Happy Christmas, Merry Holidays!

So here we are on the Eve of Christmas 2019. We give and receive gifts; we celebrate with candlelight services; and we gather with friends, and maybe a few foes.

The final days in December dwindle and whop! Square in the face we are slapped by January, and the leap to a new decade: 2020. Whether you are of the Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday persuasion, I am of the persuasion that it is a good thing to end each year on a festive note.

This year my Christmas tree is adorned with owls. While the ancient Welsh are said to have associated owls with fertility, the ancient Greeks and Romans believed owls were a symbol of wisdom and prophecy. Some have come to see owls as a sign of evil and disobedience and still others, and I am among them, see owls as a symbol of protection.

This year, I go into the New Year thankful and grateful for my family and friends, prayerful that God will sustain us and protect us, according to God's will and purposes. The thought that God cares and watches over us, much like the owl in the tall trees, comforts me. May you, too, find that God sustains and protects you in 2020.

Happy Christmas, Merry Holidays and Blessings in the New Year!