AS IS SEE IT
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
Oh, the magic of Christmas. There is nothing quite like the Christmas season to get people in a festive and giving spirit.
For most families, the month of December is all about getting ready for Christmas. Homes are festively decorated with a Christmas tree and lights, stores are filled with all kinds of wonderful gift ideas, and music extolling the wonder of Christmas fills the airwaves.
There is no doubt that Christmas is a very special time of the year. It is a time of the year when our hearts are filled with joy and gladness. We should be enjoying all that is so very special about the Christmas season - the birth of Jesus, the shopping for gifts for everyone on our gift list, taking in all of the Christmas programs and taking part in holiday parties and enjoying the company of family and friends.
After all, that is the way that Christmas is supposed to be. A time of excitement and a time of good cheer. And maybe it’s a time when we all splurge just a little too much when it comes to buying presents to put under the Christmas Tree for our loved ones.
For most of us, right or wrong, that is the way that Christmas has always been and we hope will always be.
But unfortunately that is not the way that some families in McKenzie County will be spending their Christmas. For them, this Christmas, like so many other past Christmases isn’t going to be as merry. For them, there just may not be a special present under the Christmas tree this year. And maybe for some families, their Christmas supper will be nothing special.
While for most of us it may be hard to imagine a Christmas without presents or sitting down to a wonderful holiday meal, the hard reality is that there are those in McKenzie County that won’t have a very bright Christmas season this year.
Fortunately though, by opening our hearts we can make a huge difference by sharing with others less fortunate than us this season.
Thanks to the McKenzie County Social Services through the Giving Tree, as well as the work of other community groups, once again efforts are being made to make sure that this Christmas season is a special time for people in our county who need a helping hand.
And that is where we can all step in to help make this a very special Christmas. If you would like to donate a gift for a child or an adult, donate money to help purchase gifts or meals for someone less fortunate than yourself, or if you know someone who may need help, please call the Social Services office at 444-3661.
Let’s do our part to help make this Christmas season a time of blessing and sharing and to bring smiles and cheer to the people that need it the most.
After all, sharing is what Christmas is all about.