Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 25

We made it to another Christmas. I'm rather sad to see this one come. It seemed to have happened way too fast this year and I am just not ready to let it go. 

To me, Christmas is about the birth of a child. It's meant to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, I know that he probably was born during the summer. Yes, I also know that various churches adapted secular holidays and traditions to fit with the narrative of the nativity. But it doesn't stop me from believing. 

For my final charity spotlight, I am going local, and possibly a bit controversial. Pregnancy Support Services (PSS) in the Chapel Hill/Durham area offers free, confidential support including pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, and material assistance like baby supplies, alongside parenting education and emotional support for those facing unplanned pregnancies. They provide a safe, judgment-free environment with medical and emotional support, and connect clients with local resources for housing, food, and employment. PSS is a Christian nonprofit that also offers post-abortion care and services for men. 

They do a special fundraiser called a Baby Bottle Blessings. In it, supporters raise money by filling a baby bottle with loose change. My family have supported this cause for many years. Even before I met my wife and this is our 27th Christmas together. 

PSS has been around since 1982. A group of believing doctors and nurses felt that there was a need for an alternative to Planned Parenthood and that no woman should have to face pregnancy alone and without support. I've never felt that they condemn their potential patients. Instead, they offer struggling mothers-to-be and their families hope for bringing in the next generation of children into a fallen world. With Christmas being about the birth of a child, how else best to celebrate this by ending this year's Advent supporting a charity built around the birth of children in a way practiced with care and compassion by that very child who's birth made this holiday at all possible over 2 millennia ago. 

If you have felt led to support PSS, please donate here!

Christmas With Archie

I think my favorite comic book store likes me. This Summer, when they took in a collection, they bought this 1974 Archie classic. And they gave it to me as a gift!

This one has been on my wish list for a long while. In the early 1970s, after comic artist Al Hartley became a Christian, he was recruited by the newly founded comic imprint Spire to work on their growing lineup of faith-based comic books. After initial success, Hartley reached out to Archie Comics co-founder John Goldwater to license out the Archie characters. From 1972-1982, a total of 19 Archie one-shots were created to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of those books was 1974's Christmas With Archie. Here, the Archie gang and the citizens of Riverdale put the 'Christ' in Christmas with visits from Santa to the local orphanage, a Christmas party at Riverdale High and some last minute holiday shopping. While the message of Christianity is tied into many of these stories, that does not mean that this was not a fun book. It was not all angels floating on clouds with harps. The opener where Archie fills the tires of his jalopy with helium and becomes a one-made holiday parade was hilarious. The 'Finding the Santa' fun page was a great challenge. I also enjoyed the look at Christmas future starring the high school cafeteria lunch lady, Miss Beazley.

Things did get a little preachy. The scene in the first story when Mr. Lodge turns on the TV to the middle of a televangelist's dissertation on appreciating teenagers was a bit on the nose. I also felt that the message of the story where Archie tries to find the perfect Christmas card for Veronica was too syrupy. 

This was a book I remember owning and loving as a kid. It's the book that made me mistakenly think that Archie Comics was a Christian publisher. I had a fun trip down memory lane with this. Thanks Gordon and the rest of the fellas for it! Awesome Christmas gift, dudes!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Advent: Advent 2024, Day 25

We made it to another Christmas. There's one last Advent calendar to explore. I know that I've featured an Advent that had a nativity scene. However, that calendar was more about the angels in the tree above the manager and not the story of Christ's birth. 

There are several Advent calendars out there in which you can build your own nativity scene. Most have figures that look more like Fisher Price people and they're great for little tykes. However I chose the advent from Flivoosh because it looked more like the nativity scene I had when I was younger. My nativity which I bought years ago by piecing together at Woolworth's after-Christmas sale looked like it was sculpted from marble. It had a Renaissance look and feel to it and despite being a Christmas decoration, I played with that thing for hours, arranging and rearranging the figures into the perfect lineup.

This advent has 24 windows which contain scenery, animals, the Wise Men and the Holy Family. There's even a piece that looks like the city of Jerusalem forming the background setting. I imagine that the first couple of days worth of offerings involve making up the set. with the scenery pieces. But hopefully, people like the shepherds will be available quickly. The most important thing is that the Baby Jesus is the gift for day 24. It was a rule in my family that the Christ Child couldn't go in the nativity until Christmas Day. I've heard that's been a tradition for many families as well. I really want that to be the case with this advent but since I don't own this set, I'm merely speculating.

Another thing this advent doesn't seem to have is a small instruction book. The listing on Amazon calls this an educational tool about the story of the First Christmas. However, unless a learned grown-up is available to explain all the parts that make up this nativity, there's not much teaching going to happen. I guess folks could always use a Bible. But I'd also like a kind of fact book that dug a little deeper into each daily addition to the manger scene.

And that's my 2024 Advent. I've hope you have enjoyed my adventures through the world of the advent calendar. Before I close, let's see what I received from the final envelope in my Batman Advent calendar...

Flare #31

I bought this 2006 Thanksgiving themed issue last year. I either bought it after Thanksgiving or I never got around to it. I'm not familiar with the character of Flare. Nor am I with its publisher Heroic Comics, formerly Hero Comics. 

After a little research, I learned that Hero Comics was created in the mid-80s, after gaining the licensing rights to Hero Games' Champions role playing game. When the publisher began to focus more on cheesecake than meat and potato plots, Hero Games pulled its license and a name change to Heroic Comics came about. Several characters also had to undergo name changes. But Flare was not one of them.

Flare was the result of Nazi genetic testing after World War II. Scientists fleeing to South America, continued to create their master race of soldiers and Flare and several of her siblings were test subjects. Exhibiting powers of flight, light manipulation and the ability to change her appearance, Flare and many of her kin revolted against their genetic overlords and became heroes in America.

In this issue, there are 3 stories. The first tale is Thanksgiving themed. It sees Flare meeting her boyfriend's family for the first time. All seems well until the boyfriend's little sister throws massive shade at Flare for being a rich, privileged white girl.

The middle story is a rather odd story about 2 teen girls, who after a massive session of reading comic books, turn into their heroes, the wholesome Flare and the murderous Tigress. Things get rather erotic between the two and it's very unsettling as these are teen girls. What the frick were the writer and artist thinking?! Thankfully, the pair change back into their regular mortal selves before I had to throw this book away for becoming kiddie porn. 

The last story was surprising, based on how PG-13 heading into R territory the last story was. It sees Flare in costume going to a children's hospital on Christmas Eve to deliver presents. While there, she also takes out a Bible and reads the Christmas story from the Book of Luke: the very same verses Linus reads in A Charlie Brown Christmas!

I was impressed. The first story deals with faith and prayer and thankfulness. The last story actually recounts the birth of Jesus. So, what was the deal with that middle story? It just didn't fit and it almost broke several state and federal laws.

I'll keep this issue, only for the bookends. But I just don't know if I can give this book a high rating because of the filler!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Happy Easter, 2022!

 

Tis The Ugly Sweater Season! Advent 2021: Day 25

It's Christmas Day. I know that many of you will point out that this holiday is all about commercialism. Or you might point out how the holiday had pagan origins and then the church took it over. But for me, this day is about the birth of Christ.

Sure, you may point out that Jesus probably was born in the Summer. You may not even be Christian and get upset that I share a holiday Advent that uses the word Christmas. If that's the case- it's okay. You're still welcome here. Because the one thing I am not in anything I do, even my Christian walk, is reverent. It's just not who I am. 

I love Jesus. But I am not one to shy away from a good joke or two or three.

Here's a look at Jesus and nativity themed ugly sweaters. 

Holy Family Selfie.

His ERA is 0.92.

What was missing from the Christmas Story- Velociraptors! 

Here it is- the last ugly sweater. Fitting!

And that's the 2021 Advent. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did making it. But one more thing. A last minute gift. It's from A Charlie Brown Christmas and it's a very appropriate way to close this event out. Whether you believe or not- this is what Christmas means to me. 

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas, Everyone!