Happy Holidays!

Regardless of your holiday tradition, the end of the year always feels like a festive time. Most people are in pretty good spirits, the decorations are abundant and the holiday lights during the short days of sunlight are inspiring.

Even so, not everyone loves the holidays, and Covid times have certainly added to a general feeling of chaos and stress for some. In 2020, 11% of Americans spent the holidays alone. Of those who were alone, about 25% described the holidays as “bad” or “terrible.”

In the spirit of friendship, we encourage you not to forget your friends and loved ones who are struggling this time of year. Anyone who has experienced a loss in the recent past may be feeling their grief acutely during the holidays. A loving friend checking in on them could go a long way toward helping them feel less alone.

However you celebrate, the Language of Friendship extends you happiest holiday wishes! May the good cheer extend well into the New Year and beyond.

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?

Bob Hope