And so this is Christmas...

Like for many of you, this year for us has been a roller coaster. We gained new friends but lost an old one. We faced illness in ourselves and others. We watched a presidential race that really forced out the worst in some people. We saw job loss but job creation.

So this Christmas has been different from Christmases in the past. This Christmas we are not spending money on frivilous things or just buying to put presents under the tree. This year, more thought has been put into gifts and I am happy to see, more thought has been put into Christmas itself...the reason why we celebrate it.

Last night we went to Christmas mass and heard Father Tim speak about allowing Jesus into our lives. I am sure that many of you who went to a church service last night heard something similar. And really, that is what Christmas is about. It's not about the gifts we put under the tree, although they are nice. It's about how one was created and the meaning behind that One.

Christmas is also the time of year where we should reflect about what we have given others; how have we, in a positive way, touched the lives of others? We that in mine, I give you my favorite Christmas song, John Lennon's "Happy Christmas"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb2YSAVHmIE