Over the last few weeks I’ve been asked many times what I’ll be doing over the Christmas Break. So, I thought I’d just go ahead and put my answer out there to the general public in this musing. My/our (Denae and me) time will be spent with a mixture of drawing close to Christ (after all it is Christ-mas), family, and some VCHS sprinkled on top (it’s tough for me to turn it off completely).
As for family, let me introduce you to my kids who will all be in town (along with a future son-in-law, Patrick). My oldest Anna and her fiancé are coming in from NYC. Benj, as we call him, will be up from Denver. And my youngest Tommy (VCHS Class of 2019) will also be coming in from NYC.
With gift giving, I like gifting experiences that create shared memories. One of those will be a family hut trip. And of course, there will be plenty of skiing – both downhill and skinning (including our traditional Christmas day outing). Church, game nights, and bowling will also be part of the package
As for VCHS, I’m super excited for the Christmas Alumni Mixer at the Hythe this Saturday night. I’ll also be designing a new course that I’ll be teaching second semester. It doesn’t have a great name yet, but it’s based off Dr. Tim Elmore’s Habitudes: Images that Form Leadership Habits & Attitudes. Preparing for our January 8th faculty workday and the new semester that begins on the 9th will also have my attention.
So what will you do with some of the extra time you have this Christmas season? Hopefully you can be purposeful to carve that time out. As for faith or spirituality, might you make time to more deeply consider the real meaning of Christmas – Jesus-God coming to earth to live among us, to know us, to love us?
If you’ve read the Christmas story for what might seem too many times or maybe you’ve never read it, I encourage you to read it with fresh eyes. Try reading the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (the first two chapters of each), and quietly reflect on what God might want to say to you. If you want to hear from God, know that he enjoys doing so through His Word.
Merry Christmas from The O’Neil Family.
Steve O'Neil
Head of School
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