The Royce Files

Merry Christmas from Lehigh! It's a balmy white Christmas here. It even snowed a little this morning. Christmas tradition has eroded over the years as my family got older (and some may even suggest grumpier). Actually, I never really thought we had much tradition in the first place. For us, we gathered on Christmas Eve with the extended family and ate a little, drank a little, and opened presents all while the television blared. Most would sit around. Not my ideal. My immediate family would open gifts on Christmas and do more sitting around at home. Perhaps we would eat something special. Then a few years ago we began to go to Christmas Eve services at The Harbor . I let out a sigh of relief- at last we would have an honorable tradition. Nostaglia is okay. Family is good too. However, without the One who the season is meant to honor, Christmas seemw banal and pedestrian: a trite excuses to spend money and create a myth about a jolly fat man from the North Pole. Just look at Holid

It is the middle of December and I still don't know where I am going. There have been 2 interviews and only 3 temp jobs since the previous posting. Freezing rain came. Then the snow arrived. The city shut down. Sub-zero arctic fronts badgered the area. Busted out the bike only twice. You are probably surmising that I am either real busy or rather depressed. Although the wise will discern that it is some of both. Hey, I wrote the stuff, you just have to decide if I am honest when I am talking about myself. What has not kept me busy is work. Pretty slim the last 3 weeks. No, what has kept me busy is passion for audio drama. This is the third year I have written, directed, and produced a radio drama for my church although I had more help this year. I spent many hours searching for music, creating sound fx, and revising the script. I got a good return on the investment. One audience member commented that the show was 10 times better than his church's Christmas program. And that c