Making a Merry Christmas 2021

It’s been a tough year as we all know due to the Covid pandemic. Even so, there are some traditions that bolster our spirits and shine a light of hope in the world. Christmas has always been one of those traditions. Most importantly, it reminds us of the birth of our Savior over two thousand years ago. Into the dark, dark world, the star shone bright and an angel directed the shepherds to seek out the birthplace of Jesus. When they obeyed the angel and made the trip to the stable, they found God in human form laying in a manger. The shepherds and wise men adored Him and acknowledged His presence and the hope He brought with Him. From these humble beginnings as an infant with the Holy Family, He grew to save us from sin and promise the reward of eternal life. He offered His human life as redemption for our sins, the greatest act of love. When we turn to Him in thanksgiving and prayer, we realize that we are not alone in this world.

There are many troubles in our world today, but faith is the way to find our way past difficulties in this life. We need to not only believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit but to follow the lessons that Jesus taught his disciples and followers. He taught us how to pray with the Our Father, He told us that we should act like children if we wanted to enter His Kingdom. His messages of peace and love are just as relevant today as they were over two thousand years ago. At Christmas time we often see the love and good of our neighbors who respond to tragedies by volunteering their time and talent to those in need.

Christmas is indeed a special time of the year for families. Memories of Christmas’s long ago remind us of how important our families were when we were growing up. When I was young, our Christmas tree was put up, but undecorated until my 2 brothers and my sister woke up on Christmas morning to find a fully decorated tree that Santa put presents under.

This Christmas Eve, I was gifted with the presence of three of my sons Michael, Tom and Stephen and my granddaughter, Ariana, who all slept over. My daughter Katie, her husband, Dan and their daughter, Ellie and son, Tommy all joined us for dinner that night. It was so nice to sit in the dining room and share a family meal together. After dessert, Ariana and Ellie opened some presents to the exclamations of , “Wow, ” and “Yes!” Their excitement was contagious as we were all entertained at seeing them unwrap presents. Ariana put out a plate of cookies for Santa and some carrots for his reindeer.

On Christmas morning, Ariana, woke me up around 9 to go downstairs with her to see the presents Santa had left under the tree. She must have been a really good girl, because he left her so many presents! Once again, the excitement was palpable as she opened her presents. It was a joy to watch her! A little while later, my daughter, Marianne, her husband James, and their son Michael came over for a traditional pancake breakfast. The house was alive with elation as they opened even more presents and checked their stockings. Then Michael and Ariana had a snowball fight with Uncle Steve (plush, indoor snowballs) and a Nerf battle.

After lunch, we watched the movie Home Alone 2, and because the weather was so nice, 60 degrees, Michael and his Mom and Dad went to a nearby playground. Since I was so tired, having gone to bed Christmas morning around 3 AM, I retreated to my room and took a very restful nap.

I thank God for many blessings, but my favorite blessing is family, my adult children, my grandchildren, my brother, sister and their families and my brother-in-laws and sisters-in-laws and their families! I also thank God for the many friends that I have who have helped me over the years. Without all these people in my life, I don’t know how my life would have been. At Christmas time as well as throughout the years, I am feeling very blessed. Merry Christmas to all!