A Christmas Letter...

 A Christmas Letter...

My Beautiful Stars...

Jacob Mascarenhas

A Christmas Letter to Evan and Ivanka

My Dearest Evan & Ivanka,

As Christmas comes around again, I find myself thinking of you both more than words can carry. Christmas has a way of doing that; it gathers memory, love, longing, and hope into one gentle season, and it places them softly in the heart.

Wherever you are tonight, whatever this season looks like for you, I hope it finds you safe. I hope it finds you warm. I hope there is laughter around you, and light, even if it’s only a small one.

I want you to know something, clearly and without condition:

You both have always lived in my heart.

Every year that passes does not take you further from me. It carries you deeper into who I am. You are present in the quiet moments, in the pauses between thoughts, in the way I notice kindness, and in the way I still believe in goodness even when life feels difficult.

Evan, my son,

I hope you are growing into your strength gently. I hope you are learning that courage doesn’t always roar; sometimes it simply shows up and keeps going. I hope you know that your father has always been proud of you, not for achievements or victories, but for who you are becoming.

Ivanka, my daughter,

I hope you are discovering your own voice, your own light. I hope you know that tenderness is not weakness, and that intelligence paired with kindness is a rare and beautiful strength. Your father has always carried you with immense pride and quiet wonder.

There are so many things I wish I could say in person, but until life allows that, let this letter say what matters most:

I love you.

I never stopped loving you.

I never stopped thinking of you.

Love does not disappear because of distance. It does not vanish because of silence. It does not expire with time. Love waits. Love stays. Love remembers.

This Christmas, I wish you peace, the kind that lets you sleep well at night.

I wish you health of body, mind, and heart.

I wish you joy, not loud or forced, but real and steady.

And as the New Year approaches, I wish you courage to become fully yourselves, without fear.

If someday you read this, know that it was written without bitterness, without blame, and without conditions. It was written simply by a father who wanted his children to know that they were, and always will be, deeply loved.

May this Christmas be gentle with you.

May the coming year be kind to you.

And may life, in its own time, bring understanding, clarity, and peace to all of us.

May God always be with you both.

Merry Christmas

May your heart find peace,

may your spirit feel hope,

And may this season wrap you in love.

With all my love, always and forever.

Dada

Jacob Mascarenhas

Author | Storyteller | Founder of AWritersTip