Holiday Gathering

The holidays aren’t only about the great spiritual issues of our lives. For most of us, they’re as much about the near and dear as they are about the high and the holy. A Holiday Gathering is certainly near and dear to me, and I hope its portrayal of a congenial gathering of family and friends will be near and dear to you as well.

Of all the holiday rituals, the one I prize the most is the coming together of loved ones in shared celebration. Even if our family circle is small, the Christmas season can become a benchmark of friendship; a time when we pause to savor traditions of comfort and joy. I find the setting of A Holiday Gathering exquisitely comfortable. Nestled beneath wintry trees and the luminous sky, the rambling village homes gleam with a warm, welcoming light that spills into the street, inviting one and all to join in the gathering.

Celebrants gather in quiet groups on porches to visit, gossip, perhaps sing a round of favorite Christmas carols. Vintage cars, Christmas lights, and even a dog or two complete the nostalgic scene. It’s what I’ve come to think as a “Norman Rockwell Christmas” – warm, welcoming, traditional. In fact I have included Norman Rockwell in the left-hand corner bearing a gift; while just ahead of him are Nanette and I walking a dog and Merritt holds the present.