My friend’s mother reached out to me one difficult year and gave me a Christmas card I cherish. She celebrates Chanukah but we have long shared in each other’s families and traditions and she knows me well. Nevertheless, choosing a Christmas card when Christmas is not your holiday is not, I would imagine, an easy undertaking. The range in options is extraordinary - from the glitzy to the somber and religious, to the downright tacky. The Christmas card she chose to give to me was perfect, and says everything I treasure about this season.
It reads:
what is
christmas?
it is
tenderness
for the past,
courage
for the present,
hope
for the future.
it is a fervent
wish
that every path may lead to
peace.
(agnes m. pharo)
I have saved the card by gluing it onto one of the boxes that holds a handful of the most special amongst the odd, whimsical and sentimental collection of ornaments which adorn my tree. Each year, with memories, shortbread and jingle bracelets at hand, I pull out the box, read the card, and am heartened.
Now I’ve saved it here for you; a recipe for Christmas, handed along, touched by time, buttery fingerprints, and love.
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