It’s Christmas, so I want to read you a Christmas story, but of course it can’t be a traditional story. So I found something different.
It is a bittersweet holiday story called A Stolen Christmas by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.
There is a part in this story where a house burns to the ground. We almost decided not to read the story, considering what happened here in Sonoma County… and now in SoCal. But the focus of this story is about loss and, no matter how much or how little you have, the loss is just as profound. The initial reaction is to not mention it. Don’t talk about it. But maybe we need to think about it and about how the displaced families will be spending their Christmas this year. We will read this story for you. We will not forget that you have lost, greatly. And we will hold you in our hearts this holiday season. May you gather with those you hold most dear, in a safe and loving space.