Where Christmas Lives
A Non-Traditional Christmas in Motion
In the magic of Christmas, I’ve been thinking about how often it arrives in non-traditional forms.
I believe Christmas doesn’t live solely on a date in the calendar or a carefully arranged set of traditions.
It lives in the spirit of an event.
An adventure.
A person.
A community.
This year, our son’s very unconventional Christmas— felt more like Santa’s workshop than a holiday movie.
He was managing the movement of nearly 90,000 pounds of cargo from Bethel, Alaska, into villages and towns scattered across northern Alaska. His job was to organize it, distribute it, and load it onto planes so it would reach its destinations by Christmas Day—all while working in temperatures ranging from barely freezing to well below zero.
That was Christmas.
Christmas as Presence, Care, and Community
It has also come in the form of caring for horses on a Christmas afternoon; making sure they too get their Christmas treats.
Our daughter was their caregiver this Christmas day. In Bensen, Minnesota– the temperatures hovered in similar temperature ranges as Bethel, Alaska. There were evenings when the wind could penetrate Abigail’s layers of clothing reminding her how fierce winter can be.
But she knew exactly what her horses needed: she sheltered them, fed them, tended to their specific diets and personalities. Their Christmas gift was how to be present without asking for anything in return. There was a quiet solace in that kind of knowing. A deep sense of community, even in the cold heart of the country, where breath turns visible and kindness carries weight.
The Meaning of Christmas Beyond Tradition
Christmas also showed up at a Central Coast California dinner table, where the power struggled to stay on and the only steady light came from candles. Four generations gathered—ages three to ninety—sharing food, stories, and warmth while electricity flickered on and off. The energy in the room was steady even when the lights were not. It was an adventure of its own, and it was welcoming in the way only Christmas Eve can be.
Finding the Christmas Spirit in Ordinary Moments
It comes, too, in quieter moments:
Walking dogs at night during uncharacteristically warm “winter” temperatures in the oldest neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Taking pictures of lighted houses glowing against the dark.
When suddenly—unforgettable—it arrived when an eight-year-old boy named Henry stood on his front porch, singing at the top of his lungs, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” He never quite got to the end of the song. It didn’t matter. What mattered was being present enough to witness it. It was a magnificent moment!
Upon completing the walk with puppies, we ventured home to a warm fire and a special table set up in the living room near the tree. Candles were placed in a small crystal snowball shaped candle holder illuminating our place settings. The Spode Christmas china, that I have been collecting since the age of twelve, were in place alongside matching wine glasses.
This, I think, is the invitation.
Christmas may not always look traditional.
Sometimes it hasn’t yet become a tradition.
Sometimes it is just for a moment.
For now, it simply is.
And if we’re paying attention—if we’re willing to slow down—it’s there to be witnessed, shared, and quietly celebrated.
With warmth and gratitude,
Amy
P.S. Wherever Christmas finds you this season—in adventure, in service, in candlelight, or in song—may you feel its presence exactly where you are.
