As Christmas comes in the morning, our thoughts tonight are understandably on the gifts with which we will blessed our loved ones, and will be blessed ourselves.

What gifts are the most important? What gifts center the reason for this Christmas season? What gifts imbue the holidays with their meaning?

“Every Christmas morning, excited children wake up and rush to discover what’s under the tree,” we editorialized five years ago. “The thrill of young ones as they grow to love this annual tradition summons to mind images of a Norman Rockwell painting. Their unabashed nature comes alive, spreading joy amid flying fragments of torn wrapping paper, ribbon and bows. What’s under the tree is not nearly as important as the memories developed over years of celebrating the holiday with family and friends.”

“Sometimes, the greatest gift a person can give is their time,” our 2020 editorial continued. “Surely that one won’t break the bank, yet not giving it can be quite costly in the long run.”

“On this day, Christians celebrate the birth of a savior and the affirmation of a higher power that is supposed to guide our actions and lives,” we editorialized 10 years ago. “Today is a day to acknowledge that belief system should rule the actions that underline the lives we live. And we should pray that all humans find that compass of the soul that seems to be so sadly missing. May you find peace, hope and faith today.”

We hope and pray that families throughout our communities and throughout our world will have the fortune, today and every day, to share time with each other.

We hope and pray that parents and grandparents can share the gift with the young of a greater understanding of how our values and virtues have built a world in which we can appreciate the love and hope for each other, for our communities and for our future.

We believe our Christmases and holidays — and our neighborhoods and our world — would be a brighter place if we better succeeded in keeping these gifts in mind.