Christmas time means different things to different people. One thing that is observably true at Christmas time is people are more generous. It’s exciting to see.

There is a temptation by some to extend the Christmas season, and I’d respectfully submit to you that they do so at their own detriment.

Christmas time is special, in part because it only comes once a year. That scarcity serves as an impetus to encourage people to come home to visit, to focus on building relationships.

Made in the USA

A product that is “Made in the USA” both sources it’s materials and builds the final product in the United States, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

It’s a high bar, and one that fewer and fewer products meet. We are a society that increasingly wants cheap plastic junk from China. Our addiction to cheap stuff has very real costs associated with it, but it doesn’t stop us from buying the bottom dollar product in the big box store.

When I see a problem I have the immediate and almost uncontrollable desire to want to fix it. If I can’t fix a problem, my curiosity then drives me to learn and understand why. I see a lot of problems in our world, but I believe that with conversation comes change.

Meaningful conversation is predicated on the idea that we want to understand each other. The meaningful conversation I’m talking about isn’t possible if our goal is only to be understood.