Right now we're in the middle of a whirlwind of consumption, which is okay as long as we're being conscientious consumers.
But as I'm sitting here with my little heater, making fair wages, cloaked in the safe armour of health insurance, far enough from large bodies of water that I don't fear hurricanes, I feel happy, satisfied, and joyous about winter and all that it means.
At the same time, my heart aches for the losses of the year and tragedies presented in too-close-for-comfort proximity. The untimely deaths of friends and acquaintances, the wildfires of California, the worry of safety for those I've grown to know through the internet.
I think it is a wonderful time of year to remember to show love, to thank friends, to generally embrace the world, and if that is through the gift of a tangible object, hooray!

But let's not forget the displaced people the world over, the ones who lost their substandard housing and want it back. . .because substandard housing is better than no housing at all.
The ones whose homes will be leveled and lost, as it is converted to multi-income level housing.
The ones who are silenced, arrested, locked out of government meetings because their voice won't be heard.