Important Dates

Our next meeting will be on December 22, 2009 in Mrs. Gautier's room (209) until 3:15. If you have any questions, please see Mrs. Gautier or Justin Kiefer.

We would like to wish all of you a happy and safe holiday. May all of your days be merry and bright! 

        As I turn on the television, I’m greeted by numerous commercials abound with the spirit of Christmas. Why should I be surprised, after all? It is the holiday season, and every corporation worth its salt is trying to sell you a product. Images of children opening their presents on Christmas morning flood the networks, a sight many of us have been beholding for an eternity. It’s one of those few things in this world that never changes.

        I must admit that at seventeen years of age, Christmas just doesn’t bring the same level of excitement it used to. Obviously we aren’t little kids looking forward to Santa’s treasures anymore, but at the same time the happiness brought about by the holiday season is greatly lacking in many of us. Perhaps it’s just the workload many of us have been amassing, or maybe even the unfortunate economic situation which has caused many people’s investments to plummet. With so much going on, some of us don’t even have time to look around.

        For those of us who are Christians, the celebration of our Savior’s birth brings us great joy. Yet I still look back on those Christmas mornings when I came running down the stairs eager to see what was underneath the tree. Life seemed so simple, pleasant, and even surreal. How could it ever get any harder than this? High School, you say? That was still years away. College was even further. Who cared for that matter, there were presents to be opened!

Today, Christmas feels less like a holiday and more like any other date on the calendar. So many activities, concerts and other necessities grab our attention in the month of December and never let go. I’m even convinced that people spend more time shopping for presents than they do actually thinking about the holiday itself.

        Isn’t it ironic how we place it at the very end of the year? When all is said and done, December 25^th is a breath of fresh air. Perhaps it’s not only a celebration of Christ’s birth, but of our own accomplishments throughout the chaotic months preceding it. A new year, full of its own stresses, challenges, and excitements awaits us. Yet for this one very simple day, we can put all of that behind us.

Whether the holiday season brings you stress or happiness (maybe even a gift from that special someone), always try to make the best of it. Look inside yourself and think about all of the things you have done, and will continue to do for others. Spend time with your relatives, especially if you don’t see them very often. Sit by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and indulge yourself in past memories. For one brief moment, forget about the world around you. It can wait.

Merry Christmas!

-Justin Kiefer

Editor, The Scarlet Scoop