With some snow on the ground and festive lights glittering on neighborhood rooftops, it is pretty easy to get in the mood of the holiday season. Little children excitedly send letters to Santa, hoping for their holiday wishes to come true. I remember being on my best behavior for at least a month (it seemed like forever!), anticipating that perhaps some of my holiday wishes would be granted and wondering whether I might get new snow skis or a new Lego set, or hopefully both.
Our family traditions included visiting a particularly sweet little widowed lady who lived not too far from my home. She loved to share her post-World War II memories of working alongside her husband to establish a ski resort in the nearby mountains, where families could access the fun and excitement of snow skiing. Luella’s eyes were bright with joy as she recounted decades of providing wintertime activities in the snow and the happiness it brought to families. The best part, she would always say, was making children’s wishes come true.
Of course, nothing could be better during the holiday season – or anytime, for that matter – than seeing the happiness and wonder of the holiday through a child’s eyes. With so much difficulty and tragedy in today’s world, I am grateful that we have a little break to celebrate the holidays. People of all ages continue to have hopes and wishes for the holiday season and, in that spirit, I would like to share a few of my own holiday wishes. I wish that:
Jimmy Fallon’s jokes weren’t always so true.
Everyone could have 10 minutes every day to drink their morning beverage in peace.
The weather people wouldn’t say that we need to “work on” getting more snow in the mountains.
Grown men would quit thinking it is attractive to appear in public wearing their little brother’s suit and no socks.
There was a real “elf-on-a-shelf” keeping an eye on the behavior of all of us.
Local business owners didn’t believe it is a good idea to be the star of their own TV ads.
No one would ever tell me to act my age.
Facebook hadn’t become the go-to substitute for sending a card to remember someone’s birthday.
Polarization would relate only to the climate and weather – and differing political opinions could be discussed with civility.
Santa would look a little more carefully at his naughty list.
I don’t expect these wishes to all come true, but it might be an improvement if they did. And regardless of what Santa might do, I hope that each of us will have the opportunity to be moved by generosity, inspired by hope, and uplifted by love. May your holiday season be an opportunity to spend time with people you care about and may your heart and home sparkle with moments of love, laughter, and goodwill. And I wish everyone a healthy and happy year ahead.