Category: Advent

A few snapshots of the season so far.

And, finally, when the sun shines through some of my ornaments, the light makes it’s own constellation on my wall.

They tell me that for many years, Mr. Campos has put up this display in the yard. You can tell by the size of his home and his neighborhood that Mr. Campos is not a man of means, yet he puts this display up as his testimony each year.

He covers all aspects of Christmas, from snowmen to Santa, but he also has over half of his yard dedicated to telling the story of the life of Jesus, including his ascension. I am still working on a panoramic shot of that part of the yard, but I have included a couple of the pictures in the slideshow.

If you’re ever in San Angelo, ask anyone who’s lived there any amount of time how to get to this neighborhood. They’ll all be able to tell you.

These images were all taken from across the river with the night snapshot feature on my camera. While it was quite cold, the wind wasn’t blowing so we walked along the river and took pictures.

Merry Christmas from West Texas! We are chillin (literally) and processing some pictures of the Christmas lights from along the Concho River and the home of Mr. Campos.

Our evening started off with a wonderful candelight Christmas Eve service (I did not set anything on fire – surprise!) followed by a wonderful Italian meal prepared by Jene’s brother-in-law, Phil, then we were off to see the Christmas lights.

Mr. Campos has decorated his yard for years. It’s his testimony of how his life has been touched by Jesus Christ. The above picture of baby Jesus is in his yard, along with thousands of other lights and decorations. I will post more pictures later after I’ve had a chance to edit them.

Our first stop on the Christmas lights tour was the light display along the Concho River. Jene’s Mom & Dad and her 8 year-old nephew, Zach, took me down so I could take pictures and see the beautiful display which inlcuded the 12 Days of Christmas and Santa fishing. It was below freezing but the wind wasn’t blowing, so it was a perfect night to hop out of the truck and walk and take pictures. Since discovering the “night snapshot” feature on my camera, I’ve been able to take images and have them actually turn out where I’ve never had success before. Props go out to THE MANUAL (Jene’) for helping me make new and exciting discoveries about my camera.

After our “cholesterol-filled breakfast” later on this morning, Jene’ and I will head back to Houston. I do have to say, even before it’s over, that this is one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had. I’ve not been ill and I’ve laughed and had a great time.

I hope wherever you are that you are with people who love you and make you laugh, because it’s the best place to be.

And now, deep in the heart of Texas, I hope to fall into a deep sleep.

This is my first Christmas outside of Houston in at least a decade. We’re in San Angelo and it’s bright, clear and cool here. Some of the youngins are out on a Sonic tater tot emergency, and we have various stages of relaxation going on from naps to blogging before we head out to the Christmas Eve service.

Yesterday was the official Christmas celebration featuring the Stocking Tree. Instead of buying large gifts for each other, we buy stocking stuffers… and stuffed these stockings were. To the members of the family that couldn’t make it to town, their stockings are stuffed then mailed.

My stocking was stuffed with everything from a journal, perfume, and candy to a silver piggy bank. One of the kids got a washcloth that had been compressed to the form of a 3 inch snowman. Just add water. Another got a “smencil” which is a pencil that is scented like peppermint. Lots of fun items were exchanged.

The stocking tree is now bare and the youngins are back from Sonic. The house is full of chatter and the sounds of remote control cars and kids slurping drinks from Sonic.

I’ve had fun playing with the kids. I was instructed by one of the parents that bleeding but no tears was nothing to worry about, but bleeding with tears might be cause for concern. I had to ask because when kids are falling down and jumping out of trees, sometimes injuries occur. Then we played games, the most unusual of which was “you’re going to be the rich old mean lady who makes us clean her house.” I paused and looked at the kids, then was told by a the cutest little boy with big blue eyes, “it’s just pretend. I’ve never known you to be violent.”

We picked too ripe pomegranates and chucked them against a tree, then helped Pop pick pecans out of the yard. Apparently, the rounder and bigger the pecan, the better the taste, so those were collected and carefully guarded. Pecan stomping began and I had some great tasting pecans while chasing kids in the yard.

Tomorrow I have to get in the car again and make the long drive back to Houston. I hope I don’t feel as deliriously tired as I did when I arrived Saturday night/Sunday morning. Jene’ and I were slap happy and I stung my lip with the lid of a water bottle because I was so tired (don’t ask). Other than the wind, the drive up was pleasant, except for that deer who tried to share the road with me. She looked as surprised to be in the predicament we were in as I was, but she kindly moved before I had to slam on the brakes.

All in all, it’s been a good trip, one that I hope to build on in the future.