Without a doubt, the best time of the year for shared memories is Christmas. Some of my happiest memories, both as a child and as an adult, have been rooted in the Christmas season.

I remember the year my father went to the bank and bought twenty new, crisp one-dollar bills back in the days when a dollar would buy a meal. He attached a Merry Christmas note to each dollar and handed them out; one apiece to the newsboy, the shoeshine man, the postman, and seventeen others. He was merely thanking them for being his friends.

Another memory occurred many years later. My wife, two children, and I had boarded a plane for Kansas City to spend the holidays with my parents. When I stepped off the plane and into the terminal, I instantly caught sight of my six-foot-four-inch father towering over the crowd. There was a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face, and Mom, of course, was aglow with excitement. Her family had come home for Christmas. That scene is videotaped in my mind today. Now those good people are gone, and only the memory lingers on.

During the Christmas season, I hope your own times of excitement, sharing, and fellowship will leave you with a special gift... memories that will last a lifetime.