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For many people, amongst our readership, 2021 has been a year that will not soon be forgotten. It was, for long time, the year that promised an end to Covid 19, yet failed, in the end, to deliver. It was also a year of major changes: A new American President took office. The war in Afghanistan ended, or, perhaps more accurately, was finally lost. In the short period where Covid did not dominate the news, Climate Change filled the void. And yet, through it all, life continued.
Children were born. Couples got married. Loved ones died. People got new jobs. Or met new people. In a million different ways, people started new lives, or new phases of their lives, this year. The chances are that the things you will remember from 2021 were not about the news, but about the important things that happened in your own life. Maybe it was the year you did the leaving cert, or started a new job, or asked the person you love to marry you, or held a grandparent’s hand, as they slipped away.
The news is, at the end of the day, nothing more than the mood music of normal life. The things we report on here at Gript are important, and they matter: But we should never make the mistake of thinking that they matter more than the things which will endure long beyond the lifespan of any single story.
That, perhaps, is the single biggest explanation of the enduring popularity of Christmas. It is the one time of year when everybody, at once, is encouraged to think about, and celebrate, the things that really matter to them. We stop working. We stop, by and large, reading or writing about the news. We simply enjoy the company of the people we love. In some cases, we even endure the company of the people we love, because we love them.
There have been, according to tradition, 2,020 Christmasses before this one. Though times have changed immeasurably, the joy of the season remains undimmed. Christmas was as important in 1021AD as it is in 2021AD. Across that thousand years, the celebration of Christmas is something that we share, in common, with those who have gone before us, and those who will come after us.
At Gript, we’re giving everybody the week off. The news might continue, but there are things more important than the news, and one of those things is giving people time to spend on what actually matters. For the next week, you’ll be treated to a selection of our best stories of the year.
And, in the new year, the news will continue, as it always does.
On behalf of all of us, at Gript, we want to say thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your readership this year. We want to thank those of you who support us financially. And those of you who write in to provide feedback, and criticism.
Tomorrow, and in the week ahead, though, take a break from the news. It matters, but there are so many things that matter so much more.
We wish all of you, friend, and foe, a very happy, and peaceful Christmas. And we’ll see you again soon, for what we all hope will be a better 2022 for our country, and the world.
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