Words of Christmas past

[DeepModem Mom]

L.A. Times editorial: Words of Christmas past
Faith, hope and sacrificial love for one another have echoed in seasonal editorials throughout the decades.
December 25, 2008

Christmas arrives this year at a joyless time for many Californians. The state's unemployment rate is the highest it’s been in 14 years. Families continue to lose their homes at an alarming rate, with defaults rising again despite government efforts to slow the pace. And steep losses in the stock market have diminished the 401(k) plans of many older residents, delaying their retirements or forcing them to make do with much less.

A glimpse at editorials from Christmases past, however, reminds us that we've been through worse times -- the Great Depression, the buildup to World War II, the protracted stagflation of the 1970s...We look for those qualities again to bring light and promise to all.

1932

What is the song the herald angels are singing to us today? Are they still calling us to rejoice as we rejoiced before this calamity overtook us?...

***

1939

... In this dark year of 1939, we need all the cheerfulness we can summon to combat the sadness and sorrow forced by a cruel war on half the world. We must do all we can to prove that we have not lost faith in the promise of the angels. We cannot do so by succumbing to gloom....

***

1974

Christmas has always drawn attention to the inequality of life....

***

1991

....Hard times are the very times when even a small contribution can be crucial to those in need....The pain isn't seasonal; thus the giving should be year-round. Most economic forecasts for 1992 are chilly indeed. Those who are not in great need simply must help those who are. It is a moral imperative for all of us.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-ed-hardtimes25-2008dec25,0,4823456,full.story