Shuffle the Deck

What if traditions aren't about perfection? What if they're about presence?

I always watch The Fellowship of the Ring every Christmas.

It reminds me of the three years those movies came out when I was a young man. My friends and I would go to the theater together on Long Island. Snow falling outside. Watching a story about brothers inside.

Because really, that’s what The Lord of the Rings is. It’s a story about how you need a fel…