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Christmas full of hope, reflection and joy

For some people, it wouldn’t seem like Christmas if they weren’t finishing their holiday shopping at virtually the last minute.

Liken it to those fathers and mothers who choose to decorate their Christmas tree on Christmas Eve — and wrap presents — after their children have gone off to bed, excited about what Christmas morning might bring.

Santa Claus and his helpers are busy, you know, virtually right up to the time when bows and wrapping paper are torn off packages to reveal the treasures inside.

Those last magical hours of holiday preparation are like no others during the rest of the year.

This year, however, some families have chosen to take advantage of a “pressure-release valve” made possible by the fact that Christmas Day is on a Monday.

Yesterday being a Saturday, more people were off work, affording them more opportunity to complete the last-minute hustle and bustle before the arrival of Christmas Eve.

For many of those who do venture out today, their goal will be to find last-minute bargains that might not have been available days or weeks ago, rather that searching frantically for “that perfect gift” for someone on their Christmas list.

But, yes, there also will be people in the stores today who didn’t get around to shopping earlier, or who would be lacking some pre-holiday excitement if they weren’t starting or completing their major gift-buying during these last hours.

Still, some advice at Christmastime last year by Pope Francis rings true for this Christmas Eve and the days ahead.

On Dec. 18 last year, he told people gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican that they should find quiet time at Christmas to reflect on what the holiday is about.

And it’s probably safe to say that there’s no better day for some quiet pre-holiday reflection than today, with most preparations having been completed by now.

That time of quiet reflection and, perhaps, prayer should include thoughts and hopes for those still trying to piece together their lives after the devastating hurricanes that struck the South this year, and for those many people still in shock over having lost everything — or virtually everything — in the California wildfires.

Likewise, thoughts and prayers should emanate from people fortunate not to be living with other kinds of difficult or horrendous challenges that some individuals and families will be facing on this year’s Christmas Day.

Think about what some American families were feeling and fearing on this day

45 years ago, wondering what role their sons and daughters might be having during the bombing raids on Hanoi and Haiphong ordered by President Richard Nixon, carried out between Dec. 18 and 29, 1972.

Then fast-forward to now, a time when many thousands of American troops still are stationed in dangerous faraway places, with relatives and friends left wondering whether they’ll be safe when Christmas Day arrives.

This day before Christmas, then, is a day with myriad meanings and the full range of emotions.

It’s a special day, even though tomorrow will be the day celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ.

Hope, anticipation and joy are centerpieces of the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, but they have a place all year long.

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