YORKTON - In case anyone has missed it, the holiday season is upon us.
December is about to arrive and that means a number of religions will mark important days with holidays including Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, Yule and Christmas, and just past Diwali and Martyrdom of Guru Bahadur.
So, this is a time of happy holidays for many of us.
Of course we tend to think of Christmas first, and in Yorkton many of the events in the next month centre on the holiday.
Last week the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle campaign kicked off at the Parkland Mall.
The annual effort is one of those programs which at its heart really is about the best of the season, people put whatever they can spare into the kettles and the Salvation Army purchases food which they then distribute to those who need a little help to ensure there is a festive meal on their table for the holiday season.
Things take another step this Saturday with the YBID, YEA and Chamber of Commerce Santa Parade which has been a popular seasonal event in the community for years.
And then on Dec. 5, the CPKC Holiday Train rolls through the city.
The train is sort of an iconic symbol of the season as it rolls across the nation – some might even see the train as something which in a fashion connects the country reminding both of Canada’s vastness and yet we are all Canadians.
Holidays are always in large part about family and remembering we are part of a national family which extends coast-to-coast. There is something comforting in that.
And over the upcoming weeks there will be of course school concerts and bake sales and house lights to enjoy, all part of the traditions many of us have grown up with and know best.
But remember too our city is more ethnically diverse today than even a decade ago, and that means people with different world views and beliefs and traditions.
That does not mean changing what you might do, but we are in a country based on freedoms – hard fought for freedoms marked recently by Remembrance Day – so be tolerant and respectful.
The holidays upcoming should be a time of joy for the followers of each path.
So take a moment to pause on your journey and wish others the same joy on their journey.
At the heart of things that is perhaps the best of all the holiday traditions.
