Well, we've entered FutureWorld - today we became the proud owners of a hybrid vehicle, a Toyota Prius, to be exact. The girls think it is the coolest because you don't need a key to start it, and the little gadget (um, not a key, but something like a key) you need to open the car simply has to be in your pocket and the car opens as you draw near. A spy car! Not to mention it's black!

Pair this with the fact that we bought the car from a humongous Toyota dealership that seems to be modeled after Disney World (isn't everything in Florida??). After the hours of torture spent in listening to details, re-figuring figures and signing papers, we were escorted to a lady who handed over all our final instruction manuals and then asked if we would like our picture taken with our new car! I burst out laughing. Only in Orlando!

It's a little out there for mom, especially since she thought dad would go for a convertible for the second car (our faithful little Neon finally bit the dust - in fact, it ran miraculously for the past few years according to the fellow who took a look at its internals and found most everything inside the dash melted together). I made every effort to convince him to buy a used Sebring (they're easy to buy and sell here in Florida, it's his mid-life crisis car, etc., etc.), and he went for the techno-cool, enviro-friendly car instead. It looks very intellectual to me and very suitable for a musical genius husband. The writer wife will be very happy with her mini van, thank you.

Of course, at the same time I am thinking it's amazing that we live in a country where having two cars is even possible, let alone picking the exact car you want. Many of our Ukrainian friends have no cars at all - they ride the metro. But life in Orlando demands that two working parents have methods of transportation - no metro yet. (At least we're going to save big on gas this year — the Prius can get 50-70 miles per gallon!)

A good friend of mine who was also recently in Ukraine spoke to me about an incident where she was feeling self-conscious about her $300 camera, trying to hide it from her Ukrainian friends. These friends reprimanded her by saying, "God allowed you to have that camera and you are using it for His glory! You have no reason to be ashamed! Take pictures!" Can we allow ourselves to be humbly blessed?

Every American should be thanking God Almighty this season for the great riches we all enjoy. Maybe we have a new car, or maybe we have one that barely runs. Maybe we have a fridge full of food, and maybe we have a granola bar. But the fact is that in America there are very few who starve and very few in need, in comparison to many countries around us. And thus we should always be ready to share, to give, and to use what we have in service according to our opportunities which are present each day.

It is a very great blessing to be living in America, and no shame. But our day-to-day lives will tell whether we are worshipping the gifts or the Giver. May Christmas this year cause us all to lay all we have at the feet of the Manger Child (spy cars included). Though every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Light, no gift will ever be as great as He is Himself. Fashionable cars come and go, but He is the only Gift that truly satisfies.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy the ride, whatever you're riding in!