With the winter break approaching, we’re increasingly busy with shopping and festive events.

It has me thinking about what we value at this time of year. In our personal lives, we recognize that sometimes when we make a purchase we don’t always get the great ‘deal’ we thought we did - or we make impulse purchases that we later question.

For 38 years, the financial company PNC has been calculating the “Christmas Price Index” by costing out the song “The 12 Days of Christmas.”  In 2021, if you were going to give your true love the 364 items in the song, it would cost you $179,454.19!

This year more than any other, we are reminded that “true love” is both priceless – and free.

After the past 22 months, we can appreciate like never before that the true value of the festive season is found not in objects, but rather in our relationships with friends, family and colleagues. It’s found in time spent reflecting on the meaning of faith in our lives and in gratitude for the blessings in our lives.

So, I wish you the greetings of the season. Whether you’ve recently observed Diwali, the Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Chanukah or Bodhi Day. Whether you’re looking forward to celebrating Yule, Christmas, Zarathustra-no-Diso, Kwanza, Gantan-sai, the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, Lohri or Makar Sankranti.

Happy holidays!

Lynn