Christmas 2024

Christmas is one of those times balanced between memory and expectation. For most of us, the days and weeks prior point toward that day and then, once it is passed, we look toward the new, leaving the past behind until it is resurrected next December.

It is unfortunate that we pile so much expectation onto the special days. Almost invariably, the day cannot fully live up to the idealized memory. Children live in such expectation, which they learn from adults, that they are overwhelmed emotionally. When extended family gathers, memories often influence the day so our emotions cloud what should...