My mother always made Christmas special in our home. She made sure we never forgot the reason for the season.

One of my favorite childhood Christmas memories revolves around Christmas Eve. It wasn’t the same every year—sometimes we would open our gifts that night or wait until Christmas morning. The one constant was Midnight Mass. I don’t remember if it actually took place at midnight but I certainly remember attending the church services, holding a lighted candle and singing glory to God at the top of my lungs as the trumpets played and the choir sang. That is one of the memories I will long treasure from my childhood.