“It's the most wonderful time of the year.” I've been singing Christmas carols for two weeks now.  I whistle them throughout the office all day long, which everyone else politely tolerates.  I was born and raised here in south Hillsborough County and have always clung to the winter spirit of traditional carols to help create the snowy magic that most of the rest of the country associates with Christmas.   I bet, it's a challenge for many Floridians to find that Christmas-time spirit amid the smell of chlorine and the sound of palm leaves rustling in the balmy breeze.  And as any media source can tell you, this year will not be a season defined by outrageous spending.  So what is it all about?  What does Christmas mean to you?  What will you celebrate on the 25th?

We asked ourselves that while preparing for the newsletter this month.  Is it Christ?  What does the significance of his birth mean to us in this modern world that moves so fast?  Is it family?  Why does this time above all others draw us together to enjoy one another's company?  What are we really giving in those brightly wrapped boxes stacked under all our trees?  Turns out, everyone seems to hold dear their own mixture of sentiment and devotion.

To me, the birth of Christ is the birth of hope and promise.  Of course, we all celebrate the divinity of Christ, but what about his humanity?  I love the many images from across the millennia depicting the Madonna with child and those of the illuminated manger with adoring shepherds and magi offering gifts.  When I see these images I am moved, as so many others are, by the effort of Christ to come and live out his sacrifice for our enlightenment.  But beyond that, I cannot help but relate those images to the millions of other children being born everyday and the world of potential being born with them.  I know this isn't a perspective you'll find painted on shop windows this season.  But it is one that fills me with hope.  In every second there is a new start begun, another chance to wake up and get it, another sin forgiven, another prejudice ignored, another height reached.  Like the song says, “tonight is the night when the world begins again.”

In this spirit, I asked everyone here to ask their children to write a few words about what this Christmas season means to them.  Children have such a candid way of viewing things.  I thought it could be interesting.  Their answers are funny and warm and inspiring.  I hope you think so too. 

Merry Christmas

“Christmas means to me the month of my b-day and all the presents.”
-Aimee

“To me Christmas is a time to be with loved ones and eat too much food, way more than needed.”
-Alex

“Christmas means to me Jesus birth.”
-Austin

“What Christmas means to me is hanging with my family.  I love to hang with my family on Christmas and I love to go the special places we go with family I haven’t seen in forever.  And that’s the reason I love Christmas.”
-Craig

“To me Christmas means the birth of Jesus.  It means when family get together to celebrate his birthday.  We get together to spend time with each other and eat a big feast.”
-James

“My favorite part of Christmas is to decorate.”
-Jon

“What Christmas means to me...spending time with my family and my extended family.”
-Katie

“Christmas means to spend time with the people you love and care for and to get presents and lots of candy.”
-Marina

“Christmas means to have a great time with your family and give presents to show how much you care.  It also means to respect Jesus’ birthday because he is a special person in our lives that helps us get through tough, hard times and make good choices.”
-Michael

“Christmas means to have a great time with your family and give presents to show how much you care.  It also means to respect Jesus’ birthday because he is a special person in our lives that helps us get through tough, hard times and make good choices.”
-Riley

“Christmas means everything to me.  It's a time for family to act as such.”
-Zach