Christmas 2020
While going through my mom’s house recently, I ran across a document where she listed her
family traditions and my dad’s family traditions prior to their marriage. In typical Peggy Lewis-
organized fashion, she also listed how they had intertwined these traditions while giving up ones
that could be set aside. My Christmas tree reflects one of these traditions. Each year, my
parents gave me an ornament that represented something from that year. I continued the
tradition with my own sons. As a result, on my tree, beside the deteriorating 47-year-old
Raggedy Ann ornament is a metal flag to represent the year Jonathan screamed in joy every
time he saw a flag and on a branch nearby is a giraffe ornament for the year Andy fell in love
with the animals at Animal Kingdom.
This past year COVID-19 has caused each of us to reexamine our traditions. I know traditions
help us build community, build family, hold on to the past, build a legacy for the future, and find
meaning in life. Yet, in 2020, we have had to re-examine these traditions and weigh their value
with the value of the lives around us. It has been a hard year.
Yet, if we look back at the first Christmas, we can see that it was anything but traditional.
Nothing from that event---from the two young newlyweds desperately looking for a place to stay,
the unusual spot of a stable for a baby’s birth, the arrival of dirty shepherds, and eventually, the
unexpected visit of three men who most likely looked and spoke differently---was traditional or
normal. However, over the past 2020 years, we have often built personal traditions up to be the
only way we feel we can celebrate the holiday, sometimes forgetting the true meaning of the
holiday.
2020 has taught me that if our eyes are on the priority---our love and friendship with
others—then, traditions can be changed, and life continues on. Due to the uncertainty of the
pandemic, and most recently due to my mother’s death, I have found myself rethinking what is
most important.
For Andy and Jonathan who both just graduated---one from Baylor and the other from high
school, there were no traditional graduation ceremonies or cap and gown pictures. We grieved
the loss of those ceremonies, but we celebrated both of the boys and their achievements. For
Andy, COVID limited job opportunities, so he moved home and we got to spend 6 months with
him and his dog, Astro, but we chose to celebrate sharing a few more moments together.
Jonathan completed an internship at Cameron Park Zoo this summer, and although the job
changed due to COVID, in true spirit for him, none of that mattered as long as he could care for
the fish in the aquatics section.
Anthony and I each had to alter traditional modes of our jobs. Anthony learned how to use 360
videos to do house showings for clients, and he began his own YouTube channel, reaching
people all over the country, several of whom have since contacted him. I learned how to Zoom,
how to use online breakout rooms, and how to hold online office hours. Despite a longing to
tailgate with friends or a desire to see friends in person, we have creatively maintained our
friendships via Zoom sessions or lunches spent talking through the open windows of our
separate cars. Just in the past 4 months, Anthony and his dad have both been hospitalized and
my mom has died, and despite these challenges and the loss, Anthony and I have chosen to
celebrate in our new socially-distanced lives the moments we sit on the back porch, smell the
smoke of the grill, and listen to music.
This year the LED lights may not sit in my house windows, and the decorations may not all be
displayed. I may not be making my traditional desserts, and the Christmas parties will not
happen. However, the legacy my parents left me and the legacy I hope to leave will not
change: Cherish friendships. Show kindness. Hope. Dream. Do justice. Be merciful. Show
grace. Celebrate the moments. Love. Love. Love. Despite the traditions that you find unable
to continue this year, I pray you and your family find an opportunity to celebrate your love for
each other. Merry Christmas!
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