Perched on the corner coffee table in our living room is a digital photo frame.

It only comes out to play in December and it’s tucked away again in January.

Loaded on its SD card are 500 family Christmas photos spanning two decades. The frame is set to just keep cycling through the images over and over again.

Sprinkled through the collection, you’ll find the odd attempt at a ‘formal’ group photo, but most of the images are candid shots that capture the spirit of our holiday times.

You’ll see Christmas ornaments, trees, lights and decorations, tables set for brunch and dinner, and baking fresh out of the oven. But even more importantly… you’ll find a visual record of games played, books being read, snuggles, goofy faces, wrestling matches, cooking and cleanup in the kitchen, gifts being opened, children turning into parents, babies growing into toddlers and teens.

When we gather over the holidays, it’s quite common to find one family member or another curled up in a chair next to the frame tuned in to the perpetual slide show. Their eyes light up in remembrance or recognition. They call someone to come quick and see. Or they laugh aloud as they launch into a ‘remember when’ story triggered by one photo or another.

Each year before I tuck the frame away for another season, I add a new set of photos from the most recent gathering. And so the collection grows – memory by memory, year by year. It’s a treasure of treasures that keeps on giving.

PS – In recent years, I’ve made it a practice to sum up our family’s year in photos. As you will see from the Katz Christmas Letter 2022 included here, we are delighted to have been able to travel once again, and are especially grateful for the blessings of good health, family and friends.

May this message find you well, savoring memories of your own, and looking forward with hope to life as it will unfold in 2023.