Ah Christmas.
To those for whom the pressures of everyday life leave little room for quiet reflection or thoughtful preparation, it arrives like the inevitable, wether they’re ready or not.
Many families find themselves in that category, these days, with all adults in the work-force and youngsters engaged in after-school and weekend activities.
Scheduling time to make finding a Christmas tree a yearly “quality time” expedition for the whole family can be difficult... and requires knowledge of the law as well.
There’s much about childhood Christmases that many adults recall with nostalgia but find impossible to reproduce given the faster pace of life today.
Busy we may be, but if we decide to take the time and make the gesture, both are still possible – more so here than in more urban locations.
We can’t turn the clock back two or three or more decades and we can’t really be kids again, but we can still make an effort to reach out to neighbours, friends and the community at large, to brighten other lives, to make small contributions to make the season meaningful.
The Christmas hampers still need filling, the carols are waiting to be sung, and there are people to visit we haven’t really sat down and talked with since this time last year.
A little Christmas baking to share among friends, a measured and judicious application of those other ‘spirits’ by those who chose to indulge, a generous serving of consideration for the welfare and safety of others: there’s still room for these things in the holiday schedule.
Then, with the kids out of school and fewer athletic events on television, there may even be time to get out the board games or the skiis, sleds or skates, and even make a little amateur Christmas music.
To all our readers we extend our best and warmest wishes for a safe and joyful Christmas season.