Not long ago, I sat down with some friends and talked about our favorite Christmases.

The buddies had some heady memories.

One recalled getting a princess ring with a diamond in the middle on the Christmas right after she found out the Santa Claus Secret.

Another one said her greatest hour with St. Nick was when she went to the barn to fetch something for her dad and found a horse there.

My best Christmases have been spent with the kids. They come in on Christmas Day in the afternoon, and we enjoy a little cheer and some dinner.

The celebration continues for about four days and includes a Greek feast. I don’t know how we got started with Greek food.

My son and his wife have this love affair with cooking and kitchens. They prepare favorite dishes for one another and special times are marked by special meals.

The first Christmas of the enlarged family, the kids decided to prepare a meal as a present. (By the way, the preparation include cleaning — Joy to the World!)

Greek food — tzatziki, hummus, dolmades, spanakopita — is a favorite of ours; maybe because the kids grew up in a town with Greek restaurants; maybe because we have odd tastes.

I have yet to see the grandbaby eat some Greek food, but he’s already into the fruits and vegetables in a heavy way. Perhaps this will be the year he’ll grab a stuffed grape leaf from his Lee-Lee, laugh and take a bite.

The family laughs at me when we sit down at the table. I see my family around me and know they are secure in my love of them and I am secure in the their love for me. Sometimes a tear or two slips out of the eyes and down the cheek.

Mammas are so blessed to have children who are good to one another and who shoulder their responsibilities as citizens through helping vocations, volunteerism and solid belief systems.

Mammas also rest asured these values will pass down to the grands and the great-grands eventually.

So I tell my buddies that these are the best Christmas memories — each year a little different, but so much the same.

On this Christmas Day, I hope your memories are good ones. Peace.