It all began on Christmas in 1978, the year that my wife, Denise, and I were married.

We purchased a gold-colored, cardboard Christmas tree ornament. The ornament was unique because it could be split in two and a small item, perhaps a tiny gift, could be placed in the ornament and then hung on the tree. On Christmas Eve 1978, a long standing tradition was literally hatched in this ornament.

Before retiring for the night, I grabbed a piece of red wrapping paper, scribbled a note on it, and placed it in the ornament. It wasn’t until all of our gifts were opened on Christmas day that I told my wife there was one more gift to open. I pointed to the bulb in the tree and asked her to open it. She pulled out the small piece of paper and read it aloud.

“Merry Christmas! I hope that you enjoy our first Christmas together. You make me very happy and I love you more than I ever thought I could. For the next 52 years or so, you can expect my annual Christmas note in this ornament. Love, Dan.” At Christmas the following year, my wife opened the bulb and first read

the note from the previous year before reading the new note aloud.

As the years went on, the number

of notes grew with the size of the paper and length of the message. When all the previous messages could no longer fit in the ornament, they were placed in a scrapbook with each one in its own plastic cover for safekeeping.

Being a writer all my life, the family messages each have a different mood, sometimes serious, sometimes not so serious. As we read them aloud each year, it is clear that these once-a-year messages actually chronicle our life together.

The notes often mention milestones. The 1982 message hinted that it might be time to start a family. The note said, “Is this the year when Denise and me and baby make three?” The hint became reality as the 1983 Christmas message welcomed our newborn daughter, Katherine Noelle, who we affectionately nicknamed, “Katie Christmas.”

The Christmas note in 1991 reflects mixed emotions. It was the year that I dealt with some health problems and the year that our house was broken into and a theft occurred. To the plus side, it was the year that my wife and I first appeared in a mystery theater show. Who would have known that being in this one show would bring a new career and new business into our lives, an adventure that continues today, 19 years later?

The 1993 message included a school essay by my daughter, Katie, who was 10 years old at the time. She wrote about our Christmas traditions from the unwrapping of gifts, to the reading of the Christmas messages, and on to the breakfast feast always prepared by her father.

The 1998 message talked about the joys of portraying Santa Claus at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center for employees and their families. In 2001, I wrote a poem about my holiday message tradition titled, “The Tradition of Our Love.” The 2006 note was a short story placing my wife as a lead character in a Victorian Christmas tale.

“Dan’s Christmas messages complete the year; each one starts the year and ends the year,” said my wife, Denise. “In a time when traditions are fading, this one continues strong.” My only hope is that long after I’m gone from this earth that someone continues the Christmas tradition. Nothing would please me more than to know that on December 24, 2078, the next generations will be sharing 100 years of Christmas messages.