MARY PICKFORD OR HANNAH MONTANA?

It was a tough choice, you see. When our son and his family and our daughter come to AZ for Thanksgiving, we go ahead and exchange Christmas presents, too. So when selecting the prefect calendar for Amelia, our ten-year old granddaughter, I couldn't decide between a 16-month (how did merchandisers ever accept that idea?) Hannah Montana one or a Mary Pitchford one, pictured above.

Also, a High School Musical one or even a Hairspray calendar? It's tough making decisions that could affect the next twelve or even sixteen months. So I didn't make any decision. Those, sometimes, are the best I've found.

I love to shop for Christmas presents early. I like getting the whole process out of the way. It's not that I don't enjoy spending time searching for the right presents for the people I love, but there is pressure. I want them to enjoy. I want them not to utter,"Who the heck is Mary Pitchford and why would I want a 1917 calendar?"

But even more so, it takes away from the true celebration for the holiday. The birth of the King. Even at birth. In a grotto in a manger in Bethlehem. Absolutely nothing can ever diminish that in our earthly celebrations. Until we get to Easter, and we should celebrate that tremendous event with more celebrations.

So by getting our present exchange out of the way, we have more time to devote to our preparations for the Jesus Season. Just yesterday we were invited to two church Christmas parties. The theme of course will be centered around Jesus' birth. So I can't call them clutter. I can't call them obligations, because I want to attend both. I don't want to call them commitments. Appointments, engagements? Maybe engagements, because time commitments call for an obligatory appointment to engage in a celebration of the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's it!

Friend Jeff Wilkinson told me of a family he knew that had a Jesus cake on Christmas Day. The day after, they all went shopping for Christmas presents (or post-presents) to be opened on New Year's Day, with a big meal. They didn't want anything to get in the way of their Christmas observance of the Lord's birthday. It might be called post haste rush or shopping deferred or self-gratification delayed, but however, or whatever it's called, it was a good idea to keep Jesus as our focus. That's the only way it should be.