For our children, Christmas is in the distant future; for adults, Christmas is just over the fence. For youngsters Christmas is a long journey; for grown-ups, it is just around the corner.

When I was a child, I thought December was the longest month of the entire year. I would get a commercial calendar and "X" off the days, hoping that such "X's" would somehow hasten the coming of Christmas. The closer I got to Christmas, the farther away it seemed. Christmas Eve felt like the longest day of the entire year.

When we become adults, Christmas comes too fast. Time rushes by. There is so much to do in so few days. There are gifts to buy, ceremonies to arrange, families to entertain, courtesies to care for, and protocol to move through. Christmas seems all too immediate and all too soon.

For…