The spirit of the holiday season is truly magical. Twinkling lights are hung on houses throughout the neighborhood and trees are decorated with ornaments, joy fills the air as children anxiously await Christmas morning and friends and neighbors help the less fortunate in the spirit of charity.

No other time of the year is quite as special as the month of December. Growing up in a tight-knit community provided many wonderful memories that are especially powerful as families gather to celebrate the holiday season. Families would take the opportunity to reflect on our blessings and exchange cookies and warm wishes. Friends and neighbors will wish each other a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and children will surely toss snowballs and build snowmen this year if we get any snow. 

Now that my children have children of their own, it is a remarkable experience each year to spend Christmas with my grandchildren. How their eyes light up in wonder when we read ‘The Night Before Christmas’ together and how they shock me with their own acts of kindness – especially to one another or their sibling!

We all have so much to be thankful for and I think it is especially important during this time of the year, with its presents and parties, to remember that Christmas is foremost the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is important to remember the teachings of the man born in Bethlehem that emphasize love, charity, and hope. While we might be more giving during this time of the year, that does not mean we shouldn’t throughout the entire year. Random acts of kindness to one another are small blessings to some.

Let us all remember the message of peace and goodwill and cherish the memories that are made with family and friends. And in the words of Charles Dickens, on behalf of myself, my family and my staff, I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to everybody and a Happy New Year to all the world.