I really like Stevie Wonder’s song from the late 60s written by Anna Gordy Gaye, George “Horgay” Gordy and Allen Story. The song lays out what Christmas means; candles burning low, mistletoe, snow and ice, carols right outside my door.
I grew up celebrating Christmas and it was always a special time for me and my family. Decorating the tree, midnight mass, Christmas dinner, and gifts. I remember it fondly.
When the Gotham Gal and I decided to raise our family Jewish, I negotiated for and got Christmas. And for the many years, our family celebrated Christmas mostly the way I celebrated it as a child.
In recent years, with adult children and travel and many other things, celebrating Christmas has become optional. Some years we do it. Many years we don’t.
But Christmas retains a special place in my soul.
Christmas means family, it means winter (we got six inches of snow last night), and it means birth. A feeling of hope and optimism going into the new year.
As Stevie sings in that wonderful song:
I wish you merry Christmas baby
Oh and such happiness in the coming year, oh baby
That is what I wish for all of you and your families on this wonderful day.
Merry Christmas.
