It’s hard to believe another Christmas is almost here.
Every year in our home, we promise ourselves we won’t let the season sneak up on us, and every year we fail miserably in that endeavour. But we know we are not alone.
In the everyday rush between work, family, friends and other commitments, it’s hard to find extra time to shop, decorate, bake, cook and make all the other necessary arrangements to prepare for the holidays.
In our house – like many others, and much like my home growing up – much of these tasks annually seem to unintentionally fall on one individual (other than myself) who, while being no less busy, seems to find the time to pull everything off perfectly.
It never ceases to amaze me and for it I am extremely and eternally grateful to those individuals, both past and present.
In fact, with each passing year, for us Christmas evokes sentiments perhaps better suited to a celebration held two months earlier. But who has time to truly observe Thanksgiving anyway?
For us, the two weeks in late December and early January have become less about gift giving (although we gladly accept anything thrown our way), and more about reflecting on how fortunate we are to have so much already, particularly an overabundance of caring and generous friends and family members.
Many living in Wellington will agree, and can extrapolate that line of thinking to include the numerous caring communities throughout the county. In our line of work, that type of sentiment is expressed to us often, yet many take their good fortune for granted for much of the year.
The Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut was a powerful reminder of the importance of family of how fortunate we are, but it really shouldn’t take such tragedies to wake us from the emotional malaise that has a tendency to creep into our daily lives. All of us could be more appreciative, gracious and thoughtful year round.
Closer to home, countless families in our nation, our province and our communities are dealing with personal losses of their own. Feelings of emptiness and loneliness can be particularly upsetting at this time of year. We hope those individuals will find the strength to carry through the holidays with some merriment and are comforted by precious memories and notions of a brighter future.
Of course, there will also be those struggling financially who are saddened by an inability to buy as many gifts as they had hoped. And hundreds of local families will make a trip to their local food bank just to have the necessities to get by this Christmas. We hope the overwhelming generosity of their communities will hearten those individuals and provide a vital hand up they will always remember.
For the more fortunate among us who will be left wanting nothing this Christmas, we hope the true meaning of the season is not lost in the hustle and bustle of a busy few weeks full of too many gifts and too much food and drink.
Regardless of your situation, as always, the staff at the Wellington Advertiser wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday.
Personally, we have always embraced this time of year, but Christmas takes on an even greater meaning with the arrival of a child. Like many parents, we will try our best to provide our daughter with great memories, just as our parents did for us over the years. That, perhaps, is the greatest Christmas tradition of all.
So, while our last special wish may be personalized, we send it out to every child celebrating this special season, even those too young to realize it because this is their very first one.
Merry Christmas, Lauren.
