Yes, we have Christmas in Belgium.Indeed we have two guys who bring gifts to children.Sinterklaas comes on December 6 and leaves gifts.Then Santa Claus comes on December 25 and leaves more gifts.It is the best of both the Old World and the New World, if you are a child and not a parent who must purchase gifts.

We recently went through the annual ritual of decorating our Christmas tree.In the past we had to hang all the ornaments high so that our young sons wouldn't try to eat them.Now we must hang them high so that our young dog doesn't eat them!Someday it will be grandchildren.

Many of our ornaments are more than decorations.They are tokens of our past, places we've been and things we've done.We have several ornaments that for decades hung on the tree of my grandmother.As we hang them, I think of Christmas Eves spent as a child at her house eating olives and baked ham.We have several "just married" ornaments that Debbie and I received our first Christmas together.They remind us of our time in Louisville, Kentucky.We have "baby's first Christmas" ornaments that remind us of our time in Philadelphia.We have a couple of gold and silver bulbs left.The absence of others reminds us of when our children were young and could not leave the tree alone."Bub bwoke" was a common refrain in our house.We have a miniature bucket of cranberries that hangs on our tree each year.It reminds us of a trip to Nantucket years ago.We have a small golden carousel horse that reminds us of our time in Mansfield, Ohio.In the center of Mansfield they have a restored carousel that has become an emblem of the community.We have two tin Santas that were once filled with Belgian chocolate.They sit on our tree, now empty.As we place them on the tree, we think about our first Christmas in Belgium.We have ornaments that were given to us by special friends and family.We think of them as we decorate the tree.So many ornaments, and each with a story.

Our ornaments are tokens of God's faithfulness in our lives.We have been wonderful places, known loving people, and done interesting things.In Louisville, Philadelphia, Mansfield, and now Belgium, God has been with us and blessed us and challenged us.We are thankful to God for our life in Belgium.And we are thankful for the many faithful American Baptists who encourage us through prayer and financial support.

Our hope is that all of you, this Christmas, will have eyes to see the faithfulness of God in your lives.And that you, like us, will be filled with the wonder of God's unceasing care.Many ornaments and many stories, they are all tokens of God's ongoing grace.

Merry Christmas,

Jim, along with Debbie, Ben and Luke