Christmas has changed.

  I know that the reason that we celebrate is still the same,
I know that God is still the same, yesterday, today and forever.
 
But for me, now, it is different. 

 The past 58 years of my life, I spent Christmas with my parents.  We may have been at home, or at somene else's home, but we were always together for Christmas, for 57 years.  This year it is different as my father is now celebrating Christmas in  a different home, his heavenly home. 

 While I am sure that Christmas is a very different celebration in heaven, I am consoled when I think about my father gathering with family that he has missed for almost 90 years.  His grandmother passed away the year he was born when he was only a few months old.   She lived in the mountains and my grandparents had walked from their home many miles to visit her.  Toward the evening they were leaving to walk home with their newborn and she was concerned about whether they had wrapped him warmly enough for the journey.  She has waited a long time to see him again.  

He had not seen his mother since he was about 17 years old.

 I know that all these years he missed her very much.  

Not anymore.

Yesterday, I'm sure they had a very nice Christmas together.  

So, maybe it isn't so different after all, 

he is just celebrating at someone else's house.  Someone that we will know and love very much someday.

Until then, we will continue to gather as a family and celebrate in the way that we know how.

  

We will make new traditions to celebrate this 2000 year old truth of Jesus birth. 

We will cling together with the love that Christ taught and spend many precious hours loving our family.