AS the clock ticked toward Christmas this week, my mind was racing at times. So much left to do. So little time.
It is always this way.
***
The week was evaporating, but each day I would swallow some panic and start my daily routine, reading the morning papers and checking email.
One day I took a quick peek at Facebook. I'm a half-hearted social networker and hadn't done this in days.
Scrolling down the page, I spotted a YouTube video link. There was no time for this, but I clicked on the little arrow to make it play.
Maria Callas began to calm me with her glorious rendition of "Ave Maria."
Thank you, Karan Ireland, for posting the link. I needed that.
***
Next I saw a post from a co-worker. She was sad because her grandfather, 85, had died in his sleep the night before. "Christmas is canceled," she wrote.
I realized I personally knew three families who had lost loved ones since Monday.
And I was worried about unwrapped presents?
Another bit of needed perspective.
***
It is easy to lose perspective as Christmas approaches.
In the buildup to such a complex holiday, we can fail to appreciate what we're preparing for - celebration of the birth of Christ, gift giving and receiving, great meals, time with loved ones.
If we are preparing for such moments, we are blessed.
***
This month, an unusual happening was reported.
Somewhere a big-hearted shopper walked up to a layaway counter and paid someone else's balance.
The store notified the layaway customer so the merchandise could be picked up before Christmas rather than being returned to shelves.
The story had nothing to do with an errant celebrity or a weird crime, but it went viral.
People headed to layaway counters in their own towns. Many specifically asked to pay the balances of parents who had selected clothing and toys for children, possibly hoping they would scrape together the needed cash by Christmas.
AS the clock ticked toward Christmas this week, my mind was racing at times. So much left to do. So little time.
It is always this way.
***
The week was evaporating, but each day I would swallow some panic and start my daily routine, reading the morning papers and checking email.
One day I took a quick peek at Facebook. I'm a half-hearted social networker and hadn't done this in days.
Scrolling down the page, I spotted a YouTube video link. There was no time for this, but I clicked on the little arrow to make it play.
Maria Callas began to calm me with her glorious rendition of "Ave Maria."
Thank you, Karan Ireland, for posting the link. I needed that.
***
Next I saw a post from a co-worker. She was sad because her grandfather, 85, had died in his sleep the night before. "Christmas is canceled," she wrote.
I realized I personally knew three families who had lost loved ones since Monday.
And I was worried about unwrapped presents?
Another bit of needed perspective.
***
It is easy to lose perspective as Christmas approaches.
In the buildup to such a complex holiday, we can fail to appreciate what we're preparing for - celebration of the birth of Christ, gift giving and receiving, great meals, time with loved ones.
If we are preparing for such moments, we are blessed.
***
This month, an unusual happening was reported.
Somewhere a big-hearted shopper walked up to a layaway counter and paid someone else's balance.
The store notified the layaway customer so the merchandise could be picked up before Christmas rather than being returned to shelves.
The story had nothing to do with an errant celebrity or a weird crime, but it went viral.
People headed to layaway counters in their own towns. Many specifically asked to pay the balances of parents who had selected clothing and toys for children, possibly hoping they would scrape together the needed cash by Christmas.
For a lot of little modern-day Virginias, yes, there will be a Santa.
***
The layaway miracle was only one of many instances of generosity. There have been long-standing efforts like the Daily Mail's own Neediest Cases drive, the Salvation Army's Angel Tree, the local Christmas basket program and countless others.
But new ones keep cropping up.
A few years ago local dentist Bridget Stevens founded Secret Santa for seniors, an effort to provide gifts for lonely elderly people.
This year South Charleston photographer Will Price, with the sponsorship of the Preston and Salango law firm, invited special-needs children into his quiet studio for sessions with a "sensitive Santa."
Autistic kids and others with disabilities often don't do well in crowds. The gift of a high-quality version of the kind of photos all families treasure was truly an inspiration.
As Congress endlessly debates whose taxes to raise or cut, Americans are doing a pretty good job of redistributing their own wealth. We will always need a government safety net, but this is the way it should be.
***
I like surprises.
When I was a child, my siblings and I wrote letters to Santa, usually describing toys we had spotted in our "wish book," the Spiegel catalogue.
Beyond that, it was not the practice in our family to ask somebody what they wanted. Our parents set the example. The challenge was to figure out what each other would really like and delight them on Christmas morning.
When the inspiration hits, this can be a cinch. But often it doesn't.
You do your best, and sometimes you bomb.
One year during adolescence I was worried about my complexion. My thoughtful younger brother was sure I would love a tabletop, plug-in facial sauna. Talk about your dust catchers.
Still, imprinted at a tender age, I cling to the desire to surprise. But it is hard to pull off for my own children. Their tastes are cutting edge, and mine are not.
My daughter is an especially tough nut. If she gets the barest hint that a secret is in the works, she is on the case. I'm a lousy liar and no match for her.
This year her father and I have made it all the way to Christmas Eve without arousing her suspicion. We think.
Our family will open gifts this evening. I am daring fate to reveal this, but I believe we are going to pull off a surprise.
That makes Christmas fun. May you, too, surprise someone or be surprised yourself.
Friend is editor and publisher of the Daily Mail. She may be reached at 304 348-5124 or by email at nan...@dailymail.com.
Get Connected