Every year after Thanksgiving, we decorate the house
for the year-end holidays. Our decorations are simple: some wreaths, a string
of lights and a small display on the porch, another string of lights in the dining room, and some tinsel
and ornaments on the mantelpiece in the living room.
We grew up with Christmas, so we think of our
decorations as Christmas decorations. In other households they would look
different and celebrate different traditions, but the similarities in spirit
would remain. Many people from many traditions—or no formal tradition at all—mark
the end of the year with music, special days, special food, and family
gatherings. For some it is a religious occasion; for others, a special time for
family. For many it is both.
Like many other families, we decorate and celebrate in
good years and in bad. Even in a year of drought, storms, floods, and conflict,
like the one just ending, we try to find hope for the future. So, in their own
ways, do other families and other traditions.
The end of each year is a time of darkness. The days
grow shorter, and the light seems to fail. In our part of the world, the
weather grows colder and more dismal. Our holidays celebrate the coming of
light, and with it the triumph of hope over despair, of love over hate, of
community over chaos. They help us to find a way forward even when there
appears to be none.
Whatever your tradition, may you bring greater light to
your home and the world in the coming year.
