Most of us will wake up tomorrow excited to see what Santa Claus and his helpers have left under the tree.
For some of us, though, the celebrations begin today. Maybe there’s a church service to attend, or maybe it’s day one of a two-part festival spent with various family and friends. Maybe today is the holiday, or maybe it’s the day spent getting all those last-minute details in order for a joyous Christmas tomorrow. (In the spirit of the season, would it be more fitting to say “getting your reindeer in pairs” instead of “getting your ducks in a row”?)
Regardless of when you have your big celebration, since you won’t be seeing us tomorrow, we’d like to wish all our readers and your families a merry Christmas!
It’s hard to imagine that last year was our first pandemic Christmas. It’s even harder to accept, in some ways, that this is our second. So many things we lost last year that we’re trying to reclaim this year … So much has changed, and yet, so much hasn’t. It’s another bittersweet holiday.
It’s tempting to linger on the bitter: We face another COVID-19 winter surge, with omicron now adding to the summer’s delta burden. We’re confronting the same questions about whether it’s safe to travel for the holidays, and if we can spend quality time with family and friends without anyone falling ill. We’re tasked with the same heart-wrenching decision to celebrate as usual or hold off in hopes next year will be normal — and that all our loved ones will be there.
But we have to remember the sweet. We have widely available COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. We have abundant COVID tests, and we can get results back in 24 hours or less. We have a better understanding of the things we can and can’t do to avoid transmitting the coronavirus. And, we’ve gotten a lot better at using Zoom and FaceTime to connect with each other.
So, in the spirit of finding the light in the darkness, of finding joy in the pain and of being generous in a time of scarcity …
We wish you a merry Christmas (and safe travels through the holidays).
We wish you a merry Christmas (and a wonderful time with loved ones).
We wish you a merry Christmas — and an argument-free meal.
Good tidings we bring, but don’t ask us to sing.
We wish you a merry Christmas — and we’ll be back before New Year’s.
(We’ll pass on the figgy pudding, though.)
