Maybe you believe in them, maybe you don’t. Certainly the possibility of miracles has been long debated. What’s less controversial is the human need to embrace the hope that miracles promise.
The holiday season was all about hope when I was a child. I hoped for candy, I hoped for a ton of presents and I hoped it would snow so we wouldn’t have to go to school and I could play all day. I hoped I would grow up fast so I could do grown-up things like stay up late and watch any TV program I wanted.
It didn’t happen in an instant, and by the time I had become that adult and a mother-to-be, my hopes had changed drastically. I hoped my baby would be healthy and I hoped I would know how to be a good mother. Like St. Nicholas himself, I hoped I could provide my child with unending gifts.
Most of all I hoped that I could save my baby from the dark winters of the world. It would indeed be a miracle if this were possible, still it doesn’t change the hope that most parents the world over have – that the sun will always shine on their children.
The winter holidays help us dress up the dark. There is documentation that as far back as 10,000 B.C., people have looked for ways to reassure themselves that the light of spring would return. We don fir trees with lights, illuminate menorahs with candles and any number of other rituals to keep us going and help us feel connected.
The digital age connects us in other ways. We can work 24/7, reach our children in an instant and feel very much in control. Parents today are arming their elementary school children with cell phones in the hope that the digital connection will serve as the ultimate protection. Yes, folly prevails.
This month Sharen Fuentes takes a look at what parents should consider before they purchase their child a cell phone. Just like any other form of media cell phones can help or hurt depending on how they are used. Parents today have a responsibility to educate themselves and dispense all forms of technology to their children with restrictions to assure their safety. So although times have changed – the hope is still to keep our children safe.
Be sure as well to read our Let’s Go To … this month. Knowing that holidays inspire tradition in so many families, writer and mom Andrea White shares her annual trip into New York City to see the Christmas trees and ice skate at Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park. Perhaps it’s a tradition you’d like to start. Our calendar of events also offers tons of fun activities for the entire month. So celebrate and have fun with those you love – that alone is miraculous.
Happy Holidays!
Jean Sheff, Editor
