With so many other, and often instantaneous, forms of communication that continue to evolve, this blog is becoming more and more irrelevant. Still, it offers me the opportunity to at the very least share not only my annual Christmas card, but sometimes to share some of the inspiration or details of the card, as well.
The picture for this year’s Christmas card was created by AI (Artificial Intelligence). I asked ChatGPT to create a Gilligan’s Island themed manger scene. After a mere 15-seconds (which was probably mostly internet lag), it presented me with the picture you see below. Since I was pretty sure that I couldn’t do any better myself, it became the picture on my 2024 Christmas card.
If you want an actual card from me, there are several ways of getting one for yourself:
- You COULD be on my mailing list, and simply wait for the USPS to bring you an old school card via snail mail; that mailing list is only ever growing shorter. Alas, if you're not already on the mailing list... that's probably not going to happen.
- You could connect with me at church (Eastside in Anaheim, CA) or bump into me around town (Placentia, Anaheim, Yorba Linda, Brea, Fullerton, etc.).
- You could send me an email requesting a pdf of this year's Christmas card, so you can print out your very own 2024 Christmas card (ink, paper, and some assembly required).
- You could forgo all the hassle of tracking me down or the laborious printing and folding chore... and simply experience the online version of the 2024 Christmas card, below:
On That First Christmas Day
by David Alan Hoag – September 23, 2024
(sung to “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island”;
apologies to Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle)
For the census count, a Jewish man
Was told he had to go
From Nazareth to Bethlehem
With his pregnant wife in tow.
His wife was ready to give birth,
The night that they rolled in.
But every place they turned to said:
“There’s no room at our inn.”
No room at the inn.
The babe was born, his parents found
A manger for his bed.
It seemed it was the only place,
The babe could lay his head,
The babe could lay his head.
Angels sang “Joy”, and shepherds quaked
A star shone in the sky
For Jesus Christ,
Our newborn King,
Had come for you, and for me.
To save our souls,
To ransom us and set us free,
On that first Christmas Day.
-------------
God’s gift...
of forgiveness, salvation, and grace is for everyone.
God doesn’t discriminate according to race, origin, or
affiliation, so neither should we.
This Christmas, let’s make a point of sharing
God’s amazing gift with all our neighbors:
A gift of Love, and Joy, and Peace!
I wish you a blessed Christmas.
Dave Hoag
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