News

For many families, the holidays are all about tradition. Traditions can include annual trips to Grandma’s house, when and where a family shares its holiday gifts, or something as simple as the holiday meal.

Christmas is so much more than Santa Claus, decorations, and presents. It is more than all the hustle and bustle of shopping, parties, and feasts. And if everyone would truly take the time to remember the true reason for the season, our world would definitely be a better place to live.

Matthew 1 verses 21 to 23 is a message to Joseph concerning Mary: “She shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel.’” Jesus is the Messiah, our Savior, and the sacrifice for our sins. For 33 years, he listened to the Jewish leaders, the crowds, and his disciples; he taught, he preached, he prayed, he went, he cried, he fed, he healed, he raised the dead, he walked on the water, he loved, and yet, most of them did not believe that he was who he said he was - the one and only Son of God.

For generations, families have sat around the TV to watch the loved movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas, directed by Bill Melendez. It has become a staple in the Christmas movie lineup for many families. You may have fond memories of watching this movie yourself with your family; I know I do. Perhaps you may watch A Charlie Brown Christmas this year.

As we usher in this Christmas season, let us pause and consider what 1 Peter 1:1820 tells us: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world...”

I’m sure it’s true for many of you as well, but last week's blizzard threw me off. Schedules, rhythms of life, work and income, plans with family or friends, and preparations for Christmas for so many have had to substantially change. And Christmas can’t be delayed a week to make up for this! In light of this frustration, some have schemed with clenched fists to find clever human solutions to get around the storm and its effect while others have let go, accepted it, and rested.

Are you still looking for some last-minute Christmas ideas? Last week’s blizzard might have cut short your shopping days or perhaps, inflation has made household money tight. Christmas, however, doesn’t have to mean stretching your budget or wasting money on gifts that will be broken or discarded before the end of the year.

In 2004, the German post office gave away 20 million scented stickers for free to make Christmas cards smell like a fir Christmas tree, cinnamon, gingerbread, or a honey-wax candle. A surge in Christmas cards came in the 1940s, courtesy of World War II.

Monday, December 12: It is raining and sleeting off and on. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Music teacher Katie Opp was the bearer of Gorilla Good News at the regular meeting of the Gregory School District Board of Education on Monday, December 12. Opp reported that four students had been selected from over 500 who auditioned to the South Dakota Junior Honor Choir. Ella Sperl, Piper Bartlett, George Timanus, and Dani Timanus will perform with other 7th-9th graders in Rapid City January 20-21, 2023.