It's hard to talk of holiday joy when the world of late has been filled with so much frightening news: a mass shooting in Connecticut, ongoing conflicts in Syria, the economic woes of most of the globe, to name but a few.
And yet, it's human nature to seek the positive amongst the bad, to find and celebrate the small flames of goodness in a confusing and chaotic world - especially at Christmas. Over the last several issues, we've tried to highlight just a few of the good people, organizations and events that happen in this city because we, like many, feel it's not just "nice" but actually vital to a community to see and hear about the good happening in it.
Still, the realists among us would say that it isn't helpful to ignore the woes of those around us in an effort to capture some fleeting sense of holiday goodness. And they're right.
With that in mind, we propose a middle ground on this day, the eve of Christmas: to relish the everyday good, to marvel in the holiday spirit as it appears in our city in simple small ways and, with the wider world in mind, to contemplate our own roles and responsibilities in the world.
What does that mean in a practical sense? It means that we hope you enjoy every moment of the holiday season, from opening gifts (if that is part of your tradition) to visiting friends and family, or simply taking a walk in the cold night air to check out the sparkling lights on your neighbours' homes.
But we'd also encourage you to get and stay involved: to know what's happening in the news here, and further afield, to question what our role as Canadians should be in the larger world, to ask ourselves what we can give to the people around us that helps fan the flames of holiday joy all through the year. It's the small simple acts, when multiplied, that change the world - and that remind us that there is, indeed, much to celebrate, even in a world seemingly filled with darkness.
From our "news" family to yours: all the best this week and beyond.
