IT’S MAGIC!

It’s the only way to describe it. You look around and you realize just how wonderful family can be. There is magic in the air and it isn’t Santa: it is family. You see you sisters and their husbands and you know we are all getting a little older, but we also see the children and realize we left a legacy of love.

Christmas Eve seems to be the most important day of the year for me as far as family goes. It is that first meeting for many of us in a while, and with the exception of Thanksgiving, we haven’t seen everybody in a while, and we look forward to it.

I am particularly blessed with all the wonderful children that constitute my whole family, and now even their kids. We have a growing mix of diverse cultures, cultures that mix into ours from those we married, making for a very special family.

One of the things about Christmas Eve is the rush. The rush to prepare, be ready and get somewhere, and anticipating seeing everyone, all comes together when we finally sit down and dine that evening.

But as we gather for one more year, we see Mom, as she watches us, and we quietly acknowledge that she is what it is really all about, and Dad’s memory. Dad loved this day as much as I do, and always made it special with his tradition of staying out of Mom’s way while she cooked for the big evening dinner. For years she did it all by herself, then one year, one by one we all started to chip in and help her.

The girls, my sisters, and my wife have all embraced the holiday, and I think TLW (The Little Woman) embraces it more for me that I love it so.

Tonight there will be a very warm light, one that fills not only the room, but also the spirit that fills our hearts, it is the light of family, and we welcome anyone who has no family to join us. That is not only our family tradition, but also our family philosophy. That light is our feeling, and our religion, maybe it IS God’s light.