While there are probably a couple of exceptions, most of you have your Christmas shopping all done, and are busy making plans for Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and perhaps the rest of the weekend if you have family members home for the holidays. Generally speaking, here in Maine folks haven’t abandoned the word Christmas as they have in some other areas across the country. The special observance was established as a Christian religious celebration and it still is today, although thousands of non-Christians with no religious ties whatsoever also celebrate the season. They enjoy exchanging gifts and consider it one more perfect occasion for family gatherings. Thankfully it instills a sense of caring and compassion in most of us.

All around the world, Christians celebrate the true meaning of Christmas every December, and while it is supposed to be a time of peace, sadly there are plenty of reasons why the words peace and Christmas won’t have a strong association this year. Almost every generation in recent years has endured a war – World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraqi and Afghanistan War, as well as scores of other conflicts. Unfortunately, there is perhaps as much unrest this year as during any of these wars. It’s not just one or two countries in an upheaval, it’s several. You might say the entire Mideast has been turned upside down, and while thousands of Syrian refugees have fled their homeland for other countries, just as many are staying home and living in constant fear.

Here in the United States, the threat of terrorism is probably at its highest, for despite the many wars in which we have participated, we’ve rarely felt unsafe in our own country. Today, it’s a different story.

We don’t know what the year ahead will bring, but we can all pray that those with differing views and philosophies can learn to  accept one another and adhere to the message of the Christmas season – Peace on earth, goodwill to man.