A season of hope

Silent night, holy night. All is calm. All is bright.
It’s easy to forget those simple, compelling words this time of year. We get too caught up in “Santa Claus is coming to town.” Not that there’s anything wrong with Santa Claus. But we’re so consumed with the shopping, rushing, fretting and fussing it’s easy to overlook the funamental joy that is Christmas.
In this week’s paper, we have a special section that illustrates that joy. School children throughout the county have submitted their holiday drawings, stories, poems and letters to Santa Claus.
If nothing else, these submissions should serve to defrost even the most frozen holiday hearts. After all, who among us cannot recall that special Christmas wish of our youth? Or the excitement and anticipation of the mysteries and magic of Christmas?
Regardless of whether you celebrate Christmas religiously or secularly or a combination of both, Christmas is a time for hope.
It’s a child hoping for that special toy.
It’s a single mother or father hoping to pay the bills another month.
It’s an unemployed family member hoping to find a job.
It’s the parents of a soldier hoping their son or daughter are safe.
It’s a family hoping a loved one overcomes an illness.
It’s a homeless person hoping they can find shelter.
It’s a hungry person hoping to find food.
It’s a struggling economy hoping to find momentum.
It’s a third-world nation hoping to overcome a year of unending hardship.
It’s a nation hoping its politicians can work together in the spirit of cooperation and productivity.
It’s a world community hoping for peace, tolerance and justice.
Christmas remains a time of hope.
It's also a time for love and peace and joy.
We celebrate the birth of the Christ child by sharing gifts, much as the Magi did more than 2,000 years ago. And as we scramble through stores filling baskets with presents, as we curse fellow shoppers for holding up the line, as we anger over an inability to find trendy presents and as we fret about our holiday social responsibilities, we offer that subtle reminder: Silent night, holy night. All is calm. All is bright. Christmas is a time of celebration and joy.
It's not measured by who gets the most or even who gives the most. It's measured in love. Its value is in the joy we create for others.
This holiday season, we encourage our readers to be mindful of those who need our prayers and hope you all enjoy the season with the ones you love.
Silent night, holy night. All is calm. All is bright.