Skip to content

OUR VIEW: the season of good will

There has been plenty of debate over the years about when it’s appropriate for Christmas music to start playing prior to December.

There has been plenty of debate over the years about when it’s appropriate for Christmas music to start playing prior to December.

For some, it can’t come soon enough. For others, the only time carols should be heard is on December 25.

It’s a debate that has raged on for years, with regular folks assailed every year by retailers who hope to capitalize on what has become, essentially, a gift-giving season.

There is an upside to earlier and earlier Christmas music that might be considered — the potential effect it has in reminding people to be charitable.

The holidays is the largest period of giving during the year. There may be donations made at other times of the year that dwarf a single, individual contribution, but it seems like from mid-November to early December, more people make donations on a much larger scale than at any other time.

Local food banks and fundraising campaigns benefit from this and look upon holiday music with a little balance. The more people are in the giving spirit, the better their chances to meet their goals and help others in their community.

In that spirit, we urge readers to set aside their qualms about Christmas music and how they can sometimes set off those stress responses. Think, instead, about what the season means to you — and what it means to others.

This is the time when food banks receive the most donations, which help keep their shelves stocked for weeks afterwards. This is also when people’s generosity is tapped to help their community in efforts like the News Review’s Coins For Kids campaign and the Saanich Peninsula Toys For Tots effort. All good causes, whose hearts are in the right place.

And that’s the overriding message that Christmas music is supposed to evoke: the season of one’s good will towards their fellow man, woman and child.