Christmas Eve Highlights 2009!

Last night's Christmas eve service left me with lots to be thankful for and was very meaningful.
Highlights to remember (in chonological order):
-My parents, wife and I playing Barbara Medina's (a 70+ year-old spring chicken) Wii until 1 pm that day then having to frantically try to get everything done before the service, including having my chickens checked on by hermano Cruz, getting the parking lot cleaned of snow
-Chris Graeser supplying not only his 3 year old son Theodore, but also his 12 year old nephew to fill in as shepherds since we are so short on boys.  The nephew said my favorite line of the drama: "Let us go now even unto bethleham to see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us." (but not in King James, and he missed it just a bit).  Chris almost stole the show with his ad-lib commentary on Theodore protesting his role as shepherd: "One of the shepherds didn't get his nap."  Which was followed by Theodore saying a few moments later: "I don't want to go see Jesus... I don't want to go see Jesus"
- Libby Naranjo played an excellent Grandma.
- Maya, Megan, and Isabel were wonderful grandchildren, really had their parts down well.
-Ruby, in her first pageant ever, also was in a star role, playing one of the younger grandchildren at the feet of grandmother Libby; about half way through the scene, she saw her daddy "back stage" and she "exited the stage" by crawling to me.
- Michael and Keri Brinegar on cello and violin.
- Milee unintentionally blowing her candle out (her only light) while reading her line during the advent wreath lighting before she was able to read the last word she was to read ("Child").  Another reminder not to necessarily give a relatively serious role to her, these things just kind of happen :).
- No one able to light the advent wreath candle with the candles they were carrying....
- Andrew Black celebrating communion with Charles Georgia and me.
- A packed house
- Avery Marsh song: "tell the story" and "Mary Mary"
- Farolitos by Ytuartes
- Seeing Harold and his kids
- During the benediction when all the lights were down and everyone had their candles lit, I said: "Light has shined in the darkness" and one of the women who had turned off the lights thought that was her cue to turn the lights back on, killing a very tranquil and surreal moment.  I said, calmly, "Oh, don't turn the lights back on yet please." as I smiled, then said: "No one can ever accuse us of being an organized religion." to which everyone laughed.
- Play on Light and Darkness with lighting, but it was hard to pull this off in our church...
- My folks there