A very Merry Christmas to you

Children of all ages, the wait is over. Christmas, glorious Christmas, is here once again. Time for families and loved ones to gather together and do something we do far too little of these days -- nothing.

Yes, meals will be prepared. Yes, church will be attended. Yes, gifts will be exchanged. Yes, favorite stories and family myths and legends will be retold. Yes, favorite movies will be watched and stirring rounds of games of all kinds will be played.

But what is often missed in all of the scurrying and stressing of this time of year is the joy of simply being with family and friends. The time spent together visiting, catching up on the mundane details of life is just as precious as the most expensive gift.

Often when families gather, there is an awkward period when we readjust to one another. While this is a natural part of social interaction, we shouldn't let it get in the way of getting to the good stuff. It seems special visits like Christmas pass far too quickly, and we need to stop and enjoy the passage of time.

I know in my life, there have been times when I wanted to slow down time and make moments last longer. I think this is basic human nature, and we have been blessed to have memories that we can recall to relive this moments.

As wonderful and as vivid as these memories may be, they pale in comparison to the new memories and experiences we can make during times like the holidays. Many times, it is not the gift that is recalled -- it's the reaction or the interaction that occurred after all the gifts are opened.

I fondly remember the Christmas I got a Stingray bicycle -- lime green with a black and silver bananna seat. My older brother received one as well. We went out and rode them in the snow, falling many times. We had a blast.

We later spent time aggravating our sister by putting GI Joes in her Barbie Corvette and going for an unauthorized cruise. That was fun as well.

The small black and white prints from those years show me and my siblings lined up with our gifts, smiling from ear to ear. It was a Herculean task for my mother to get us to all sit still long enough for the photo to be taken. But for the spilt second captured in time for years to come, we all got along and all were happy.

I recall assembling a Barbie bungalow for my daughters one Christmas. "Some assembly required" is a phrase that strikes fear into the hearts and souls of all adults. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and the girls loved it.

This year, we will spend Christmas at our daughter's home in Minneapolis. The entire family will gather on Christmas Eve. Work and school schedules and familial committments dictate that flexibility will make the holidays work best.

I am looking forward to the time spent with family.

This is granddaughter Sephie's second Christmas, the first that she will be an active participant in opening presents. It should be a good time.

The locations may change, the gifts may change, but the one thing that will never change is the joy of being together. That's the greatest gift of the season, one that we often overlook.

So, if you are visualizing a Norman Rockwell painting as what you should be aspiring to this evening, I humbly suggest that you get a clue. Life isn't that way, even at the best of times. I seriously doubt that Mr. Rockwell even had those types of holidays.

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas. I hope you are able to spend time with loved ones, enjoy the tales of family Christmases of the past and create some new memories as well.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.