Joy to the Valley
By the Rev. Jimmy Bartz
I suppose on the outside, and especially on Sundays with the uniform and all the Episcopal regalia, I look like a pretty serious guy. But, this time of year, on the inside, I feel like a five-year old boy again! I love Christmas. I love the lights. I love the bows. I love Rudolph and what Burl Ives did for him. I love the angels and the sheep ranchers. I love the babe in the barn. I love this time of year. We went down to Red Creek a few weeks ago with some other families and harvested a Christmas tree in the snow. AMAZING! Full disclosure—we’re relatively new to the valley, and last Christmas our Jackson friends shamed our artificial, pre-lit Christmas tree that made the move with us from California into the landfill. But, being out there in the forest with my children, with the quiet the snow brings was a pretty sacred moment for me.
