Some Christmas presents cannot be wrapped neatly and placed under the tree. My husband gave a gift like that to our youngest daughter this year. I noticed Carrie and her dad huddled in a corner in serious discussion last Christmas. Later he told me about her request for a special present that would need to be hand crafted. He agreed to work on it throughout the year and bring it to her in San Diego for this year’s Christmas holiday. Carrie asked him to make her a sign with the word “hope” in big letters. He purchased one-half inch exterior plywood, three feet by seven feet and painted it with flat black paint. He printed the word “hope” in white letters finished with reflective spray. An Old Idea Made New Christmastime built a memory that affected our lives over two decades ago when we moved here. One of our neighbors created a one-word sign, hope, and attached it to their roof. As our family drove to our home through...