Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night

Talk about it

Decorations in full bloom, sold-out Christmas tree lots and an increase in the consumption of baked goods all mean one thing: Christmas is here. It’s definitely going to be a white one. A winter storm will change many people’s plans but it won’t change the meaning of the holiday.

Bing Crosby, the actor and singer who wrote “White Christmas,” knew what the holiday was about.

“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it white,” the famous crooner said.

When in need of shining examples of generosity, look no further than the children in the community.

After a fire destroyed the home of one Jamestown resident and her son, students from Pingree-Buchanan Elementary School donated several hundred items of food, clothing, toys, towels and cash.

Fifth-graders at Roosevelt Elementary gave donations to the James River Humane Society instead of buying gifts for classmates and teachers. Kindergarteners at Victory Lutheran donated items to a local food pantry.

These are only a few examples of holiday spirit. There are many more. People of all ages have worked to make this holiday season brighter for those in need, through gifts of their time to ring a Salvation Army bell, providing a dinner at a church, picking out a gift from a tag on an “Angel Tree” or taking children in need shopping. There are many other acts of kindness in this season that perhaps don’t make headlines but are just as important. All are part of the season of hope that is Christmas.

At the heart of the shopping, the gift-giving and the gathering of friends and family, is the reason Christians celebrate this day: the birth of Jesus Christ. At a time when our country remains at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and we struggle through a recession, Christmas gives us reason to pause and be hopeful.

Christmas is about peace, goodwill and hope for the world.

Merry Christmas.

(Editorials are the opinion of Jamestown Sun management and the newspaper’s editorial board)

Tags: opinion, editorial, holiday, christmas