I loved my Georgia homeplace Christmases as much or more than my homeplace Thanksgivings. Most years there were a bunch of us gathered. Very rarely were all of us present because of work obligations and commitments to other family configurations.
We had both Christmas Eve traditions and Christmas Day traditions. We often took a Christmas Day walk in the woods as we did on Thanksgiving Day. We had set menus recurring each year, and they were some of my favorite meals of the year.
One Christmas when I was living in Louisville, KY, I drove home to Georgia as usual to celebrate with my parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews. Every single one of them had some kind of virus. There were neither Christmas Eve nor Christmas Day observances that year in my parents' home. I sat and read all alone all day both days. On Christmas Eve evening, however, my Aunt Dottie summoned me to gather with her sub-clan. It was a little strange, but it was good.
This holiday season often requires us to be flexible and to hold lightly even our most cherished traditions. Although I miss much about how my Christmases used to be and delight in many good memories, I remember that there were also strife-filled holidays and very strained relationships some years as well.
Whether your Christmas this year is rowdy or calm, filled with great joy or tinged with deep sorrow, or some combination of all the above and other stuff, too, you are God's beloved. And you are very welcome at St Paul's. Even if this year for you is a little strange, your celebration can still be good. I look forward to celebrating our Savior's birth with you on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Becky and I send our warmest Christmas greetings to all of you and all of yours. What a wondrous thing: a child is born; the world is changed. Thanks be to God.
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