Christmas Traditions

     There are some who might say Christmas has lost a lot of it's luster.  None of us are little girls or boys anymore so we must admit time marches on and so do all of the traditions that come with Christmas past.  All the chaos that used to occur every Christmas morning is long gone for the most of us.  The cries of excitement and joy coming from the base of the Christmas tree are  a distant memory. yet we still decorate an evergreen every year hoping to rekindle those memories.

     Christmas has become a hybrid holiday depending who is celebrating it.  The day means different things to different people so it's not surprising that my interpretation of the holiday is different from another person's interpretation.  An evergreen decorated with lights and tinsel or bowls filled with stripped candy canes are not symbols of Christmas in every home.  What's really important  is that Christmas traditions and symbols are expressed from family to family no matter their religion or where they live.  All those traditions and symbols seem to span all around the earth but it's whats in out hearts during this time of year that really counts. It's those memories of Christmas past that live inside us all which keep all of Christmases traditions and symbols alive.and holds the holiday together year after year.

     Happiness usually fills our hearts during this special time of the year but a touch of sadness is never far away.   Knowing we can never go back to the cries of joy and excitement we had as a child sometimes brings an emptiness found deep inside each and every one of us.  Many things change over time yet somethings stay the same.  As the holiday traditions began to unfold each year, Christians all over the world celebrate God's gift to the world.  That gift is the real reason for celebrating Christmas.  Decorate an evergreen and fill bowls with stripped candy canes if you must but never ever forget the real reason your on this earth.