Christmas Break

Yesterday we finished school for 2008. We're starting on our Christmas break a little early due to the pending arrival of "baby girl." We expect her in the next few days, hopefully. This mama is very, very ready!

Now it's also time to focus full-time on the gift of Christmas and really savor the season. For ONCE, my shopping is done. The kids started making ornaments yesterday evening with their grandparents and then went to make "gingerbread" houses with them. When they came home we decorated our tree -- everything else was decorated already. If we have to be up at night rocking a baby, what a wonderful season do to it in! (And yes, I know all the Advent candles shouldn't be lit yet -- the picture is from last Christmas...)

Meanwhile, here's a short Christmas music clip for you all to enjoy -- kids too. You may have seen it last year when it became a YouTube sensation. The footage is actually from 1998. The group was called "Straight No Chaser" and consisted of 10 Indiana University students.

What's really fun is that the YouTube footage was posted over a year ago by the guys in the group when I.U. invited them back to campus for a "reunion". It was really there just to remind them all of the "college days" and have some laughs. But based on the 6 million YouTube hits last Christmas, they were contacted by Atlantic Records and asked to make a Christmas Album for this year. It is called Holiday Spirits. These 10 guys were all over the place, a few working in performance arts, but mostly in corporate jobs not expecting to ever get back into music. Now their album is out (#10 top seller on Amazon right now) and they are touring.

Also, they chose their 10 replacements a decade ago before they graduated from college, and the tradition has continued. There is still a "Straight No Chaser" group at I.U. who follow in their footsteps. Fun!