If you’ve already glanced over at today’s letters page, you’ve no doubt noticed a theme.
It’s all about being grateful.
Our readers have taken the opportunity this Christmas Eve to say thank you to others for helping to make their holiday season — or their lives in general — a little brighter.
Whether it’s the donations that poured in to a Langley grandmother and granddaughter after the unfortunate loss of a bag of Christmas gifts or the aid rendered by ‘three angels’ to a stranded motorist, Langleyites stepped up, time and again, to help their fellow man, without asking for anything in return.
We’d like to add our voice to the chorus of gratitude.
In a community as generous as Langley, it’s difficult to know where to begin. Everywhere we’ve turned over the past month, we’ve found people donating their time and considerable efforts to a range of worthy causes.
From the enormous army of volunteers it takes to keep the Christmas Bureau running on all cylinders, to the individuals who have been outside on some pretty cold days and evenings, ringing a bell for the Salvation Army.
From the local accountant who dresses up in Victorian-era garb and collects from area businesses on behalf of the less fortunate, to a group of young men who produced a Christmas album and then donated all the proceeds from its sales to the food bank.
And thank you to everyone who contributed to their efforts — whether through the donation of cash or gifts.
Without you, none of it could happen.
Then there are the owners and staff at the Langley City Dairy Queen who once again put on a community holiday dinner, at no charge.
And we can’t forget the folks at St. Joseph’s Catholic church who, once again tomorrow, will be foregoing Christmas Day celebrations with their own families to serve a hearty turkey dinner with all the trimmings to anyone who would otherwise spend the holiday alone or with an empty stomach.
We say ‘we can’t forget’ but we no doubt have. The sheer number of people out doing for others in this community is mind boggling.
And as we settle in now to spend time with our own families we’ll think about the folks who don’t get a day of rest, because we need them to be looking out for us 365 days of the year.
For those of you who have spent time volunteering with the host of local charities, our wish for you is that you have a joyous holiday, surrounded by loved ones and warmed by the knowledge that, thanks to your efforts, someone out there is having a very Merry Christmas, indeed.