There’s no one holiday season.

We’re all familiar with the Hallmark version: Glorious lights and garlands festooning the house, kitchens bursting with cranberry sauce and turkey, big extended families burying the hatchet at joyous dinner tables and St. Nick flying overhead, lobbing presents down chimneys like a basketball player.

The holidays can also be a fraught time — when the weather puts us at risk, painful political or familial arguments resurface, viruses swap around huddled friends, and work obligations war with our need to reconnect with loved ones. (Granted, many of these are part of Hallmark Original Movie plots, too, but they always end happily, unlike in real life.)

Even the most saccharine story must grapple with these realities to feel real. And maybe that’s why we need the holidays this time of year — when the skies are gray, the nights are long and the days are wet and cold.

While we take comfort in the warmth of our homes, spare a thought for those who won’t get their own Hallmark holiday season this year.

Spare a thought for those who are lonely, sick, impoverished, or scared of what the New Year will bring.

Keep in mind that our holiday traditions can grow or change — and we can find ways to celebrate that are more inclusive to different faith traditions and Indigenous cultures.

Remember that grief is ever-present and closing in for many during the holidays.

This time of year is a great time to volunteer our efforts, whether at organizations like the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness, the Vashon Food Bank, or The DOVE Project. What greater gift to a child than learning the value of caring for others? What greater gift for an adult than the knowledge that you’ve helped make someone’s season a little merrier?

This season, in the aftermath of another rocky election cycle, is a perfect time to reconnect with our community and discover something about yourself along the way.

From all of us at The Beachcomber, have a happy and health holiday season.