Favorite Christmas memory from my childhood? I think it was the year that I and my 11 cousins came down with chickenpox. Our three families had traveled over 8 hours to spend Christmas with my grandparents in Portland, Oregon. Just after arriving, we discovered the small red dots that continued spreading from kid to kid.

Christmas time, especially in today’s media, is often portrayed as the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a time to spend with family and friends, as well as a time to remember all God has blessed us with in the past year. But in a year that has been overshadowed by a pandemic and resulting struggles, can we still experience the joy and peace of the season?