Happy New Year!  As you know 2011 was full of life changes for me. As I reflect upon this past year, I am very thankful for these positive changes in my life.

My first Christmas with Hank is an example of establishing a comfortable routine. After a family dinner in mid-December, with Hank's two sons, I asked them to help me decorate my good-looking True-Value Christmas tree. Out of my attic came generations of family ornaments and hand-made decorations. The boys set to work. After a while they both said "It looks good". I was taken aback. Clearly half the decorations and ornaments had not been put on the tree. How could they possibly be finished? They sat down and admired the tree which was aglow with lights and trimmings. As I took their lead and sat beside them, I beheld a different tree from years before -- simpler -- less fussy -- more able to distinguish the special ornaments they had chosen from the array of boxes on the floor. The tree looked good; not only good enough, but also very handsome. Maybe it was the male influence that was new and different, but the effect was very attractive.

Just this week, as Hank and I took down the tree, I realized how much quicker it was to clean up with half the ornaments. I enjoyed a Christmas season with more emotional fulfillment and fewer material furnishings. I took the lesson from Hank's sons and kept most of my boxes of decorations unopened. Packing up was much more convenient this year, which was very nice.

This Christmas I stepped away from all Christmas' past and simplified my old routines and rituals. The lesson of enjoying a simpler season was brought to life by the focus on Christmas visits and time spent with my new husband.

We were sufficiently busy but not overwhelmed. We focused on the celebration and events honoring the birth of Jesus Christ, honoring a new lifestyle together. We began a new tradition with more time for family. I was open to being taught the important lesson of a simpler Christmas in order to focus on the big production, the gift of Jesus Christ, the light of the world. When we celebrate the birth of Christ, we are reminded every year to love one another. That's the true gift of Christmas. And the gift came to me this year in the package of more love, more family and an abundance of gratitude for this new way of life. My New Year's resolution is to stay open to new traditions, new ways of celebrating.   Happy New Year to you all.