Alderperson Kyle Lobner gave the invocation at the 12/02/2020 Common Council meeting. He used that as an opportunity to address celebrating the holidays during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Thank you, Chair. This week we celebrated one of many holiday traditions in my house: the first viewing of Doctor Seuss’s ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’. As has often been the case this year, current events caused me to see something I’ve seen dozens of times before in a new light.
“Not unlike the rest of us, the residents of Whoville experience a Christmas that can certainly be described as different, but ‘different’ can mean two different things. The residents of Whoville could have let the Grinch ruin their holiday, they could have fixated on the disappointment of what they lost, and spent the day mourning and moping. Of course, that’s not what they did. They celebrated what they had because their holiday was about more than what they were missing. As Doctor Seuss said, ‘Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.’
“Certainly we’re always going to remember that 2020 was different, but it’s up to us to decide what that means. We could remember 2020 for what we lost–the events, the in-person gatherings, some traditions that can’t happen during a pandemic. Or we can remember 2020 as the year we adapted–the year we found new ways to support local businesses, the year we went the extra mile to keep each other safe, and the year we found new ways to share the joy of the season with those who are dear to us. We might even start some new traditions that will stick with us for years to come.
“This holiday season, I hope we’ll all choose the latter–to find ways to safely spread joy instead of sadness. After all, as Doctor Seuss would say, the season means a little bit more.”
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