The reason to be joyful this year

Yes, we should give of ourselves all year long -- many in

Huntington Beach do. But it does make sense to give a little more

this time of year.

The difference between the haves and have nots seems magnified

during the holidays. Those without have to watch commercial after

commercial telling their kids all the joy that’s to be had if they

just owned this or that toy. They have to be reminded what they can’t

give the ones they love. Advertisements, movies and grocery stores

remind many of the Christmas feast they can’t afford.

Whether it’s been a bad year or a hard life, it can’t be joyful to

realize the holidays are coming and you’re in for another two months

of having all things you can’t afford thrown in your face.

Probably worse than the financial woes is the loneliness that can

creep up while others plan for trips back home and holiday

gatherings. It’s no secret that this time of the year is the hardest

for many. Sadness is made even more bitter when we are told

constantly we should be happy.

We’re fortunate here that these problems are relatively few and

far between. Huge Christmas trees are the norm, not the exception.

Shops are filled with people who can afford to put presents beneath

the Christmas tree and stuff the stockings that hand by the chimney

(with care).

But even here, amid so much wealth and fortune and luck, there are

folks who aren’t having a joyful holiday. For them, we’re most

fortunate that so many among us work to ease their pains.

Doing so reaches to the true meaning of this time of year.