Year after year, the world becomes more complex and complicated with technology, social media, and real-time news alerts; it’s exhausting to keep up, even for a “youthful” senior citizen such as myself. But for millennia, one thing has remained a constant: Christmas is a unique time of celebration and tradition. It’s a joyous season, observed globally by folks of different religious backgrounds, with family, friends, and festivities.

Christmas means many things to many people, but as a fourth-generation Episcopalian, for me, the Advent is a high time of worship. For nearly 40 years, I have been blessed to be a member of St. Martins-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Forest Acres, and although I am admittedly biased, I think St. Martins and Reverend Mitch Smith do a particularly excellent job of emphasizing Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a time for renewed dedication to our faith. My favorite night of the year is that of December 24th, when St. Martins holds its 10:30 service. This year, I’ve been honored with reading the first lesson to the congregation, and I cannot convey how much it will mean to me to be part of such a beautiful service.

Whether it is religion, fellowship, gift-giving, or any number of the wonderful things about this season, from the bottom of my heart, I hope you find time to relax and embrace what Christmas means to you in the days to come!