Merry Christmas!

It's a little hard to concentrate on work this week, with Christmas now exactly one week away. The biggest excitement of all is that in two days my oldest daughter will be coming home from college, and bringing her roommate with her. The fact that her roommate, who is Jewish, has never celebrated Christmas, has had an unexpectedly fantastic effect on the whole family: it has made us all really think about our Christmas traditions, why we do them, what they mean to us, and what they might mean to someone who has never experienced them before. It's actually created a buzz of excitement over and above the usual holiday anticipation, and I am thoroughly enjoying it! Every aspect of our holiday celebration is going to have heightened meaning this year, because we'll be sharing the experience with a new friend. Because of that, this is going to be a Christmas we will all remember for a very long time. My wish for all of our readers this holiday season is that your traditions will have heightened meaning as well! Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!