Christmas is the season to be jolly and share joy, love and laughter with our closest friends and family members. It’s the season to share good cheer with others whose names we’ll never know. It’s the season of fulfilling the wishes of little ones who’ve prepared lists or, better, PowerPoint presentations of the gifts for which they have desired. Most important, it’s the season of saying “thank you” to those who sent cards, gifts, or a message with sentiments of “Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays” to let you know how special you are to them.
It’s the season to count your blessings.
However, this is also the season to reconnect with our cultural roots, to remind us of the principles and values that define who we are or should become. The eight-day Jewish tradition of Hanukkah celebrates the values of leadership, freedom, hope, light, community, giving, resilience and belief.
The seven-day African-American Kwanzaa tradition celebrates the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
In Ward 8 in D.C.’s southeast quadrant, residents established a community code celebrating respect, responsibility, accountability, support and hard work. At the same time, families use this season to recommit themselves to family values, including kindness, honesty, integrity, fairness and mutual respect, to name a few.
It’s the season to count your blessings.
We also acknowledge the blessing our readers bring to us this season. Your letters, subscriptions, clicks, views, advertising, donations and news – positive news – mean everything to us. That’s why we count each one of you as our blessing and say, “Thank you!”
We wish you a happy holiday season and hope you’ll take the time to count your blessings.