Good Time Away

Teri and I did something that we have not done in 11 months.  We left the kids with my parents last night and went away to Carrickfergus for the night.  We had a great time together relaxing and talking.  We went to IKEA in Belfast this morning and then stopped by to visit with our friends the Wickens and the Bakers in Ballyclare.  We got back and Grant made his mother’s day by saying, “I missed you, mommy.”  What an amazing kid!  The youth meeting went great tonight.  I had a lot of fun and I hope everyone else did.  David did a great job with the music, and Mark is always so supportive.  Now, it is 2:30 AM in the morning and I better get some sleep.  I am finally caught up on my email and my blogs.

By the way, I just wanted to mention that I have the greatest wife in the world.  No one would have put up with what she had to put up with being married to me.  She is so loyal, faithful, beautiful, helpful, and encouraging.  I praise God for her.

Holidays in Northern Ireland

The holidays in Northern Ireland are very similar with a few differences to what we are used to in the States.  Christmas is a very big time of the year for families and for shopping.  Because there is no Thanksgiving holiday here, the shops begin to put out Christmas decorations right after Halloween and they promote it all the way through the new year.  Many people buy very expensive gifts for their children like video games, bikes, laptops, and other things like that.  It always amazes me the extravance of their gifts for their children.   Like most places, Christmas is very commercialized.  Many families only get together out of duty and many find it a very stressful time.  Drinking is a big part of the holiday celebrations; but then, of course, it is a big part of any celebration and any weekend, even if there is no celebration.  Even though we don’t drink, we actually received a bottle of wine as a Christmas present this year.

The day after Christmas is another big holiday called Boxing Day when people usually getogether to eat another big meal and be with family.  It traditionally comes from giving gifts out of a box to poorer people and also refers to boxing matches that were help on that day.  Everyone I talk to has a different story about how it originated, but that is what I have come up with so far.

New Years is traditionally a time to drink some more.  We had a party on Christmas Day evening and New Year’s Eve.  I really enjoyed both and it gave a Christian alternative to our church people.  They are a wonderful group of people and I really enjoy getting together with them.