Our Special Christmas Joy

Just as the Christmas tree goes up every year, so too do the stories and memories. Celebrating Christmas, Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, and other holidays is one way to nurture and strengthen the roots of family ties. I enjoy writing stories with a holiday theme because the telling of stories allows us to see the times and places where we are most loved, where we exhibited strength, where God carried us across rocky terrain and where the seeds of hope for the future are planted and nurtured. Every tribe and community has its traditions for celebrating holidays and its own powerful storytelling tradition as well. From these tales come the wisdom and hope that nurtures and guides every people as they form the bridges that successfully link the past to the future through and over the sometimes muddy waters of the present. I hope that as you read these stories you will be reminded of some of the moments of holiday joy in your own life- even joy that emerged out of messiness, disappointment or brokenness. Reflect on your own holiday traditions. Share the memories and stories with your children. Tell them stories of their ancestors and people. Gently guide them in telling their own stories. As the popular song says, there are times when we all just "need a little Christmas" in our lives.