Suddenly, Covid—courtesy of the Omicron variant—has fought its way back to the front pages. Many of us, who thought we were out of the woods by getting fully vaccinated and boosted, have to wonder whether we might now face a breakthrough case. I know many people who are questioning whether they should pull back on their holiday travel or party plans. It’s enough to make you turn off your TV, stay off social media, and spend the next two weeks watching cheesy Christmas movies and ordering in.
Now that I think about it, that might not be such a bad way to spend the holidays. Or maybe you have a much better idea of how to make the most of these times and find joy. Perhaps what you do or where you go matters less than who you spend this time with? So here’s the question: Where do you find joy during the holidays? And will you be able to find that joy this year? Given the challenging year we’ve had and the challenging year yet to come as we head toward the one-year anniversary of January 6 and the midterms, I hope you will find joy in the weeks ahead.
As always, I look forward to hearing what’s on your mind and the opportunity for this community to share with each other.
Note: I will be taking off most of the next two weeks in the hopes of recharging myself, traveling a little, and spending time with my family without deadlines pulling me away. In the meantime, on the usual schedule, I will be sharing with you a selection of dispatches written over the last nine months that I think continue to resonate.
My joy has always been reading, and this holiday season, I'm thankful to Diana Gabaldon for finally publishing Book 9. Now if we could get just G. R. R. Martin to get off his duff and finish Winds of Winter, I'd really have a splendid holiday. As it is, I'm going to spend the time taking care of friends' cats and enjoying a safe, warm home. And sending what I can to families who aren't so blessed.
I am very fortunate to have a wife who loves to play the piano and I have learned over 46 years to be an appreciative audience. I wish I played an instrument to accompany her, but I generally spend the time reading. Our son will be visiting his spouse's family, so it will just be us and hopefully good friends stopping by for holiday cheer. Taking in the spirit of Christmas and why we celebrate this special day will be first and foremost. Wishing you and yours the very best for the holidays!
I find joy volunteering at local Covid clinics where young'uns are now getting vaccinated. They are such troopers! Yes, some of them cry, but most of them understand, for their young age, what's at stake. As they check out I tell them that they are now half a super girl or half a super boy. That brings a smile to their face and warmth to my heart.
My joy comes from being with my family. I cannot worry abt COVID anymore. My family has done everything Biden has asked, now we just need to adjust our lives to the new normal. It’s not that difficult to keep others safe and not expect them to feel the same. So we must move on and do the right thing from our hearts. I also get joy from some of the new ppl I have met online.
Steven, I find joy in my 46 years of being married to a wonderful woman, Barb. I also find joy in nature, sunrises and sunsets, feeding birds in my backyard, lots of little things, and a big thing: I am still here, in reasonably good health, and have all I need to continue living a good life. Enjoy your weeks off, Steven, and be safe, be well.
Excellent. I find joy in the simplest things and also in new ways. I am joyful sharing with kind or interesting folks on Twitter and I keep my joy by refusing to participate with haters. Thank you for doing such a good job this last year. It’s hard to believe it has been a year (almost) since our Capitol was so brutally defiled. I find joy in knowing others in America love their country too and will do whatever we can to preserve and protect it. Have a wonderful holiday.
I find it with my family, close friends, my dogs, horses & racing, a good book, movies, a live performance, travelling and fishing. All those things in their own way bring joy to my life. Joy is a passion— find things your passionate about and that will brighten your day & enrich your life.
I find joy working at my local food bank. I love the other volunteers and the feeling of working as a team to be sure no one in our town is hungry. Our national and international problems are daunting, but in my community I can make a difference. Everything from fund raising to breaking down pallets of donations is fun! SO fun, I'm picking up extra shifts and enjoying a spirited Christmas while making new friends. Also, getting in some weight bearing exercise (as ordered by my doctor). Win/win!
You certainly deserve a great holiday! My husband and I are lucky to be close to a daughter and grandsons. Even though we will miss seeing our California daughter we will have a wonderful family time. Thank you for asking.
Family, particularly my wife and my kids. (The older, 23, is working in Scotland this year, so we Skype most days. The younger, about to turn 21, is in college and also works, so we talk and text when his schedule permits.)
As I have written before, heart problems are rampant in my family. My father, a school teacher, felt bad one evening & drove himself to the ER. He was having a heart attack. He was 55. They did not do angioplasties, nor did current heart medicines yet exist. He had an extended hospital stay, & it was over Christmas. We rented an apartment over an old fashioned store, & with Daddy's pay cut in half, Mother came to an agreement with the store owner for the duration. She could not drive, the only way to go see my father was the town bus. But there was a problem - me. The hospital did not allow small children to visit.
We lived in Bradford, usually the coldest town in PA. It snowed heavily the day before Christmas. She had no money to buy a tree. So, after dark , when the sellers had gone, the ones not sold were thrown into an alley beside a different store. Mother and I bundled up, slipped and slid up the street to the alley, picked out an unsold tree, shook the snow off as best we could, and between both of us, dragged it home and up what seemed like 105 steps. She set it up in the living room, dripping, and we decorated it.
We had had no phone, but had gotten one to keep in touch with the hospital -22718 party line, and always heard breathing on the line when it rang our one long ring and not the two short ones.
My brother got sent home from the Air Force by the Red Cross, allowing Mother to visit her husband as I had a baby sitter now.
My father recovered (for another 10 years), my brother was home and safe (the unit he was in was sent to Korea while he was home, and my father always believed God had sent the heart attack to save my brother who would go on to become a career chaplain ), our blinking lights reflected in the tinsel, and my mother said always that that was the most beautiful tree we ever had and thankfully, the most joyful Christmas one could ever hope for.
My joy has always been reading, and this holiday season, I'm thankful to Diana Gabaldon for finally publishing Book 9. Now if we could get just G. R. R. Martin to get off his duff and finish Winds of Winter, I'd really have a splendid holiday. As it is, I'm going to spend the time taking care of friends' cats and enjoying a safe, warm home. And sending what I can to families who aren't so blessed.
I am very fortunate to have a wife who loves to play the piano and I have learned over 46 years to be an appreciative audience. I wish I played an instrument to accompany her, but I generally spend the time reading. Our son will be visiting his spouse's family, so it will just be us and hopefully good friends stopping by for holiday cheer. Taking in the spirit of Christmas and why we celebrate this special day will be first and foremost. Wishing you and yours the very best for the holidays!
Thank you, Paul!
I find joy volunteering at local Covid clinics where young'uns are now getting vaccinated. They are such troopers! Yes, some of them cry, but most of them understand, for their young age, what's at stake. As they check out I tell them that they are now half a super girl or half a super boy. That brings a smile to their face and warmth to my heart.
My joy comes from being with my family. I cannot worry abt COVID anymore. My family has done everything Biden has asked, now we just need to adjust our lives to the new normal. It’s not that difficult to keep others safe and not expect them to feel the same. So we must move on and do the right thing from our hearts. I also get joy from some of the new ppl I have met online.
Steven, I find joy in my 46 years of being married to a wonderful woman, Barb. I also find joy in nature, sunrises and sunsets, feeding birds in my backyard, lots of little things, and a big thing: I am still here, in reasonably good health, and have all I need to continue living a good life. Enjoy your weeks off, Steven, and be safe, be well.
Thank you, John.
My pleasure. I thoroughly enjoy your appearances on cable and your written communications!
Excellent. I find joy in the simplest things and also in new ways. I am joyful sharing with kind or interesting folks on Twitter and I keep my joy by refusing to participate with haters. Thank you for doing such a good job this last year. It’s hard to believe it has been a year (almost) since our Capitol was so brutally defiled. I find joy in knowing others in America love their country too and will do whatever we can to preserve and protect it. Have a wonderful holiday.
Have a good holiday , Steve. I appreciate your posts. I find joy in friendship and kindness .
Thank you, Karen.
I find it with my family, close friends, my dogs, horses & racing, a good book, movies, a live performance, travelling and fishing. All those things in their own way bring joy to my life. Joy is a passion— find things your passionate about and that will brighten your day & enrich your life.
I find joy working at my local food bank. I love the other volunteers and the feeling of working as a team to be sure no one in our town is hungry. Our national and international problems are daunting, but in my community I can make a difference. Everything from fund raising to breaking down pallets of donations is fun! SO fun, I'm picking up extra shifts and enjoying a spirited Christmas while making new friends. Also, getting in some weight bearing exercise (as ordered by my doctor). Win/win!
You certainly deserve a great holiday! My husband and I are lucky to be close to a daughter and grandsons. Even though we will miss seeing our California daughter we will have a wonderful family time. Thank you for asking.
Thank you.
Family, particularly my wife and my kids. (The older, 23, is working in Scotland this year, so we Skype most days. The younger, about to turn 21, is in college and also works, so we talk and text when his schedule permits.)
Be safe and enJOY
You too, James!
As I have written before, heart problems are rampant in my family. My father, a school teacher, felt bad one evening & drove himself to the ER. He was having a heart attack. He was 55. They did not do angioplasties, nor did current heart medicines yet exist. He had an extended hospital stay, & it was over Christmas. We rented an apartment over an old fashioned store, & with Daddy's pay cut in half, Mother came to an agreement with the store owner for the duration. She could not drive, the only way to go see my father was the town bus. But there was a problem - me. The hospital did not allow small children to visit.
We lived in Bradford, usually the coldest town in PA. It snowed heavily the day before Christmas. She had no money to buy a tree. So, after dark , when the sellers had gone, the ones not sold were thrown into an alley beside a different store. Mother and I bundled up, slipped and slid up the street to the alley, picked out an unsold tree, shook the snow off as best we could, and between both of us, dragged it home and up what seemed like 105 steps. She set it up in the living room, dripping, and we decorated it.
We had had no phone, but had gotten one to keep in touch with the hospital -22718 party line, and always heard breathing on the line when it rang our one long ring and not the two short ones.
My brother got sent home from the Air Force by the Red Cross, allowing Mother to visit her husband as I had a baby sitter now.
My father recovered (for another 10 years), my brother was home and safe (the unit he was in was sent to Korea while he was home, and my father always believed God had sent the heart attack to save my brother who would go on to become a career chaplain ), our blinking lights reflected in the tinsel, and my mother said always that that was the most beautiful tree we ever had and thankfully, the most joyful Christmas one could ever hope for.
A touching memory. Thank you for sharing.
At 67
i have finally discovered that joy is in the little things, a fist bump, an old friend a new insight
I am 85 and can't drive so I find joy in writing personal poems and readlng them to the family during holidays. They love them. Bill Doolittle