Christmas Season is already behind us. Liturgically this Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord and begin the Ordinary Season. Still one last time I like to share some thoughts on the sights and sounds of Christmas. During Christmas season I practice some strange habits. I am sure you too have some of these habits but never thought seriously about them. Like many of you I have the habit of listening to Christmas music whether I am in my room or in my car travelling to some place. I play Christmas music and allow it to resonate every moment of my life during this season. Even though some of these CDs are from well trained professional musicians, the best Christmas music is what I hear from our Choir and our own little children when they perform their concert. One of our parish families took me to the concert performance in Arlington High School and I had a great time. I used to go to shows in the City but there is nothing like listening to the performance of our children.

I have developed the habit of driving around during Christmas season many times to see the lights and decorations on the streets, in front of the houses and in Churches. There are some beautiful light arrangements in front of some houses, But  our Church decoration by far is the best in our area that I have visited. I have the strange habit of spending time looking at all the Christmas cards I receive and enjoy the beauty of them. For some strange reason, I seem to enjoy more the pictures of families and children sent to me than the printed picture of nativity. I also have the habit of counting the light bulbs on Christmas trees and I have never succeeded even once in counting them correctly without touching the tree however small the tree is. Now the best scene of the season this year for me is the one I saw in one of my visits to the first grade ccd class. When I entered the class room everyone was giggling and laughing looking at the south corner of the room. The reason is two of the children were enacting the Visitation scene. Mary had a blue head scarf and Elizabeth had a little pillow in her stomach to show that she is six months pregnant. But these two first graders in their own innocent way perfectly brought out the joy of the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth and filled every one inside the class room. This scene and its joy are never going to fade from my memory. Thanks to that first grade ccd class children and their catechist.