The Road to Christmas
Hello everyone!
As 2018 draws to a close, I would like to talk about my Christmas experience. In order to give you a full disclosure of the experience, I will have to rewind my life about 4 weeks back. That's when Thanksgiving break ended, and I returned to school to prepare for my finals.
Four Weeks Back--Christmas Overload
The day classes resumed, I was pleasantly surprised at the large amount of Christmas decorations set up all over campus. There were Christmas trees in the dorm lobbies, Christmas wreaths on almost every door, and a nativity scene at the school's entrance.
Blue Mountain College takes Christmas very seriously. Christmas joy and cheer was everywhere. People who weren't friends became friends. Grouchy people became pleasant. Salty people became sweet.
Chapel themes were focused on Jesus Christ and His birth. The songs "Joy to the World," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," and "Silent Night" were played and sung in abundance.
There were Dirty Santa parties almost every other day! I only attended two parties because I did not want to buy a gift and I usually come away from a game of Dirty Santa with something that I do not enjoy at all.
Because of the abundance of Christmas joy and cheer, I finished my genuine Christmas celebrations around December 8th, the definite end of the fall semester. I had reached my limit on Christmas celebration. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I had eaten too many candy canes, said "Merry Chrimma" too many times, and belted too many karaoke songs.
Never mind that there were still 17 days 'til Christmas. I was mentally done. Nevertheless, I was still excited about Christmas break and the adventures to come!
Mission Arlington (December 7-13)
After we completed our finals, some of my friends and I went on a mission trip with the BSU to Arlington, Texas. We were there for about six days volunteering at an organization called "Mission Arlington." At Christmas time, Mission Arlington gives toys to families in Texas and shares the
Christmas story from Luke 2 with whoever comes to receive toys for their kids. It was a wonderful experience. Once we got back to school from the mission trip, I had three weeks left to spend with my family.
Visiting Friends (December 20-22)
Christmas is a time for reconnecting with family and friends. So, a week after I came home, I went to visit some friends in South Georgia with my mom and my sister.
Side Note: I really try not to give out names in my blog, so I'm going to make up names for my friends. I'm going to call them Coach Bob and Mrs. Lily.
Coach Bob used to be one of my high school cross country/track coaches. He's taught me a lot of about how to become a better athlete. Mrs. Lily is his wife, and she can do anything. They are both really sweet people, and I love getting a chance to reconnect with them at the close of each year.
Christmas Adam (December 23)
The Sunday before Christmas was really fun! My family went to church in the morning, and then we rode to Atlanta in the afternoon. I've ridden through Atlanta before (like, on the freeway), but I've never been in the heart of Atlanta.
For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant called the "Oriental Express." The food was delicious, and it was a very educational experience.
The Oriental Express is a huge, redesigned train car. They serve Chinese food, and sushi. They also
cook the food right in front of you a few minutes after you order. The man who cooked it was really fun and entertaining (we'll call him "Bob,"too). The food was absolutely delicious, and I enjoyed spending time with my family.
After lunch, we drove around downtown Atlanta and saw a lot of cool buildings and different people.
Christmas Day (December 25)
Even though I had already sung my last "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" on December 8th, I woke up on Christmas morning pleasantly excited about the day. After I woke up, I read John 15, ran three miles, and then ate a delicious breakfast. One of my sisters baked coffee cake muffins and we smashed!
Side Note: When talking about food, "smashed" means "ate heartily."
After breakfast, we opened presents. I do love receiving and giving gifts. There were lots of laughs and smiles. It was a great day!
I apologize for the brief descriptions of each section of my road to Christmas celebration. If I went into more detail, this would be a very long post.
I am very thankful for the Christmas season. I am grateful that God sent Jesus to earth as man to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16). I am thankful for all of the gifts God has given me this Christmas season--from spending time with family members and friends to eating Chinese cuisine--all of those events were very special and precious to me.
Have a wonderful New Year! Thank you for reading my blog!! Comment below!
P.S. Check out Mission Arlington's website! It is a great gospel-oriented organization!
https://missionarlington.org/
As 2018 draws to a close, I would like to talk about my Christmas experience. In order to give you a full disclosure of the experience, I will have to rewind my life about 4 weeks back. That's when Thanksgiving break ended, and I returned to school to prepare for my finals.
Four Weeks Back--Christmas Overload
The day classes resumed, I was pleasantly surprised at the large amount of Christmas decorations set up all over campus. There were Christmas trees in the dorm lobbies, Christmas wreaths on almost every door, and a nativity scene at the school's entrance.
Blue Mountain College takes Christmas very seriously. Christmas joy and cheer was everywhere. People who weren't friends became friends. Grouchy people became pleasant. Salty people became sweet.
 |
| Spreading Christmas Cheer at BMC! |
There were Dirty Santa parties almost every other day! I only attended two parties because I did not want to buy a gift and I usually come away from a game of Dirty Santa with something that I do not enjoy at all.
Because of the abundance of Christmas joy and cheer, I finished my genuine Christmas celebrations around December 8th, the definite end of the fall semester. I had reached my limit on Christmas celebration. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I had eaten too many candy canes, said "Merry Chrimma" too many times, and belted too many karaoke songs.
Never mind that there were still 17 days 'til Christmas. I was mentally done. Nevertheless, I was still excited about Christmas break and the adventures to come!
Mission Arlington (December 7-13)
After we completed our finals, some of my friends and I went on a mission trip with the BSU to Arlington, Texas. We were there for about six days volunteering at an organization called "Mission Arlington." At Christmas time, Mission Arlington gives toys to families in Texas and shares the
 |
| Christmas tree in Fort Worth, Texas! |
Visiting Friends (December 20-22)
Christmas is a time for reconnecting with family and friends. So, a week after I came home, I went to visit some friends in South Georgia with my mom and my sister.
Side Note: I really try not to give out names in my blog, so I'm going to make up names for my friends. I'm going to call them Coach Bob and Mrs. Lily.
Coach Bob used to be one of my high school cross country/track coaches. He's taught me a lot of about how to become a better athlete. Mrs. Lily is his wife, and she can do anything. They are both really sweet people, and I love getting a chance to reconnect with them at the close of each year.
Christmas Adam (December 23)
The Sunday before Christmas was really fun! My family went to church in the morning, and then we rode to Atlanta in the afternoon. I've ridden through Atlanta before (like, on the freeway), but I've never been in the heart of Atlanta.
For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant called the "Oriental Express." The food was delicious, and it was a very educational experience.
The Oriental Express is a huge, redesigned train car. They serve Chinese food, and sushi. They also
 |
| My food from the Oriental Express! |
After lunch, we drove around downtown Atlanta and saw a lot of cool buildings and different people.
Christmas Day (December 25)
Even though I had already sung my last "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" on December 8th, I woke up on Christmas morning pleasantly excited about the day. After I woke up, I read John 15, ran three miles, and then ate a delicious breakfast. One of my sisters baked coffee cake muffins and we smashed!
Side Note: When talking about food, "smashed" means "ate heartily."
After breakfast, we opened presents. I do love receiving and giving gifts. There were lots of laughs and smiles. It was a great day!
I apologize for the brief descriptions of each section of my road to Christmas celebration. If I went into more detail, this would be a very long post.
I am very thankful for the Christmas season. I am grateful that God sent Jesus to earth as man to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16). I am thankful for all of the gifts God has given me this Christmas season--from spending time with family members and friends to eating Chinese cuisine--all of those events were very special and precious to me.
Have a wonderful New Year! Thank you for reading my blog!! Comment below!
P.S. Check out Mission Arlington's website! It is a great gospel-oriented organization!
https://missionarlington.org/
But that food though!
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