Engaging Father Christmas

Today I visited a foreign land. The inhabitants looked similar to those of us here on Earth, but they spoke an odd language that consisted of loud shouts and squeals. There seemed to be a sort of dress code, in which they all tried to wear the most ridiculous costume but only in colors of orange, black, and white. Yes, I spent the day at Oconto Falls High School in preparation for the Homecoming game tonight. I supplied lunch for the cheerleaders, and then stuck around to watch the Powderpuff football game, pep rally, and parade.

The atmosphere was completely different than when I was in high school (yes, I'm dating myself). This was Homecoming at Gillett ca. 1990. School went on as normal during the day, except for the few students involved in skits. At 2:30, a pep rally was held with competitions for best class skit and class cheer. The Homecoming King was crowned (the queen was whoever he was bringing to the dance). Most of the school went to the game, and the dance was immediately after. Most girls wore sweaters and nice jeans or dress pants. The guys wore their clean jerseys and maybe a button down shirt with jeans. This left me completely unprepared for the carnival-like atmosphere of Oconto Falls. I arrived around 11, and the halls were filled with roaming students and faculty. Kids drifted from one room to the next with no real purpose. At noon, the Powderpuff football game started. The junior and senior girls play flag football against each other while the entire school watches. The game gets a bit rough; one girl actually lost her pants (thank GOD she was wearing shorts underneath). The halftime show was a group of senior boys dressed in full cheerleader regalia: short skirts, sleeveless tops, and one even sported a pony-tail. They cheered, did basket tosses, and pyramids. It was hilarious. From there we headed into the gym for a short pep rally which consisted of lots of screaming and the acknowledgement of all athletes. Homecoming King and Queen are crowned separately. Then the gym rapidly emptied as everyone fled to their floats or cars for the parade. The entire elementary school filed out to watch down a side street, and the junior high will watch as the parade makes it way further down. The parade makes it all the way down Main Street before heading back to the high school. I do have to admit that I enjoyed it a great deal. School spirit was everywhere, and everyone was having a good time. I wish that my school had done something like it.

I'm home for a couple of hours before heading back into town to watch the game tonight. It's supposed to be close to freezing, so we'll all be dressed warm. Tomorrow night Molly is going to the dance, for which she has a cocktail style dress and is getting her hair done. The pics are of some of the outrageous outfits the kids wore today and the floats from the parade.

Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn is the follow-up to Finding Father Christmas. It's a short, engaging novella about finding your home and trusting God to lead you there. Miranda Carson is returning to England for Christmas again this year with the hope that her boyfriend Ian will be asking her a rather important question, one that will give her a home for life. Miranda will be celebrating her first real Christmas as a part of her biological father's family, but his wife is still distant making Miranda question where she really belongs. Gunn captures the spirit of Christmas and weaves it through this enjoyable tale. I don't think I've ever read a more romantic proposal! It's incredible the amount of story that Gunn packs into just a few pages. This is one story I'll be glad to come back to year after year.

Tomorrow Mia will be reviewing another book for Mia & Mommy's Book Blog. I hope you'll come back then!