The dark days of winter are a good time to consider our relationship to nature. While children (with visions of snow days dancing in their heads) peer gleefully out their windows when an evening brings its first flakes, adults are more likely to grumble at the plowing, the shoveling, the longer commute, the dangerous driving conditions, and the possibility of missed work. Rather than remembering the sweltering months of summer and embracing the cool weather with relief, we snarl at utility bills and snap when a door is left open a moment too long.
Christmas doesn’t have to be a loud, hectic marathon of spending, eating, consuming, and disposing. It could be—it should be—a quiet season of remembering and celebrating what’s most important in our lives.
— from the book Franciscan Christmas by Kathleen M. Carroll
