What Do You Want for Christmas? This has been a question that has often been asked of us and that we have asked over and over again. I am old enough to remember with great anticipation the massive toy catalogues that were sent out close to Thanksgiving by department stores. Every night before I fell asleep, I would page through them and dream of a toy that would be the perfect gift for which to ask. Toy catalogues have long been abandoned. We have been warned that this year delivery services will be overloaded and gifts may not arrive on time. Some staples for baking may be hard to find. Some seats around the Christmas table will remain empty. So, “what do you want for Christmas?” It may be safe to say that almost all of us can answer with one word, “NORMAL!” However much that may be our desire, it is a want that likely will remain unfulfilled. Instead, let us remember that the gospel account of the birth of Jesus was filled with hardship and the lack of any semblance of normalcy. Perhaps a better answer this year is to find the inner peace of accepting the things we cannot change and to heighten our discovery of ways that we can share the love of the Christ. Rev. Dr. Fred Leasure, Parish Associate