By Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh ——Bio and Archives--December 9, 2023

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As my Christmases become more senescent, I think more about the fact that God only gives us so many Christmases to celebrate if we live the average life expectancy in our country.

With each Christmas, people should not be looking for gifts, but should be thankful for being because life is a perfect gift for each of us, we should be grateful for what we have and for our families.

As a child, living under an atheist communist regime, I decorated our pine Christmas tree with ornaments I made from colorful crepe paper and filled them with candy. I strung a garland made from shiny paper links glued together, the occasional cookie, an apple, a rare chocolate bar, and an orange. A few expensive glass ornaments were handled with care and hung on the more solid branches. Metal holders with small red candles were clipped to the outer branches. I was allowed to light up a few on Christmas Eve while mom supervised, to make sure that the tree and our apartment did not catch fire.

As I decorate our Christmas tree, it takes us much longer than it used to. We start early and do a little bit each day and it may take two-three days, but the final result is beautiful. I take down a few boxes of ornaments and realize that I have collected way too........

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