Current Issue

Finding The Light In The Darkness

The sun slips below the horizon so early this time of year that many of us commute home in the dark. It is hard to remember in this season that the days will, in fact, lengthen once more and before we are ready for it, another Cape Cod summer will be upon us. At this time of the year, it is up to us to bring our own light into the world to illuminate the darkened corners. We do this in the literal sense, by arranging colorful strings of twinkling lights up evergreen trees and off the eaves of our homes. We do this in the figurative sense by donating our time and our resources to others so that they, too, may find joy this holiday season.

We can find our own joys and make more for others in this season. The long nights do offer their own glowing views. The low humidity allows for a celestial viewing like no other; the Milky Way spills across the night sky. Historian Edward Rowe Snow took the mantle of flying Santa, swooping in a small plane over lighthouses to drop presents for the keepers’ children. Entertainment abounds as families get together and, of course, there are recipes to be tried and tested by all.

As the year itself comes to a close, we reflect on the whole calendar of months behind us and the possibilities before us as 2026 approaches. The cold and dark will pass and, in the meantime, we can pass the food around the table or spend a cozy evening in front of a roaring fire with loved ones.

John H. Hough