Try to define the Christmas spirit and it doesnB次元官网网址檛 take long to realize itB次元官网网址檚 no easy task.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a huge question and one with so many facets that it is nearly impossible to come up with a single definition,B次元官网网址� said Bonnie Leadbeater, professor of psychology at the University of Victoria.

B次元官网网址淭here is the religious aspect, of course, with the Christian tradition of God giving his child to the world. ItB次元官网网址檚 a theme of giving and altruism and itB次元官网网址檚 carried through even for those who are not followers of any religion.B次元官网网址�

Other elements of the season combine to create a common community spirit, Leadbeater said.

B次元官网网址淓ven for the non-religious, there is a sacredness. Christmas lights drive out the darkness, not just from the night, but from the soul. We feel one with the lights, the music and the community,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淚ts a time of reflection as well as we hang those old ornaments on the tree and recall our common experiences and those we miss from the past. It connects us from one generation to the next.B次元官网网址�

Rick Eby, lead pastor at the Sooke Baptist Church, acknowledged Canada has become an increasingly secular nation but said that the story of the Christ child and the themes of sacrifice and redemption contained within that story still resonate with people.

While he ascribed his Christmas spirit to his faith, he said that Christmas provides the secular population with the chance to renew their faith in the goodness of the world.

B次元官网网址淧eople have to believe that,B次元官网网址� he said.

For Sooke councillor Al Beddows, Christmas is about all those things, but mostly, itB次元官网网址檚 about the children.

B次元官网网址淐hildren are all good. The other day I went to watch my grandchildren at their school Christmas concert and it brought a tear to my eye,B次元官网网址� said Beddows. B次元官网网址淭hey are innocent and good, and watching them on stage, it made my heart glow.B次元官网网址�

Beddows, an active community volunteer, added the glow he felt is undoubtedly shared throughout the community.

B次元官网网址淚n Sooke, we feel the spirit of Christmas all year long,B次元官网网址� said Kim Metzger, the president of the Sooke Food Bank.

B次元官网网址淏ut at Christmas, itB次元官网网址檚 a time when people stop and reflect. We take stock of our lives and we think, B次元官网网址榃hat can I do to help others?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

She went on to recount how the service groups, schools and others in Sooke band together to spread the spirit to others.

B次元官网网址淲e have one family who annually donates to make sure every child, no matter what their situation, gets a toy. A few years ago they donated bikes. Last year it was 100 Lego sets and this year theyB次元官网网址檝e donated 100 art sets. They do it because no child should be left out at Christmas. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the Christmas spirit.B次元官网网址�

The Christmas spirit has certainly touched Kristy DarlingB次元官网网址檚 life.

Darling is a single mother of three who found herself facing an uncertain future in Sooke.

B次元官网网址淢y marriage ended and I was left alone and didnB次元官网网址檛 know anybody. But the people at the food bank took me aside and told me they had my back. Christmas can be a tough time when you donB次元官网网址檛 have much but I know that weB次元官网网址檙e going to be OK. TheyB次元官网网址檝e helped me out with advent calendars and decorations, and I just got a gingerbread house and a cookie set. My heart is so full with the help and support IB次元官网网址檝e been given,B次元官网网址� said Darling.

She added that her children donB次元官网网址檛 entirely understand the situation, but they have learned about the Christmas spirit.

B次元官网网址淢y oldest is in Grade 3 and she got together some of her old toys and put them together to take to school and donate to other children. Understand that my kids get only one big gift and stocking stuffers, but they donB次元官网网址檛 want anyone else not to have a gift either. Maybe thatB次元官网网址檚 what living in a community like Sooke does for you B次元官网网址� it makes you think of others.B次元官网网址�

So, though defining the Christmas spirit may be a daunting task, in Sooke at least, thereB次元官网网址檚 no denying its existence. That spirit is there as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist in the world.

Perhaps it was best summed up by Dr. Suess when, in his own classic Christmas story, he wrote, B次元官网网址淢aybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesnB次元官网网址檛 come from a store.B次元官网网址�

mailto:tim.collins@sookenewsmirror.com
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