“The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

— Abraham Lincoln, 1860 inaugural address

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It may seem strange to invoke the words of Abraham Lincoln on Christmas Day, but there is something about this time of year that makes us think our area is again touched by the better angels of our nature.

We are touched by our better angels when we see children who undertake food drives or an ice arena director who camps out in the cold. Our better angels touch our heartstrings when we see overflowing boxes and donations for Toys for Tots or the sight of a full Salvation Army Red Kettle heading into a store. We’re tapped on the shoulder by our better angels when we see public servants hosting “Shop with a Cop” events to help provide toys for children who may not have much of a Christmas this year.

There’s a lot in our world that can be divisive and ugly. But for a solid month from just before Thanksgiving until Christmas Day, we see what happens when we listen to the better angels of our nature rather than giving in to other parts of our nature that aren’t as charitable.

As we celebrate the Christmas holiday, we take a moment to thank all those who were touched this year by the better angels of our nature. A veritable army of regular people, doing what they thought was right, has made this day a better one for many of their neighbors.

You efforts are examples of the best angels of our nature.

Merry Christmas.