{"id":1176,"date":"2008-12-25T23:01:23","date_gmt":"2008-12-26T04:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176"},"modified":"2008-12-25T23:01:23","modified_gmt":"2008-12-26T04:01:23","slug":"spirit-tradition-and-laughter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176","title":{"rendered":"spirit, tradition, and laughter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that those of you who celebrate the day found it filled with love and joy and excitement. Yesterday was a little stressful for us as we drove north while trying to finish our shopping. (Note to self: Remember to check for wallet before leaving home next time&#8230;) Today, however, was perfectly lovely, as we celebrated this morning in front of the tree with my folks and Gramma. My aunt, uncle, and cousins arrived midafternoon, and we ate a wonderful turkey dinner followed by two types of trifle. A game of pool and some light holiday tv (of yesteryear) rounded out the night.<\/p>\n<p>Since I keep  dozing off as I type this, I&#8217;m going to save any more recapping for another night and instead compile here for you three beautiful things from my Advent week:<\/p>\n<p>1. We realize after the grocery stores close last night that we&#8217;re lacking one of the title ingredients for carrots and peppers. The local Olive Garden to my folks do not laugh Rudi out of the restaurant as he inquires about the plausibility of buying a pepper or two from them. The chef himself bears out a clamshell styofoam container showcasing a red and a green bell pepper. Everyone involved refuses payment and instead wishes Rudi a Merry Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>2. I stay up late wrapping on Christmas Eve and spend the end of the night watching <em>Christmas Eve on Sesame Street<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>3. Part of our holiday tradition includes balling up the used wrapping paper and shooting baskets with it into a paper bag. The first round is fun, but the second and third even better. I collect the unsunk balls of paper and we try again, but this time with my parents&#8217; puppy playing along with us. We shoot over her. She steals some balls for her own play later on. The best moment comes when she takes a just-sunk ball of Rudi&#8217;s out of the bag. I like to think Cran was rooting for me&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Before I go, here are some favorite Christmas songs I meant to give you back on Monday, but that I ran out of time to share:<\/p>\n<p>Dar Williams&#8217; &#8220;The Christians and the Pagans&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><center><object width=\"425\" height=\"344\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/U_Xdk4PujOE&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1\"><\/param><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\"><\/param><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\"><\/param><embed src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/U_Xdk4PujOE&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\"><\/embed><\/object><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Amy Grant&#8217;s &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.last.fm\/music\/Amy+Grant\/A+Christmas+Album\/Love+Has+Come\">Love Has Come<\/a>&#8221; (on Last.fm)<\/p>\n<p><center><object width=\"425\" height=\"344\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/NkwnuD5BoMU&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1\"><\/param><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\"><\/param><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\"><\/param><embed src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/NkwnuD5BoMU&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\"><\/embed><\/object><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The Statler Brothers&#8217; &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.last.fm\/music\/The+Statler+Brothers\/_\/The+Carols+Those+Kids+Used+to+Sing\">The Carols Those Kids Used to Sing<\/a>&#8221; (on Last.fm)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that those of you who celebrate the day found it filled with love and joy and excitement. Yesterday was a little stressful for us as we drove north while trying to finish our shopping. (Note to self: Remember to check for wallet before leaving home next time&#8230;) Today, however, was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-three-beautiful-things"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>spirit, tradition, and laughter - sprite writes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"spirit, tradition, and laughter - sprite writes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that those of you who celebrate the day found it filled with love and joy and excitement. Yesterday was a little stressful for us as we drove north while trying to finish our shopping. (Note to self: Remember to check for wallet before leaving home next time&#8230;) Today, however, was [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"sprite writes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-12-26T04:01:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"soe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"soe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"soe\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2aa28906a6cfcf6a027e45ac700a834d\"},\"headline\":\"spirit, tradition, and laughter\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-12-26T04:01:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176\"},\"wordCount\":394,\"commentCount\":2,\"articleSection\":[\"three beautiful things\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176\",\"name\":\"spirit, tradition, and laughter - sprite writes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-12-26T04:01:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2aa28906a6cfcf6a027e45ac700a834d\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?p=1176#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"spirit, tradition, and laughter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"sprite writes\",\"description\":\"broodings from the burrow\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2aa28906a6cfcf6a027e45ac700a834d\",\"name\":\"soe\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/49c494d6a64fd2b375e219c4ee1ae734e9edce9f8490a38074dcf6ba8a3dc716?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/49c494d6a64fd2b375e219c4ee1ae734e9edce9f8490a38074dcf6ba8a3dc716?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/49c494d6a64fd2b375e219c4ee1ae734e9edce9f8490a38074dcf6ba8a3dc716?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"soe\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.spritewrites.net\\\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"spirit, tradition, and laughter - sprite writes","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"spirit, tradition, and laughter - sprite writes","og_description":"Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that those of you who celebrate the day found it filled with love and joy and excitement. Yesterday was a little stressful for us as we drove north while trying to finish our shopping. (Note to self: Remember to check for wallet before leaving home next time&#8230;) Today, however, was [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176","og_site_name":"sprite writes","article_published_time":"2008-12-26T04:01:23+00:00","author":"soe","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"soe","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176"},"author":{"name":"soe","@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/#\/schema\/person\/2aa28906a6cfcf6a027e45ac700a834d"},"headline":"spirit, tradition, and laughter","datePublished":"2008-12-26T04:01:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176"},"wordCount":394,"commentCount":2,"articleSection":["three beautiful things"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176","url":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176","name":"spirit, tradition, and laughter - sprite writes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-12-26T04:01:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/#\/schema\/person\/2aa28906a6cfcf6a027e45ac700a834d"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?p=1176#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"spirit, tradition, and laughter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/","name":"sprite writes","description":"broodings from the burrow","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/#\/schema\/person\/2aa28906a6cfcf6a027e45ac700a834d","name":"soe","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49c494d6a64fd2b375e219c4ee1ae734e9edce9f8490a38074dcf6ba8a3dc716?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49c494d6a64fd2b375e219c4ee1ae734e9edce9f8490a38074dcf6ba8a3dc716?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49c494d6a64fd2b375e219c4ee1ae734e9edce9f8490a38074dcf6ba8a3dc716?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"soe"},"url":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1176\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spritewrites.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}