Holiday Greetings from our hilltop valley. It is unseasonably warm, and when we walked this morning it felt like spring garden planting weather, not the season of candlelight, bayberry scent and eggnog by the fire.

The woodland is so lush and green with moss and ferns that we imagined this is how Christmas is in the Pacific Northwest.

Tonight we’ll head a mile down the hill to the East Barnard Church to share song and stories with our neighbors and visit around a bonfire. Wishing you and your loved ones the joy of the season and wishing for more peace in our world, with special concern for those seeking refuge.

(Which recalls the refugees who sought
shelter to have a baby in another time and place.)