Village News

What Christmas traditions are important to you? The Sunday School Christmas Program on Christmas Eve? The turkey dinner at the extended-family gathering? Maybe a family tradition of gathering around the Christmas tree in pajamas to open presents. Quite possibly the Christmas baking that shows up in the staff coffee room for a couple of weeks before the break.

Previously held traditions may change as one moves through various life stages. The Sunday School Christmas Program may become less important when the “children” have grown and perhaps moved away. The extended-family gathering may not happen when one’s parents and their generation are gone. What used to be one’s immediate family becomes one’s extended family.

Hopefully one aspect doesn’t change. Christmas is the celebration of God’s profound expression of love for all people, through His coming to earth as a human being and living among us for more than 30 years. What, other than an inexplicable love, could prompt God to do that? This reason for our celebration does not change over time.

On behalf of the Staff and the Board of Directors of Mennonite Heritage Village, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and rich and meaningful New Year.