I am in Swansea and we had a slight coating of snow for Christmas. It has been very cold, but as I write this it is 44 degrees and it feels like a heat wave.

Happy birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. My list is at home, so I apologize to the birthdays I missed.

Once again, I watched Christmas through the eyes of children. Their faces as they come down the stairs when they notice that Santa brought them a lot of packages, that he ate the cookies and drank the milk, is priceless. They all opened their packages with gusto, and it was hard to keep track of whose presents were whose.

I sat there watching as they opened up their electronics, the solar cars, their new tablets and, of course, the new jammies. I wondered if they’d appreciate the stories of the days when there were sleds under the tree and new ice skates. But they were so happy with the gifts. It was hard to contain which ones they would open first to play with. It was a great Christmas morning and happy children. Santa had done well.

That afternoon as I was going through social media, Bert Fischer wrote a story about Christmas morning, where he grew up on the farm. He and his sisters had to wait at the top of the stairs while their father was milking the cows and mom was cooking breakfast, before being able to go downstairs and opening their presents. There were sleds and skates under the tree, and oranges in the toe of their stockings. The story took many people back to their childhood and many good memories. Thank you, Bert.

Dan Townes summed up Christmas the best by quoting: “The most important part of Christmas for parents is making great memories and traditions with their children.”

How true this is.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.