advent program the church is using recommends various movie and music clips for each week's lesson, and this week the movie recommendation was A Charlie Brown Christmas. I love A Charlie Brown Christmas! My wonderful co-teacher went out and bought it (I had too many history documentaries we needed to see to borrow it from Netflix), so we were able to watch the whole thing and then have our discussion. As I said, I think it went quite well. Turns out that being an English major in college does at least equip one to find a lot to discuss in a 25 minute cartoon. And afterwards my sweet friend let me borrow the movie so that Katie (who is in the younger class) could see it too!

We sang a hymn today in church that I really liked and that I don't recall hearing before. I don't always care for the music our new (last year and a half, or so) music director chooses from outside the Episcopal Hymnal, but this one, "People Look East," is very pretty. Not that we sounded remotely like this choir, but this gives the idea!



And after coffee hour we went and picked our tree! Friends at church have a tree farm (everyone up the mountain has a tree farm!) and they are very generous about letting the kids pick a tree. This year it was Travis's turn to choose...

 He had a hard time choosing between the perfect tree that seemed like it might be a tight fit in the car and a pretty good tree that was a little on the smallish side. Ed finally had to be decisive, and stated confidently that we could get the perfect tree into the van, no problem!

Here Katie is embracing a tree she particularly liked. Next year it will be her turn to pick, and maybe that tree will be waiting!

 The fellow in the cap just happened to be getting his tree at the same time we were and kindly helped us out, chain-sawing the tree down and helping Travis and Ed run it through the "bagger." He and his wife came all the way from South Carolina for their tree (which was a very large, pretty one!).

Our perfect Christmas tree is now sitting in its stand beside the driveway, drying off after a good washing. Ed already caught a bird getting comfortable in it, so I expect we will bring it in tomorrow afternoon, and then it is on to the decorating!