y t t We started the Christmas Pajamas tradition well before it became so popular. On Christmas Eve, we open them up and read the Christmas Story. Jesse Carroccio, Community Impact Director, Moody Global Media For years my father would get an Amaryllis bulb before the holidays and when Christmas came, he’d have a stunning bright red, trumpet-shaped Amaryllis flower in a pot. It added a spark to my parents’ holiday décor. After my mom and dad moved to heaven, I started getting an Amaryllis flower for my own home. It adds beauty and color and brings back precious memories of Christmas “back home” in Maryland. Karen Granger, Vice President, 4KIDS Palm Beach This time of year, it’s easy to be swept up in the big moments, decorations, dinners and deadlines. But I’ve found that sometimes, it’s the small traditions that carry the most meaning. Each Christmas season, I take one morning, just one, and sit quietly with a cup of coffee, my Bible open to Luke 2, and I read the story of Jesus' birth… slowly. No sermon prep, no studying. Just listening. Just being. And in that quiet moment, I remember what it’s all really about: Our Savior, wrapped in humility, entering a broken world with perfect peace. It’s simple. It’s small. But every year, it centers me, lifts me, and fills me with a joy I didn’t expect. So, if the season feels heavy, let me encourage you, make space for one small tradition that invites peace. You might just find joy waiting there. Ken Kerringan, Pastor, Calvary Chapel Pompano Beach This is our first holiday season with our new baby! Experiencing the holidays through his eyes has been a joy-filled experience! Kevin Granato, MSW, Vice President of Engagement, 4KIDS One small Christmas tradition I love is going for a long walk on the beach (hopefully wearing a sweatshirt because it’s not hot) and trying to wrap my head around my Savior’s willingness to leave His Father and heaven to come to Earth as a baby — willing to be ridiculed, beaten and crucified for me. Wow. I’m so grateful He defeated death, rose on the third day, and will come again! Laura C. Bishop, Executive Vice President of Development, Palm Beach Atlantic University Last year I saw a Kindness Calendar on social media — every day in December I tried to do something small like write a thank-you note or help a neighbor, as a way to live out God’s love. What totally surprised me was how much joy it brought — even the tiniest gestures made me feel closer to others and more grounded in my faith. By the end of the month, I realized the biggest gift wasn’t what I gave others, but how much God used it to grow compassion and purpose in me. Dr. Mary Drabik, President, South Florida Bible College & Theological Seminary It is a more recent tradition, going back six or seven years now, but my two adult daughters and I will engage in some form of Christmas painting. We might do Nutcracker figures, tree ornaments, small Christmas themed dioramas, or whatever new thing Michael's comes up with. It is fun, creative and very competitive! A sweet way to connect over the Holidays. Merry Christmas! Mike McDermott, Seniors and Probate Specialist, The Keyes Company Christmas morning we start our celebration with the reading of the Christmas Story Luke 2:1-20 aloud. I never tire of it, and it brings a peace and joy from the start of the day and reminder of our Savior and his birth. It is then followed by gift giving, special meals, games and sweet time of fellowship with the family. A very special day enjoyed by all! Oksana Horton, Creative Director, Torch and Trumpet Theatre Company Each year we wait on God to lead us to assist others in some way and that has become the tradition. Whether it is giving toys to children that would otherwise go without, backpacks filled with practical and fun items for the homeless, assisting a neighbor who is struggling, and even the shoeboxes through Samaritan's Purse. The surprise is that each year he gives us a different way of giving and that always brings us joy. One year we were blessed with sending supplies to a Jamaican orphanage and received a letter back asking for a Bible from a staff member. What greater joy than to help lead others to Christ. Patricia Colangelo, South Florida Bible College & Theological Seminary This is fun because my wife and I have an old Christmas tradition with our daughters and a musical Christmas snow globe that we now get to see in action through a new set of eyes. Our daughters who have played with this ornament every Christmas morning since they were little, are now 20 and 25 years old, but yet even now, somehow, that musical Christmas snow globe has the ability to, in a nanosecond, take our two amazing, beautiful, grown adult, young ladies, instantly transport them back in time into the same two precious, bright eyed, giggly little girls enjoying the awe and wonder of the spirit of that very first Christmas morning just like when they were little!! Coach Rick Andreassen, Founder and CEO, SAINTS Homeschool P.E. and SAINTS International Sports Ministry Wants to Know… Craig D. Huston Deborah Cusick Dennis DeMarois Dolores King St. George Don Campion Gregg Wallick Helen Wayner Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson Jesse Carroccio Karen Granger Ken Kerrigan Kevin Granato
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