Christmas has changed over the years. Or to be more accurate, what Christmas is to me has changed.

As children, we kids (there were five of us) would closely study the Sears catalog, which was the ultimate dream book. By the time Christmas rolled around, it was dog-eared and tattered. We had offered mom suggestions, changed our minds, then changed our minds again. Every year, though, the preferred gift would be under the tree. The lack of surprise didn’t harm our delight.

On Christmas, we would all wake up in the middle of the night and huddle by an east-facing window. We were awaiting the first rays of dawn, when it would be OK to wake up mom and dad to get Christmas morning started.

It was magical. That’s when Christmas was about what we got.

Once I had children of my own, Christmas became defined by their joy. Their excitement and delight when ripping open packages gave me so much more satisfaction than receiving gifts ever had. I did find my parents’ “no Christmas until dawn” to be a wise policy.

The rest of the day would be assembling my children’s stuff and our traditional meal of ham and scalloped potatoes. All the while, the classic movie “A Christmas Story” would be playing in the background.

It was also magical. That’s when Christmas was about our kids.

Now my kids are grown. Christmas is a monthlong holiday that begins when we put up our tree Thanksgiving afternoon. Each year we buy a new ornament, which replaces one of the generic bulbs. There are also ornaments that represent family members, some of whom have passed and others that are elsewhere. It has become both a Christmas tree and a memory tree.

We still love giving gifts, but now there are far more of them and they are much less valuable. It allows us to let people know they are on our minds without taking out a second mortgage. Likewise, when I get a gift, regardless what it is, I deeply appreciate that the giver took time to think of me. That’s the real gift.

It’s a time to reflect and appreciate. Reflect upon the origins of Christmas and who it celebrates. Appreciate the people in our lives for it is they, not the material things, that are the true blessings. For in the end, it won’t be that awesome car or that dazzling diamond necklace or that corner office that will have given our lives meaning. It will be the relationships.

It’s still magical. Now, Christmas is about love.

Whatever Christmas is to you, have a merry Christmas.