As the world has gotten more divided and angry, it is easy to get swept up in the discourse, much of which can be intense. I hope that this time of year grants

As the world has gotten more divided and angry, it is easy to get swept up in the discourse, much of which can be intense. I hope that this time of year grants many of us the opportunity to take a step back and reflect on our shared humanity. In the thousands of years that human civilization has progressed, we have had some bad ideas and some good ideas. I think of Christmas as a time of year where we can all, regardless of our religious views, appreciate one of our best ideas: that we can all find it within ourselves once a year to sacrifice something... anything - our time, a little spare change, a friendly gesture or even just spreading some festive cheer, because we want to do something nice for someone else and make their day just a little bit better. May your days be merry and bright.