Of The Royal Meadow

 Every year, my family places the same star upon our Christmas tree, no matter the size of the tree. It has traveled with us from home to home, halfway across the country. At one point, it even needed to be replaced. It took awhile to find the same star again, and the current one is more humble than the original. While the first one was painted gold to represent the majesty of Jesus, the newer one is simply the bare twisted vines that remind me of his crucifixion.  Honestly, I like the new one more. While Christmas may have once been more about worldly things and the excitement of the gifts and treats, after many holidays of hardship, I find the newer star far more consoling in its simplicity and reality. It tells the whole gospel story at a glance - the good, the bad and the ugly, but mostly...the redemption. Sometimes, the holidays are just hard. We've been through many difficult ones, too. Times of family division, deaths, etc. This year is no different as we struggle a lot...