Alva Review-Courier -

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever name floats your boat. Enjoy your family/friend times together, because it is a greater gift than any material thing. Thanks to everyone that put on the Christmas parade. I was out of town and neither got to watch nor participate this year. I have seen some great displays around town. Thanks for giving the rest of us something to look at. Our corner is dark this year because of a lack of time, energy or want to. For the first time in over 50 years, we did not even put up a tree in the house.

I went to the youth Christmas program and Candlelight Communion service at the Town and Country Church last Sunday evening. As always it was a very good program. Neal and Linda Gordon and helpers have a very good youth program. Thanks for giving your time. I don't go to any other church programs, but I suspect many other caring people are leading the young people to the Lord. On a sad/happy note, Paul and Margret Cole are retiring from pastoring at the Town and Country Church after 19 years. I am happy that they are going to have some time for themselves but sad that Paul won't be the preacher anymore. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.

Someone said once that a preacher had an easy life, just preaching two days a week. They never followed one around. They are a marriage counselor, family go-between in troubled times, business consultant, operations coordinator and clean up guy. All this, and the go-to guy at two in the morning for an emergency room visit. Then they are busy keeping the Christians in church on the straight and narrow while trying to bring the Lord's word to the rest of the world. A pastor's wife has to be a very special lady to put up with all this. Thanks to all the priests, rabbis, pastors, preachers, or whatever you are called for all the work you do for God and his followers.

To everyone that has lost family during the holiday season, especially to the families of my friend Clyde Chaffin, and my cousin Darlene Ebeling, my sympathies, but this year they are celebrating our Lord's birth with their heavenly families.

Please forgive me, but this is my favorite Christmas story of all time. Three men get to heaven on Christmas Eve. St Peter welcomes them in and tells them that they are having heaven’s Christmas party, but to go you had to contribute something, and they are pretty late getting there. The first man thinks just a second, reaches into his pocket, pulls out a set of car keys and jingles them.

"What are those?" St Peter asks.

"These are the bells of Christmas," the man replies.

“Very imaginative; go on in.”

The second man flicks a cigarette lighter and tells St Peter, "This is the light of Christmas."

"That will do," replies St Peter, "Go on in and enjoy the party.”

The last man has gone through his pockets a couple of times, finally reaches way down deep in one and finds something. He has a very strange look on his face as he pulls out a pair of ladies’ underwear.

St. Peter's eyebrow raises as he asks, "What do those signify?"

The man replies, "St Peter, these are Carol's!”

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Scribners.