My favorite Christmas 'gifts'

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" – or so the story goes – but this Christmas I find myself not thinking about "the moon on the breast of new-fallen snow" nor "a clatter" out on the lawn.

This Christmas, I find myself reflecting on the many gifts I've been blessed with lo' these many Christmases past and present. And I would like to take this time to both share and express my thanks for the gifts so many of you have been to me.

There's the gift of my love of learning – a gift inspired by my grandmother, facilitated by my mother and demanded by my teachers. And I cannot express enough thanks for the gift of their diligence in my education.

What an act of criminal maleficence it would have been for me to grow up without having been introduced to Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Jack London. The gifts of those great essayists added a dimension of creativity to my life and instilled a profound appreciation for the written and spoken word.

There's the gift of true friendship, from people of every description and every walk. There are those of you who have been with me during difficult periods of my life. Some of you have been my friends since elementary school and others since college – some I have met only recently, and yet we have forged a bond that feels lifelong.

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I'm thankful not just for all of you being there, but for what each of you has meant – your selflessness and your encouragement. While those to whom I refer are many, a few have been special blessings. Without mentioning names, I remember each and every one of you and the memories of our friendship I will possess always as blessed Christmas gifts of a lifetime.

But I would be remiss beyond forgiveness if I did not mention you, the gifts who are my loyal readers. It's hard to explain how one becomes friends with people he will probably never meet while still on earth. I think of those of you my readers who have shared engagements and marriages with me, births of children, the passing of family, careers and so on over the now many years I've been blessed to do what I enjoy.

I think of the gifts of friendship I've made through various tea parties. Those who made the upcoming Al Sharpton debate possible. Those who have given of their abilities to create a much-needed professional tool for me. And I would be further remiss if I didn't reference my many editors and the person currently most helpful to my professional writing career – that would be the person who has done my proofing for the past years.

But for all the earthly gifts and blessings, it is the gift of a Child born on a night millennia ago for which I am most thankful. I am grateful for the gift of His sacrifice, because without same I could have no hope for the future.

Yes, it's Christmas, and I am thankful for the gifts of friendships, family and the gift of Christ Jesus. I am thankful and grateful for each of you – and I would hope that you take time to reflect upon those without whom your life would not quite be the same. I wish you a blessed Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.