Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

 So, I know you are all waiting to hear about our trip to see this movie yesterday:

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

I figured sharing that movie trailer above would be the best way to tell you about the movie!  To say it was good would be a great understatement. I went through so many emotions during that movie...laughter, sadness, joy, and tears that I just couldn't hold back...yeah...I loved it.  The characters are still with me today in my mind and I wish I could watch it again.  I did watch an older version of the story that was filmed in 1983, but it just didn't have the pizazz and raw emotion of this movie.  So yes, I would recommend it if it is showing in your area. I did see that you could buy it on Amazon, and it will probably be on TV before long if you want to wait. 

One thing that was said in the middle of the movie just totally blew me away...remember when I talked about "break a leg" HERE in my previous post?  Well, lo! and behold! That very statement was quoted in the movie, and I was so surprised because I had just been talking about that exact thing that morning! That was so funny when I heard it I almost spit out my popcorn! LOL.

But I am getting ahead of myself...Here's the theater...

And here's the lobby/concession area.  Everything is self-serve and you have to check yourself out using a debit or credit card, although I think there was one machine that would take cash.

Here we are, all excited and getting our popcorn and drinks and getting ready to go inside.  Thankfully there was a kind person who worked there who saw that we were unfamiliar with the routine, and so she took extra time to show us where everything was.  We were most appreciative. I told her that I hadn't been to a movie in a theater since the Titanic sank, and she looked at me as if I was crazy. But it's true. That's the last movie I saw in a Theater, and that was in late 1997!  Yeah, that long ago! No wonder I was as excited as a little kid let out of school...

And would you look at this? They had reclining seats with places to hold your drink cups!

That's my popcorn! It was so good!!

And yes, I did recline, those are my feet you see sticking up.  And no, it wasn't crowded at all. We went to a matinee' on a Wednesday afternoon, so we almost had the place to ourselves!

Here's hubby and me settling into our seats.  I won't tell you that hubby was so comfortable in his recliner that he literally slept through a good portion of the movie.  At least he didn't snore. LOL.

And here's Rose and Benton next to us.  We were so glad they were with us to navigate us through all these new-fangled things!  Yep, I don't get out much, and this was more fun than I've had in a long time!

Afterwards we went to Culver's for supper, and I had the shrimp dinner, and it was SO good!

So I asked myself during and after this movie why I was so touched by it, and why did it mean so much to me? Several things...

1.  I loved how the true story of Christmas and Jesus' birth was brought out in this movie. They didn't just gloss over it and make it stay in the background. It was the central core of the movie...the re-telling of the birth of Christ in such a way that a child (and children) who had never heard the story before could grasp it and take it into their own minds and hearts and identify with the main "characters" in Jesus' nativity.

2.  I identified with the mother in the movie who ended up directing the Christmas pageant. I've been there and done that several times, and those were some of my happiest (and hardest and most tiring but rewarding) memories of my life.  Especially when I was able to direct a pageant that my own children participated in so many years ago...Oh yes! This brought back those kinds of memories that brought tears of joy to my eyes.

3.  Seeing how this very dysfunctional family brought out the worst and the best feelings of the high and mighty folks of the church and community, and how in the end the people were brought to their feet in applause, and perhaps figuratively to their knees in repentance for how they had previously treated this family. It made me look at myself and my attitude towards those who may not always meet "my standards" for living, but for whom Jesus came to earth to save for eternal life with Him.

4.  To see the redemption of these children as they came face to face with Jesus, the babe in the manger, and realized that He came  to earth because He loved them...He was the gift to the whole world, and His birth literally changed their lives. 

Yes, this movie touched my heart on a lot of different levels that I am still sorting out today. Was it worth the time and money and effort to go sit and watch this movie? Oh yes! It was truly "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"!!

So here's some of the beauty we saw on the way home as the sun was setting in the west across the St. John's River...

This is the "skyline" of the city of Palatka, which is the city closest to our little town.

Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV

6 For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

This little experience has helped set the tone for the Christmas season for me.  Now I can't wait to get started on getting ready for Christmas...but I will still wait until after Thanksgiving to start decorating! I can only handle one thing at a time!

Hope you enjoyed this!  Have a good night!