The holidays are a special time for everyone, no matter which of them you celebrate.
There is no shortage of holidays at this time of year (as evidenced by today’s editorial cartoon). Whichever one of them you choose to honour in your home, there is always something for everyone to enjoy at this time of year.
Christmas remains the most prominent and widely celebrated holiday of the year, and children across the country are already counting down the days, hours and minutes until Santa Claus arrives to place his presents under the tree.
Though the holidays are a magical time no matter where you are in your life, they are truly wonderful for children. For children, Christmas is a time when you are encouraged to stretch your imagination beyond what you see in your daily life; just because you’ve never seen a reindeer fly doesn’t mean they can’t.
Those children will scan the night sky on Christmas Eve for glimpses of Santa’s sleigh. They’ll build snowmen that just may come to life if they can only find the right hat. And on Christmas morning, they’ll be rewarded for a year of good behaviour with new toys just like the ones they asked Santa for, and more besides.
As you get older, however, you realize that it’s not the gifts under the tree that make the holidays magical. It’s the time spent in well earned relaxation with those who are closest to you.
Our lives, especially in today’s world, move at a blindingly fast pace. That’s what makes Christmas, Thanksgiving and other special days so important. They give us a chance to catch our collective breath and step out of the maelstrom long enough to remember the things that really matter.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all the best in 2012 and beyond.
