It’s time to be Merry & Bright

I am a sucker for tradition. And that is especially true around the holidays.

Blame my mother. Why not? I blame her for most everything else. Mom had a certain way of doing things. There was her way – and everyone else’s way. You can guess which way the Heron house usually went.

She was scrupulous in her observance of the holidays, from her disdain for those who dated to put up their decorations before Thanksgiving, to her strict adherence to only using clear lights in the windows of the old homestead, to the fact that the Christmas tree did not go up until her kids were safely tucked into bed Christmas Eve. I’m not sure dad was all that big a fan. Especially once we got old enough to attend Midnight Mass, or in the boy’s case to serve the Mass.

That’s another tradition that seems to have gone by the boards. Midnight Mass used to actually be at midnight. Not the somewhat tepid mid-afternoon rites we now observe.

Every home, every neighborhood, every community has its holiday traditions.

We celebrated the first last week. There is just something about Thanksgiving in Delaware County that screams high school football. At least it used to. For a lot of reasons, those games are becoming increasingly rare these days. The poobahs that run high school sports in Pennsylvania, the PIAA, and their insistence on high school playoffs, means that many of those oldschool rivalry games have gone by the boards. Many, but not all. On our Wednesday front page, we advanced the rivalry that involves Ridley vs. Interboro. The train tracks is all that divides these two fiercely loyal camps.

On the other end of the county, we noted the efforts of two coaches – Haverford’s Joe Gallagher and Upper Darby’s Rich Gentile – to keep their schools’ long history intact.

And we also noted the 50th Thanksgiving Day clash between Sun Valley and Chichester High.

And so it’s started, that most wonderful time of the year, that mad, 40-day dash to Christmas and New Year’s.

For a lot of reasons, the past year – in particular last holiday season – was a bit of a challenge in our household. I struggled, as I usually do, to get into the Christmas spirit.

Luckily, I have an antidote to these decidedly “down” holiday feelings. I have my own Christmas elf. Her name is Rachel. She is my lawyer-daughter. I know of no one who embraces the holiday spirit quite like this girl.

In a recent exchange of emails, she again encouraged me to indulge in the spirit of the season. We actually have a word for it. We call it getting ‘imbued.’ She shared something that has stuck with me, and has become my mission this holiday season. Knowing my affinity for “White Christmas,” one of my favorite holiday films, she seized on a line from the song, suggesting I try to make each day “merry and bright.” How good is that? Here at the Daily Times, we also like to share in this holiday spirit. After all, we deliver enough bad news every day. I leap at the chance to balance the scales a bit.

That’s why once again this year we’d like to share some of that holiday spirit with our readers.

To that end, we once again will be rolling out one of our holiday favorites - Homes for the Holidays - in our Two photo spot.

And we’d like you, our readers, to once again get involved.

If you spend hours on your holiday decorations and would like to see them featured in the paper, send us some photos and we’ll share the spirit. Every day between now and New Year’s we will feature a Delaware County home festooned in its holiday finest on Page Two.

If you want to get involved, email your photos to editor@ delcotimes.com. There are a few ground rules. One - and most important there are no guarantees.

We will run one photo each day through Monday, Jan. 1. A quick use of our questionable math skills tells us that we likely will not be able to get every house in the county into the paper.

What we will try to do is at least cover every section of the county.

We also once again this year are proud to partner with the Salvation Army in Chester with the Merry Christmas Fund. This feature Page marks the 46th holiday season we’ve joined with the corps on this very important holiday fundraiser.

“The Merry Christmas Fund is huge to help with toys and food for the holiday season,” said Maj. Ervin McKoy of the Chester Salvation Army. The Merry Christmas Fund has been integral in helping the Salvation Army’s crucial work in helping between 200 and 300 families.

The funds raised during the Christmas season benefit both the city of Chester and the whole of Delaware County.

“It’s not just Chester. We get a lot of people in our shelter and people who come here for our services from all over,” said McKoy. Besides funding the services at the Chester Corps, a portion of the Merry Christmas Fund goes towards the Salvation Army’s eastern Delaware County site, the Darby Corps.

Here’s what to do if you want to help.

Monetary donations via check or money order should be made payable and mailed to Chester Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1032, Brookhaven, PA 19015. Please do not mail donations to the Daily Times.

As we have done each year for the past 46 years, we will once again run a list of all those who contribute to the fund, along with a short note.

Donations of toys, food and clothing also can be dropped off at the Salvation Army Headquarters at 151 W. 15th St., Chester. For information on donation drop-offs or Kettle Worker openings, call the Chester Corps at 610-874-4266.

‘Tis the season for Homes for the Holidays and the Merry Christmas Fund.

I think my mother would approve. I know my daughter does. Merry & Bright. What a concept.