As December winds down, residents are hustling and bustling about to finish getting ready for Christmas and the holiday season. The busy days of Christmas are sometimes one big hectic rush, to parties, concerts, shopping, church services, family dinners, and so on.

It's sometimes hard to slow down and take time to reflect on where the year has gone, and on the important things of life that Christmas time can address: family, friends, peace and understanding amongst neighbours and between nations.

This year is unlike other recent years in many respects, as it was marred on Sept. 11 by a terrorist attack that inflicted unimaginable horror upon thousands of people in New York and Washington, D.C.

Even now, over three months after that horrifying morning when the images of airliners crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center filled our media, it still has an effect on much of the news of today, particularly as American and British forces attack the country of Afghanistan, said to be the stronghold of the attack's mastermind, Osama bin Laden and the al Queda terrorist group.

Canadian soldiers have begun taking part in this action as well, which means as Christmas time approaches there are many American, British and Canadian soldiers who will be in a foreign land suffering from extreme poverty and devastation as their loved ones are at home enjoying the holidays.

At the same time, as Christmas Day approaches, we have been hearing many disturbing reports from Israel of the heightened acts of terror there, including in the town of Bethlehem where the first Christmas morning dawned some 2,000 years ago.

The efforts to broker a peace deal in the Middle East has been going on for many, many years, sometimes with what appear to be brief moments of success but never anything that lasts for any length of time. With the escalation of suicide bombing in recent weeks, more pressure has been brought to bear on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to have more control over the more extreme Palestinian factions - but the truth is, until the Palestinians are able to have more governmental control over land of their own, there will be no peace with the Israelis.

In Weyburn, the disagreements between the South Central Health District and the neighbouring residents of Elgin Street have been boiling for the last few weeks; while both sides seem fairly rock-steady in their views, health district CEO Lee Spencer has indicated he wants to sit down with all concerned parties in January and talk all issues out - a way to a peaceful agreement may be possible, if people go to this meeting with an open mind.

Truly the message that rang out over the Judean hills so many years ago of "peace on earth and good will towards all people" has never been more relevant or as needed as today.

As we pause to sing in the candlelight on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and enjoy some time of giving and peace with family and friends, let us strive to make a reality the words of that old song, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me." - G.N.