“HAVE YOU EVER…?”

“Have you ever thought of what Christmas means to you?”

I have.  Obviously as the years have gone by, the meaning has changed.

The meaning of Christmas for me today is family, not gifts, or trips to exotic places or anything else.  It is Family with a capital F.  When I was little it was a yearly event to find and cut a Christmas tree.  My family used to bundle up and go to the Christmas Tree Farm and look for the tree that we thought would be perfect for our home.  Sometimes we ended up with a Charlie Brown tree that wasn’t perfect by any means, but we made it perfect for us.  Christimas tree farms are not available in Italy, and many families use artifical trees, including us, but it is still a big day when the tree comes out for decoration and our home begins to look like Christmas.  Many of our ornaments are over 25 years old, but each ornament reminds me of someone or of a special time in our lives.

Our tree is not the prettiest or neatest around, but it is to me, because it carries memories that are irreplaceable.  It is not only a symbol of all that makes up Christmas but of the good times from years ago and today.  Our tree is special to us, and it is something that always reminds me of what the true meaning of Christmas really is, it means the sharing of ourselves with others.

It means reviving the old traditions that we have formed over the years and remembering our past, but most of all, our Christmas tradition is a time of family.  Without family, Christmas would be a pale shadow of itself.

There have been years, like this one, when our extended family was not available to share in our Christmas, leaving just us, and it just wasn’t and isn’t the same.

Family, like branches of a tree, may grow in different directions, but their roots remain as one.  We can all agree that we would gladly disown some family members, but the truth is that in cutting down that branch, you are left with a branch missing, with half its shade and half a family.  Every single member is as important as the roots itself.  That single member may be the shade from scorching heat that some other member may desperately need.

During Christmas, family is the only chance we have at receiving a gift that can’t be wrapped.  We must only have the courage, diligence and patience to see it.  It’s hidden in small acts of kindness that we so easily take for granted.  Family is the gift given to us – the gift of love, kindness, patience, humility and integrity.  This, to me, is the essence of Christmas.  So, no matter, how badly we all want to get rid of one branch or another, Christmas is a time to realize that no one keeps half a Christmas tree.

“I Hope to create a space for other stories and other voices. For every door that has been opened to me, I hope to open a door to others. Let’s invite one another in”.

Take care and Merry Christmas.