The holiday season brings out the best in most people.
It’s a time when those with some extra cash are motivated to donate to worthy causes like the food bank or other social-service-related agencies. The impetus to buy gifts helps local small business operators and artisans. And it provides an opportunity to step off the treadmill of busy life for a brief time, at least, to enjoy spiritual and cultural traditions of this time of year, and to connect with friends and family members close by and farther away.
It also provides time for reflection about things we have been grateful for in the past year.
Those include the extraordinary efforts of the islands’ not-for-profit groups, whose staff and volunteers work diligently and often quietly behind the scenes to make things better for the most vulnerable, the elderly, the young or the sick; or to enrich our lives with arts, cultural, sports and spiritual activities.
Health-care workers and those who work for various government agencies have had an extra-challenging year and deserve our kindest consideration and appreciation.
As we are currently buried after a heavy pre-Christmas snowfall, we will be grateful to all the people in emergency services who will be doing their best to keep us safe; and to those who will inevitably be needed to restore electrical service. It’s been said by many people in the past two years, but we will say it again: Emcon Services Inc. rocks it in inclement weather when compared to their predecessors.
From the impacts of runaway inflation and an ongoing labour shortage to widespread mental health challenges, it’s been a challenging year.
If you have the means to help others at this time, please do. If not, some words of gratitude towards any individual or group that you have appreciated will go a long way towards making things better than they would otherwise be.
And if you’d like to widen your circle of gratitude and connection on Christmas Day, the community will gather at Fulford Community Hall with the now-traditional Christmas Ball at Fulford Hall event. All are welcome and encouraged to enjoy companionship, music, food and more.