The lights were on in St. Mary's as they prepare for Christmas last week. It was a combination of lights, pine wreaths, and palm trees! After so many Christmas pasts up north, this was a new perspective on the season for me.

Thankfully the symbols of Christmas are all there, and it was those symbols that tied me in with every other season I've enjoyed. The round Christmas wreath of pine symbolizing the eternal God, the celebratory red has many other joyful meanings, and the lights fighting back the darkness as we near the winter solstice all made me feel like I could be anywhere preparing for the Lord's arrival. Those common symbols are so important since they convey a message from one generation to the next. They made me feel right at home in their midst.

It was a lovely night for a walk amidst such splendid sings of the season.

-ehw