comment23

Issue #44

Last Update March 2, 2006

Commentary Heading into the holiday season, we wish all of our readers good times with good friends. The importance of the holidays is only in part the religious events commemorated and the time off from work the holidays provide. The most important part of the holidays is the opportunity it affords to remind friends and relatives of our affection, and to receive in turn their best wishes.

To make it really special, reach out to someone you like but have had no contact with for a while. Call an old friend; call a relative from whom you have grown distant. Call or email a colleague that you were fond of, but who no longer works with you. Few things are as cheering as an old friend, lost, then regained.

Commit random acts of kindness to strangers, too. A dollar may mean little to you, but could be the difference between McDonald's and a dumpster for a homeless person. Give generously to street musicians, even the bad ones. The good ones deserve money for the joy they bring; the bad ones deserve money for their courage. Rich people require a large amount of money to better their current circumstances; those whose lives are grim and live closer to the edge require only a little to make a difference. Provide that little, or more if you can.

Do something for yourself, too, and call it a holiday gift. It doesn't have to be a big thing, just something you have wanted, or wanted to do, and haven't gotten to yet. A special candy, a decent brandy or a good cigar, a new shirt or scarf or lipstick, a pennywhistle, anything that's a treat, that no one but yourself could have known you wanted. See a movie, buy a book, kiss someone.

Do these things for the holidays. And on New Year's Day, resolve to keep doing them for the whole year.