"And you know what? says Chris, I wasn't six for very long at all."

I know what Chris meant. Time does fly. It even goes faster for children these days.

I remember being six just about forever.

And Christmas!

Don't talk to me about "slow as Christmas." Christmas comes way too fast these days. We hardly have time to enjoy it.

And I'm never really ready for it?

I felt so had when someone told me the other day they had all their presents bought. But I felt better when they told me they were still working on last year.

Listen, I don't know how I will manage to get ready for St. Luke's Christmas Story - A Renaissance Nativity. It's one week from this Sunday, Dec.14, at St. Matthew - 6:00 p.m.

One week!

The set isn't even built yet. The choir is ready with some beautiful music. Mary's song is lovely.

Mary is lovely, too - there in her medieval garb. (We're imitating paintings from the Middle Ages.)

The words for the production are right out of the Bible - the 1611 King James version of the birth narrative.

I am the storyteller, dressed in fairly outlandish garb, speaking those wonderful words from memory-telling the story - letting it live before us.

But we don't have an angel yet - no Gabriel. And we're short on shepherds.

So - we're working!

If you can come at 6:00 on the 14th-do so. I think you will be touched and uplifted by the beauty of the story - even if you do leave saying, "Hey, where was the angel?"

That's at St. Matthew, Dec. 14th, St. Luke's Christmas Story, ready or not!-at 6:00 p.m.