The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

By Joe Bullick

As I look back at October and the World Series, I think of the Pittsburg Pirates. That’s no spelling error; that’s how it was once spelled. And guess who those Pirates played in 1903? The Boston Red Sox, but back then they were called the Boston Americans. Even though the Pirates lost, Jimmy Sebring hit the first homerun and Honus Wagner had the first stolen base.

I hope you all had a great November with your family at the Thanksgiving table. Now comes Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. There’s no doubt that this holy time of year is our most frenetic, stressful season. The real reason for the season seems to have been largely forgotten in the midst of cookie baking, decorating, shopping and merry making.

Long before Christmas, almost every culture set aside the shortest days of the year as a celebration of the “rebirth of the sun,” when the dark days of winter would soon be over and spring would be at hand.

Advent is a word often heard during the weeks leading up to Christmas. It is a Latin word meaning “the coming.” Advent is essentially the four weeks set aside to prepare for the coming of Jesus not only into the world but to every individual soul. There are so many things that make up the Christmas season: angels, candy canes, carols, Christmas cards and Christmas seals. Christmas seals were started on December 9, 1907, to raise money to fight tuberculosis.

Also don’t forget about Christmas trees, gifts, holly lights, mistletoe, poinsettias, Handel’s Messiah, Santa Claus, stockings and Yule logs. And what about those holiday movies? I think everyone has a favorite.

We also should remember St. Francis of Assisi, who constructed the first Nativity scene outside his church in Italy.

So as we observe Christ’s birthday, let us open the door of our hearts to let Him in again to become the focal point of the season, so we can truly sing that it is the most wonderful time of the year. Merry Christmas!

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Joe welcomes any ideas, suggestions or interesting stories.
Email him at northcon@nauticom.net. Please put "Town Crier" in the subject line of your email.

To contact Joe to schedule an appointment to tour his museum at McKnight Elementary School, call the Northern Connection office at (724) 940-2444 or email northcon@nauticom.net. Please put "Museum Tour" in the subject line.

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