And on our Wild, Organic Christmas Trees Tour, you can see the rare and delicate Teacup Fiber Optic Evergreen.
Maybe it's living alone in a fairly new place, or maybe it's just because I'm older, but I just haven't been feeling Christmas-y. I have tried a little bit. I have helped cut down my family's Christmas tree and friend's Christmas tree. I driven around town once at night to look at lights. But typically by this time of year, I am feeling very festive. So last night's events were much needed to catapult me into some Christmas cheer.
Last night some friends and I took a tour of historic homes. These homes were decorated in very traditional Christmas style, and were open for people to come inside and look around. And oh my goodness, they were beautiful homes. Some were nearly 200 years old, and were beautifully restored and preserved. And the Christmas decor was perfect. It was beautiful to just walk down street to the open houses on a night that was cold enough to let you see your breath, but not cold enough to make you feel like an icicle. And while we were walking down that street, I saw it. I saw what I have wanted to see pretty badly for a very long time.
I saw a talking dog.
Just kidding.
I saw a shooting star.
And then I promptly freaked out and realized that it is now mid-December. And what happens during mid-December? The Geminid meteor shower, of course! And sure enough, when I confirmed with my phone that the meteor shower peaked last night, I pretty much forced my friends to agree to stargaze with me after our Christmas tour. They were good sports about it, because who doesn't like to watch shooting stars?
So after we walked through the last historic home on the Christmas tour, we went back to my friend's house and watched a movie until it got late enough to really see the shower. And then we bundled up in coats and blankets, turned off all the lights, and went and sat outside. We were able to see the stars so clearly out where she lived, and we tried to pick out constellations while watching for shooting stars. I also learned that I don't really know anything about constellations. It got pretty cold, so we brought a space heater outside to warm our feet. Also, I just think that space heater is a fitting name for staring at the stars in space.
We saw around 1 shooting star per minute, streaking across the sky like silver fish darting around in the water. The mountains could be barely seen in the background.
Notice all the constellations that I did not add.
And by the end of the night. I was in the Christmas spirit. It's a very distinctive feeling, being in the Christmas spirit. It's a very warm and comfortable feeling, even though I was sitting outside on a cold night and my toes were beginning to turn into foot icicles. It transcends our understanding, though we work hard to get a more accurate understanding of it. It goes beyond presents and decorations. It goes beyond lights and the houses around you, and the cities and the continents.
It goes beyond all of that, all the way past space and beyond those shooting stars, and into heaven, where the Lord who created it all is at work. It goes all the way into time: past, present, and future. It goes all the way into that story that we know so well, where a star showed the path to the young Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment