Christmas memories

since the Christmas season has officially come to an end and we begin ordinary tme tomorrow, i was wondering if anyone has anything particularly special or meaningful that they remember about the season. as i reflect, participating in many Masses, in the two parishes that i love, as an altar server or lector was the main highlight, because it's just beautiful to be with others who share the joy for the right reason. it's definitely not about all the materialism that the world seems to suggest. also, time spent with my nieces and nephews, particularly my 3-year-old nephew, Eric, was significant. again, even though the kids all received gifts and all that materialistic stuff, my nephew, Eric seemed to enjoy the gift of others rather than all the "stuff," which was probably a little overwhelming for him, anyway. he loves books and he was perfectly content to just sit with me for hours and read his one favorite holiday book, "the polar express" and then we also watched the movie of the "polar express" together. since my neices are all teens and in their early 20's and my other nephew is 13, i spend most of my time with Eric whenever we get together. i did the same with all of them when they were little. they all know that "aunt tara" is the one who truly gives of her time to be with them. Eric now tells me that i'm his "best friend." the innocence of children is something that really touches me at Christmas, especially when they are young enough not to have gotten caught up in all the materialism yet. my nephew, Eric, was at the perfect age this year! PEACE!