OSCAR M. LOPEZThe holiday season is often the time we set aside for reunions, vacation time, possibly some travel, and a host of traditions we have become accustomed to over the years.

The week between Christmas and New Year has been especially important to me because my wedding anniversary falls within this very special week. I have indeed been so fortunate to have spent the last 65 years with a strong, devoted and most patient life partner in the person of my wife, Connie.

All these years, we have tried to keep the family close together, no matter how many members were added, how far the children or grandchildren studied, or how much masking and physical distancing we must do to protect the elderly.

Year after year we were filled with pride as our children came into their own, found their own paths and took their unique place in the sun. And year after year we were filled with joy seeing our grandchildren first as wailing babies, and then having inquisitive young minds, and then performing song-and-dance and even magic routines, and then also making their own parents proud with what they have gone on to do with their lives.

Today, we are great-grandparents and feel ever so blessed to still be able to witness the family’s unity, undiminished despite adapting to an increasingly virtual world.

The love of family and friends, expressed in an infinite number of ways, is what makes Christmas memorable.

You can make it so for others as well. Express your love with a simple call, perhaps a video call. Make a donation for your loved one or plant a tree. Be imaginative, be demonstrative. You can make Christmas memorable for those you love.

A blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all! - OSCAR M. LOPEZ