Small Gifts at Christmas

A crystal star, a snowman, and a flat, wooden St. Nicholas, to be propped upright on a Christmas tree branch, or laid on a window ledge, were the last of my cherished ornaments. From the West Coast where I live, I sent them to the long-term girlfriends of my two oldest grandsons, who live on the East Coast. At Meherabad,* where I have spent a varying number of months since 1997, I particularly remember my first Christmas at my newly-built home in 2010. A young tree had been planted beside the north-facing wall. At Christmas, small ornaments hung on its branches, and from my bedroom window I would watch them swinging in the cold breeze.

My realization is, “Within families, different generations may have different traditions, but there may be those that connect us through the coming years.”

* Meherabad. The site of Avatar Meher Baba’s Tomb-Shrine (Samadhi) and site of world pilgrimage as well as His early primary residence, ashram, and headquarters of His activities until 1944; now overseen by the Meherabad Trust.

You might enjoy the following stories found in December from earlier years.

“Bright and Cheerful”

“Blessings of Angel Visions at Christmas”