Season's Greetings

Holiday time is always special to me. I love the decorations and the festivities that accompany each event. I have always celebrated Christmas and, as a boy, enjoyed the wonder and expectation of opening and giving presents as well as the special rituals and times shared with family and friends. As I grew up, rituals and time with family and friends meant the most to me.

The rituals and special times with friends and family seem to be a feature of most religions, and I enjoy learning about those special occasions. Recently, I returned from California where my wife and I visited our daughter, Toni, and her family including her husband, Jon, and their three children: Annie (7 years), Sammy and Izzy (twins ages three and a half), and Jon’s parents, Ellen and Larry. They celebrate Chanukah, and we shared the celebration with them—and loved every minute of it. The warm and inspiring Chanukah party at their temple, where each family brought a treasured menorah to display and light, ate latkes, played games, and sang songs together, was simply wonderful –and reminded me of special Christmas Eve celebrations at The Church of the Redeemer in Morristown, NJ, where I was a member for 17 years.

I hope that however you celebrate the season or the New Year, you find time to be with family and friends and create special memories of the season. Happy holidays!

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