Light comes into the winter darkness

Something a little miraculous happened this morning, something that isn’t quite Christmas but has a lot to do with it: the day got a little longer.
It wasn’t by much. Just 21 seconds – not even enough to notice, really. But it happened. And it has been happening since Dec. 21 and will happen again tomorrow. And by a bit more the day after that. In a month each day will be two minutes longer than the one before it; in another month the sun will show for an extra three minutes each day. And the light will start to come back into our lives.
It’s a little miracle that we northern people understand better than those who live closer to the equator, and which our neighbours farther north understand even better.
But even those who live in the south understand the need to chase away the darkness. It’s the reason we celebrate Christmas when we do. The early Christians may not have known exactly what day Jesus was born, but they understood symbolism when they saw it. Christ was described as the light of the world, so what better time to celebrate his coming than around the solstice? The weather may get colder as winter progresses, but the light will continue to strengthen, the days get longer, a daily reminder of spring’s promise.
We can use some of that promise, some of that hope. There have been moments of darkness in the past year, none darker than that dreadful day this month when a madman with an arsenal snuffed out so many innocent lives in Connecticut. The grief of those families, of that community, is faintly echoed in the horror we all felt when we heard the news, the horror we feel still when we think of it. If anyone needs light and blessings, it is those families.
Closer to home, there are other families who need help. Poverty rates in Muskoka are higher than average. Jobs are often seasonal, low-paying, or both, and housing is expensive. The result is that many families view Christmas – with all its pressures to buy – as something to be endured. For others, the pain is just beginning as they struggle to put fuel in the furnace, warm clothing on their backs, or food on the table.
Here again, there is light and blessing to be found. The generosity of people in Muskoka is remarkable. We in the newspaper business have been blessed this year – as we are so many years – to witness time and again the willingness people have to give to those in need.
Some of those gestures are impressive: the truckloads of food and toys and clothing that are donated to fill hampers.
But others are smaller and quieter. The firefighters who drop off a load of firewood at a senior’s home; the contractor who spends an afternoon repairing a leaky pipe for a single mom; the stranger in the drive-through at Tim’s who tells the clerk that he’ll pay for the person behind him, and says to wish that person a Merry Christmas. All of these things have happened this month, and all will be repeated over and over again.
These are Christmas miracles too. And they don’t end on Dec. 26. But, like the coming of the light day by day, they have the cumulative power to change the world.

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