My Christmas Letter for 2012…

Christmas time can be a time of contradiction. Even while we celebrate the joys of the season, we often struggle with melancholy memories of days gone by, of family no longer with us, or of worldly troubles. This is not a new struggle, song writers have written many tunes of longing and wishes for family, home, and peace.

Traditions of the Christmas Season help us hold on to better times; times of our childhood before we became aware of the melancholy struggles so many face each year. Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies still are a prerequisite for me.  While grandma was still alive, I spent time learning to reproduce her cookie. After she passed on, I made it my goal to send cookies each Christmas to my grandfather and close family each year.

As a child, I was under the impression that my mother did not…