Well, here it is – Christmas Eve! Santa’s big scene. The night before Christmas, though generally through my house it is not as quiet as a mouse. It is often a busy day. This was especially true for the years when Layden served as a Chaplain.

Christmas is an interesting mix of pagan and religion, of secular and spiritual. There is a lot of fun to be had with Santa Claus, the anticipation of waking up Christmas morning to gifts that magically appear under the Christmas tree, the songs and stories inspired by Saint Nicholas. I enjoy the traditions associated with Santa, which is one reason why I took the time and effort to embroider these Santa and reindeer ornaments.

But, there is also the other side of Christmas, the story of the birth of Christ, without which Christmas as we know it wouldn’t exist. As we served in the Chaplaincy, the time leading to Christmas was filled not only with Santa, decorations, and Christmas cookies, but also with the Advent Sunday services, prayers at the lighting of the on-post Christmas tree, toy drives, food collections, and other community events. My favorite of these was the Christmas Eve Candlelight service, held of course, on Christmas Eve. It was usually a fairly short service, focused on the telling of the birth of Christ, a brief sermon to remind us of the deeper meanings of the season, and singing Christmas carols. At the end of the service everyone received a white candle with a paper collar (for catching the drips of which there were a lot). The chapel lights were turned off . We sang Silent Night as the ushers walked down the nave lighting a candle at the end of each row, the light then being shared with the next person and the next, until the chapel was filled with gentle flickering light. It was lovely. It was peaceful. It was a time to reflect. But, most of all, it was a reminder of the power of light in the darkness, and the magic that happens when we share our light with each other.

This ornament that we found at a German Christmas Market looked remarkably like the chapel on post in Mannheim where we were stationed at the time. When we hang it on the tree it reminds us to slow down, remember, and share the light.