Army Christmas: 1978 and 2008

A half-second Google search showed me 

hundreds of Army Christmas Trees. 

Forty years ago, I was about to celebrate my third Christmas in West Germany.  The following year, just before Christmas, I would leave the active duty Army. For most of the following three decades I was a civilian with a beard who served almost seven years on active duty, then left to get a "real job."

Christmas in Cold War West Germany was an odd mixture of homesickness and being in the place where the Christmas tree, and Saint Nicholas, and wreaths and ornaments came from.  Christmas in Germany is deeply traditional and beautiful.  And "Stillen Nacht" sung by a German Choir is the best Christmas Carol I ever heard.

Ten years ago, I was about celebrate Christmas with my family. The year before, in 2007, I had re-enlisted in the Army National Guard. In January, I would be going to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for pre-deployment training, then to Iraq until 2010.

We had the same complicated Christmas that a yours, mine, and ours family has every year with in-laws, out-laws and others sharing Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the days before and after.  But in 2008, I knew the next Christmas would be in Iraq.

Christmas far from home or getting ready to deploy is sad in some ways, but it is also more vivid.  And it makes the next Christmas at home more intense, especially the complicated holidays my family celebrates in four or more states across several days.

And this year I am volunteering overnight at a homeless shelter Christmas Eve through Christmas morning with my Synagogue, just to make the season even more merry and complicated.

Happy Whatever You Celebrate or Already Celebrated!!!

To compliment the Army Christmas Tree, 

I found an Israeli Defense Forces Menorah.