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This next week (starting tomorrow), we will have our kids and their families start to arrive in anticipation of celebrating Christmas at our house. Games will be played, hugs will be shared, prodigious amounts of food will be consumed, presents will be exchanged, and memories will be made. Our little home will host 17 people and two dogs, all coming and going and bumping into each other. Central to our family's celebration is Christmas Eve, when we will gather in the living room and I will read the traditional Christmas story from the Bible. Three generations will listen to the story that has been told for centuries, contemplating the import of a babe lying in a manger. For me, that is what Christmas is about. I really enjoy the decorations, the anticipation, the music, the lights, and the way everyone is just a bit nicer while wishing well to one and all. For me, though, it all pales in comparison to that first Christmas gift, offered in the humblest of circumstances to all the world. I know that not everyone sees Christmas in the way I do. That's OK. You may not even believe that the gift of a child was necessary or of any real meaning. That's OK, too. I don't fault anyone their beliefs or their celebration. Regardless of your beliefs or how you celebrate, what I wish for you is happiness, joy, and peace. I wish you a warm hearth and a full pantry. I wish you health and reciprocated love. I wish you the best that life has to offer. From me to each of you, may you have a merry Christmas.
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