December is the darkest month of the calendar, its short days made darker this year by recent events in Colorado Springs and San Bernardino and the ugliness of our national politics.
But in many traditions, December is also a time that celebrates light and faith in the coming year, from the bright candles of a Hanukkah menorah or floodlit Christmas creche, to the myriad lights that decorate the public and private spaces of our town. And throughout the month, on clear, moonless nights, the stars seem to shine with a special brightness, the constellation Cassiopeia and North Star overhead, Orion and Sirius rising in the east.
Soon the days will once again grow longer. But first, it’s time to light our own tree on the Common, newly strung with lights, thanks to generous donations of money and time by dozens of Harvard residents. In spite of—or perhaps because of—our typically vigorous debate over its proper decoration, the annual lighting of the tree will once again take place this Sunday, Dec. 13, with or without squirrels. Think of it as our collective answer to December’s darkness and an expression of faith in our community.
