It’s Christmas Morning
Rich Mullins sings …
You Gotta Get Up
You Gotta Get Up
You Gotta Get Up
It’s Christmas Mornin’
What a great day of the year with all its wonder, splendor, excitement and celebration.
Thanks to the kid in myself and in many others, we rise before dawn to celebrate the day Jesus was born and open presents with family and friends. And today, being Sunday, off to church to sing and celebrate with others the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
On Christmas Eve, we sing Silent Night, Holy Night at candlelight services throughout the world .. today we sing and sing with great enthusiasm - Joy to the World !!
Three of my favorite videos which get me going ..
Faith Hill singing Joy to the World – (official video)
Steven Curtis Chapman - This Baby (if this song doesn’t stir your soul please check for a pulse)
Matthew West - The Heart of Christmas
While we give and receive gifts today here are a few individuals and teams which gave us early Christmas presents this year.
Thanks to so many ... here are a few
The Many Who Have Helped Woodmore Elementary ... I understand more than $200,000 raised for the families of the children in the bus wreck earlier this fall .... we are a very giving community and always have been ... may we continue to be
.... and thanks a million times over to the doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who helped in such a great way and will continue in that effort.
Coach John Starr – first year coach who led the Howard Hustlin’ Tigers to their first playoff appearance since 2010 by winning four of their last five games, including a regular season ending road region victory at Signal Mountain …
NCAA – members of a committee which granted a hardship request by UTC’s Makinde London for immediate eligibility to play basketball for the Mocs instead of having to it out a year due to transferring from Xavier Univ. (Ohio)
Russ Huesman – now the football coach at Richmond, Huesman and his staff led the UTC program to 59 wins and three Southern Conference titles and a trio of NCAA playoff appearances … the eight seasons prior to Huesman’s hire produced only 22 games
USA Ryder Cup Team – Arnold Palmer died at 86 on Sunday Sept. 25 … by the following Sunday members of the USA Ryder Cup golf team celebrated his life in golf by winning the cup for the first time since 2008
Sequatchie County Football – the young men posted a school record 13 straight wins before losing to eventual state champ Alcoa in the state semis … the Indians didn’t win it all, but what a great season they gave to alums and many others.
Southern Scuffle – UTC wrestling coach Heath Elsinger brought this nationally-acclaimed collegiate wresting tourney to our city a few years ago… The strongest in-season collegiate mat event in the nation needed a home and Eslinger took charge and along with many UTC staff members have made Jan.1-2 at McKenzie Arena the place to be to watch great wrestling
Tennis Halls of Fame - HOF members for voting in Chattanooga residents Ned Caswell to the Southern Tennis HOF and for Eric Voges to the Tennessee Tennis HOF ..both will be honored on consecutive Saturday's in January
UTC Basketball Seniors – The six seniors on this year’s men’s basketball team could have transferred to other schools (after the 2014-15 season) after coach Will Wade took the VCU job … but the six men decided to stay even without knowing who their new coach would be.
The six who stayed and led the Mocs to Southern Conference title this past season under new coach Matt McCall - Justin Tuoyo, Chuck Ester, Greg Pryor, Casey Jones, Tre’ Mclean, Johnathan Burroughs-Cook
My Mount Rushmore of Christmas Movies
1, it's a Wonderful Life
2. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - starring George C. Scott
3. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - more modern version starring Henry Winkler
4. A Peanuts Christmas
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net