The Christian Gift

Each year it’s interesting to get the background story on New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree. Finding out something about the family who donated it and how it was selected is always interesting.
 
That prompted me to find out more about the National Christmas tree, which will be lit this year on Thursday evening, December 6th.

The tradition of lighting a national tree goes back nearly 100 years to President Wilson, who requested a community tree be placed at the Capitol in 1913. The tree was lit that year on Christmas Eve in front of a crowd of 20,000. By 1923, the site had been moved to what is now the Ellipse and the tree was officially given the “National” moniker.

Though the location of the National Tree changed from time to time, it eventually moved back to the Ellipse where you’ll find it today. The tradition of lighting the tree was interrupted beginning in 1942 when wartime blackouts kept it dark for three years.

Fast forward to 1954 and the initiation of the Pageant of Peace – a wonderful program which continues today. It includes singers, strolling entertainers, choirs, and guest performers (this year you can enjoy the pageant nightly on the Ellipse stage from December 8th through the 23rd). In addition to the National Tree, there are also 56 smaller trees representing each state, territory, and the District of Columbia.

Prior to 1973, cut trees were donated for the Pageant, just as the tree is donated to New York each year. At that point, the idea was to migrate to a permanent living tree. The first two attempts were less than successful (tree number one died, while the second was blown over during a severe storm); however, in 1978 a 40 foot blue spruce from Maryland was donated and transplanted, and still serves as the National Christmas Tree today.

After the lighting ceremony, the National Tree along with the 56 smaller trees along the Pathway of Peace will be illuminated every evening from dusk until 11pm through New Year’s Day.

If you’re going to be in Washington during the month of December, consider taking in the Pageant! While the tree lighting ceremony itself is a hot ticket, you do not need tickets for any of the other nightly events.

Weekday performances take place from 6pm-8:30pm, while weekend performances run from 4pm-8:30pm. For more information, call the National Park Service at 202-208-1631.      

Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas.

As a photographer, two things I find interesting to try to convey with my work are color and texture. Some years back, I began a series of abstracts – viewing objects from a different perspective (for example, extreme close ups of flower petals). The results can be fascinating. It’s also a great exercise in terms of creativity and composition since it forces the eye to look at things in a different way.

Since I founded The Christian Gift, another challenging endeavor has been scouting locations for compositions that, to me, might convey the essence of various selections from Scripture. This can be a lengthy process!

I usually have a handful of verses tucked away in the back of my mind – sometimes with a fairly specific idea of an image that would visually represent the verse. Other times, I just know that I have a verse I’d one day like to pair with a  photograph….but I have no idea what the final image will be. I define the latter as “you know it when you see it” types of situations. Read more…

Because October is Clergy Appreciation month, I thought it might be a good time to turn the tables and consider the concept of “ministering to the minister.”

If you belong to a church, you know that clergy are always “on call” and available to provide counsel and support. What happens, though, when your pastor or priest needs pastoral care? These are human beings, after all, who can experience frustrations, disappointment, disillusionment, stress, and loneliness just like the rest of us.

Your congregation probably has some mechanism in place to provide support and counsel to clergy. It’s worth contemplating, though, particularly during Clergy Appreciation Month, how we can all support those who have been called to guide us.

Members of the clergy need our prayers and encouragement, just as we need and expect that support from them. Our clergy are people just like us – they make mistakes just as we do. They cannot please everyone all the time. We should not expect more from them than it is possible to give. Read more…

With all the Harry Potter-mania of late, not a day has seemed to go by without hearing something about the popular book and movie series. As the spotlight has been shining on author J.K. Rowling quite a bit again in the last few weeks, it’s also put her home city of Edinburgh, Scotland front and center in the public eye as well.

In my book, Edinburgh is worthy of the attention!!

If you have never been there, put it on your list of places to see. It’s absolutely magnificent, with the landmark Edinburgh Castle and “old town” perched above Princes Street, the main thoroughfare and a busy shopping area.

And if you’re up to some crowds, a great time to visit is during the month of August, when the city hosts the annual Edinburgh International Festival for three weeks. There, you can enjoy performances by world-renowned artists at stages across the city.  Theater, dance, music and more – you’ll see it all. Read more…