We went to a sort of holiday cabaret two weeks ago, during which the cast performed a song called “Christmas is Always the Same.” It resonated because it is true. Christmas is indeed always the same, which is why it makes such a great measuring stick for all of the change that swirls around us every day.
For the young, Christmas is a time of hope and opportunity. For someone my age, it is a time to mourn what has been lost, to feel the icy hand of mortality, and to be grateful for what remains.
Burke famously said society is a partnership between the living, the dead, and the unborn. This is the time of year when I really experience the truth of that statement.
Merry Christmas!