CULLMAN —
Great expectations fill our minds with the arrival of Christmas Day. Peace on earth. Good will. Joy. Happiness. Anticipation of a Happy New Year.
The world contradicts our hope. Tragedy and despair, from the Middle East to Newtown, Conn., fill the news. But Christmas is not a promise that evil will take a holiday or that all will be peaceful for a moment in time.
From the birth of Christ in a lowly manger, the message to the world was hope — a promise of a better way of living and a pathway to an eternity free of the world’s trappings and misfortunes. Even the horrors of the world, in that time long ago and today, do not erode the promise that was fulfilled in Bethlehem.
Much of what is good in the world has its foundation in Christmas. The spirit of charity, which extends well past the holiday season, gets an extra boost from Christmas.
The march of time has not altered the meaning of Christmas; we simply don’t stop long to remember. Presents must be bought and wrapped, large quantities of food consumed, and tiring rounds of visits to family and friends are squeezed into a single day.
But the dawning of Christmas did not decree the lush expectations we have created through the years. Nor does the date forbid such an outpouring of love.
Even for the tired and the grieved, Christmas — at its core — remains a moment of hope that can be carried forward throughout life. The greater author, Charles Dickens, quaintly illustrated this spirit through Ebeneezer Scrooge, a miserable old man who found love and joy and lived those qualities for the remainder of his days.
If that spirit lives in more hearts, then Christmas will always bring joy and peace in the face of the most difficult times.
Editorials
EDITORIAL: Christmas all the time
- Editorials
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Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
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EDITORIAL: The IRS' Turn to Answer Questions
Washington is now sinking its teeth into a real scandal: the Internal Revenue Service using ideological criteria to choose the targets of its attention.
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Editorial: The house of death
The grisly details emerging from the murder trial of a Philadelphia abortion doctor place a glaring spotlight on a national disgrace.
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Editorial: Murder, insanity and guns
James Holmes, the accused movie theater shooter in Colorado, would like for the public to believe he killed a dozen people because he was insane.
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Lasting partnerships
Economic development officials have long noted the importance of expansions by existing industries and businesses in a community to lead growth.
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COMMENTARY: Why does young adult fiction keep giving its heroines makeovers?
Over at This Ain't Living, s.e. smith (who, full disclosure, has guest-blogged for me at ThinkProgress) has an excellent post about one of the most pernicious trends in young adult fiction.
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A spirit for moving forward
This weekend marked the two-year anniversary of a deadly day of tornadoes that streaked across Alabama, claiming lives and property and changing the landscape of many communities.
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Faith and bombs
The investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing is pointing to the all-too-familiar theme of religious faith playing a major role in violence.
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Keeping the US safe
The empty streets of Boston as authorities searched for two terror suspects was an eerie reminder of the vulnerability of innocent people.
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A time for change
Alabama lawmakers will head into the final stretch of the legislative session with a new member on board, Randall Shedd of Cullman County.
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