While holidays cheer many, there'€™s darkness as well

As many Valley residents crowded downtown Palmer this weekend to enjoy Colony Christmas events, there were some people not there who dread the arrival of the holidays for any number of reasons.

Loneliness can escalate to despair this time of year when people are estranged from family or simply just far away from them. Alaska can be a lonely place when the sun is absent and the cold sets in. It can cause people to hunker down and forget to participate in life.

Depression can also be more dominate in someone’s life right now.

Thanks to Santa Cops, many elderly get the gift of company for a short time as police, troopers and now firefighters make the rounds to visit seniors and give them small gifts to brighten their day.

But not all seniors get that visit. Many are hard-pressed to get out and become homebound with only a television for company.

If you know someone who needs a visit, this is the time to double your effort. Learn more about the Santa Cop program in Tuesday’s Frontiersman.

Too many of us take for granted what we have, and just a few minutes of our time to see to the comfort of another will make all concerned much happier.

Unfortunately, this time of year also brings out the worst in the worst. Crime seems to escalate as burglars seek money stealing from others.

Drug and alcohol abuse tends to peak these days. That results in traffic accidents, domestic violence or simply loud arguments that leave lasting memories that can spoil future holidays.

Those problems aren’t the norm. But they are obvious concerns that have been noticed for years on end.

The best way to counter the dark side of this time of year is to give.

Hospitals and nursing homes don’t empty because it’s Christmas. People fill beds in those places as carolers make the neighborhood rounds.

Prisons are full of men and women who are making efforts to get their lives back on track while they pay the price for their wrongs.

Soldiers, sailors and airmen serve us through the holidays so we can sit down to a big dinner with all the trimmings.

In short, there are many people who need a moment of kindness or thanks this time of year.

Find someone like that and extend your heart to them.

That’s a gift that will remain long after the carolers have gone silent, and we will all be better for it.