Baby, Please Come Home for Christmas is playing in the background. I can hear my wife singing upstairs as she puts the finishing touches on her Christmas decorations. The Christmas trees are all up and decorating our home, yes, that’s Christmas trees plural. And thanks to our talented elf, aka my wife Deb, every room is resiliently staged in its own Christmas theme. Christmas lights are bedazzling my front yard, sans an inflatable Santa, one has to draw a line somewhere. And, there is snow in the forecast. It’s still a month away, but I am ready for Christmas. To be perfectly honest, I may have started counting down the days on December 26th a year ago. Who can deny that Christmas is simply the best time of the year, unless of course you’re the Grinch.

Christmas is a time of traditions. It’s a time for memories and for memories made. It’s a time for snowmen and snowballs, warm drinks by the fire, hot chocolate, and holding hands. It’s a time for inspiration, for sharing, and love. Christmas is that time of year when everyone is just a little more compassionate. Just a little more aware of the people around them. Just a little more generous with their time and their treasures. Just a little more than they might have been the rest of the year.

Christmas is a season of rebirth for me and when I say that, I mean literally a rebirth. I am once again young, if not in body, at least in spirit. It is at Christmas that I get to be playful. My grandchildren make sure of that. They get the toys, I get to play. I can’t wait to see what Jackson, Adela, Faye, and I get this Christmas. I am sure we will enjoy it. This Christmas Day the room will be covered in wrapping paper, ribbon, and bows. The walls will echo with sounds of glee, and we will smother each other with hugs. I ask again, how can one deny that Christmas isn’t the happiest season of the year?

Unfortunately, this is not true for everyone. There are families who live with need. Families with no gifts under the tree. Families not knowing for certain where their next meal will come from. For those families, Christmas will only be a reminder of the happiness they can’t find. This leads me back to what Christmas is and should be, the chance for sharing. My wife and I have been blessed. Our children and grandchildren enjoy good health. Deb and I enjoy our health as well. We have the financial ability to take care of our needs and to practice generosity. This year, just as we always do, we will pick the charities for our giving. Our children and grandchildren will also get to pick and the chance to tell us why. When we do this, we experience the true happiness of Christmas.

Each person has the right to celebrate Christmas in their own manner. I choose to celebrate Christmas with friends and family. I choose to celebrate it in the spirit of sharing and giving. I will sing along with every Christmas song they play before they stop playing them. I accept the challenge to share a smile with everyone I see and a hug with anyone that needs one. And I will tell you once again, Christmas is the best time of the year. At least it is for me.

Merry Christmas.