Annually, whenever it is December 1, people’s moods, behaviors, and attitudes start to change suddenly or very quickly. Christmas is the most positive, peaceful time of year, absolutely no question. We’ve even received gifts from people of other cultures and religions at this special time of year.
Kids, especially, get very excited and their holiday season is punctuated with joy, anticipation, hope, and high spirits. We visited our son’s family last evening, and the boys were higher than kites–jubilant and totally oblivious to any harsh daily realities of our larger, sadly diminished world.
(Brothers and holiday llama)
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A word, too, about the excellent work of local charities. Many people have acknowledged what positive effects organizations such as Santas Anonymous, the Food Bank, Mustard Seed, and Hope Mission have had on the poor and disadvantaged. Christmas is a time to remember and help others more than ever. As Dickens’ Scrooge found out, better later than never. ‘Tis, indeed, far better to give than receive: itself a far better choice than lazy indifference or automatic knee-jerk trollish responses.