Like lots of folks, I think Christmas, as the song says, "is the most wonderful time of the year."

When I was a boy, summer was my season, with the Fourth of July as its pinnacle. A rising dislike of hot weather has curbed my enthusiasm for the sweaty season. I still like the Fourth, but I'd just as soon skip the rest of summer.

I only recall one white Christmas in Sallisaw. It happened about 20 years ago, or thereabouts, and the snow didn't amount to much. It was just enough to make the landscape white, and that's what counts. As I recall, we had a little snow on Thanksgiving that year, too.

Snow figured in to one of my best Christmases ever. One year back in the 50s, it snowed a lot a day or two after Christmas. My cousins from Arkansas were here for the Holidays, and the snow topped off an unusually enjoyable season.

This year's Christmas lights around Sequoyah County are among the most beautiful of sights to behold. Sequoyah Countians just keep outdoing themselves.

These are troubling times, and it's important to stop and think about what Christmas and the Holiday Season means.

Trying as things may be, it is not the worst of times for us. As we face our uncertain future, it is important and helpful that we remember the spirit of the season that sustained us in years past and that will sustain us through the crises of the future.

As the old hymn says, "O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come," provides the message we most need right now.

When we all sit down to dinner on Christmas, let's take a moment to remember those not at the table with us - our servicemen and women around the world, and especially those in Afghanistan and Iraq - and others who, for whatever reason, are not able to share the joy of the season with us.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us at Your TIMES.