Editorial

December 24 2025

The Christmas gift we need most

As we put this edition of the paper to bed, it’s two more sleeps ‘til Christmas. There’s the usual hustle and bustle all around, with the shared rush to check items off lists; the predictable busyness before the anticipated calm of the holidays.

For some, holiday calm is tough to achieve – with travels and kids and wrapping and drama – but it’s exactly what we need this Christmas. It’s been a noisy, tumultuous year; a little peace would go a long way.

We’ve been through so much together in 2025. From threats to our sovereignty and economy to rising unemployment and the cost of living, it’s been a lot.

While the ‘Peace on Earth’ we wish for in Christmas carols and cards may be out of reach in the near term, peace in our lives, families and communities is not. Especially if we seek it out.

Stores and offices will close, most of us will have a break from work (with much appreciation for healthcare workers staying on duty), the streets will go quiet.

Wonders await the willing: the gift of slowing down, the gift of quiet, the gift of moments in nature’s winter stillness. A little respite for the weary.

Some of us will enjoy time with loved ones we’ve missed. The joy of little ones on Christmas morning will fill many a heart.

Then comes that lovely, lingering week stretching from Christmas to New Year’s. May it be a time of restoration, of recuperation of body and soul for us all.

We can help make that happen by setting aside, if only briefly, the nasty side of social media, the noise of political turmoil, and the stress of daily life. We can make time and space for deep sleeps, more kindness, and calm reflection.

We hope these gifts find you this Christmas – a calm that gives rest, a quiet that restores, and a peace that nurtures hope. For there is always hope.

Merry Christmas to all.