If you live in South Florida, we hope you found these gifts under the Christmas tree | Editorial
We hate to say it, but this is a rather emotionally conflicted Christmas Day, isn’t it? COVID-19, of course. “Merry and bright” and “Fa-la-la-la-la” just aren’t cutting it. (Of course, those sleigh bells were always out of context in South Florida.)
As we close out this deadly year, we know that South Floridians are making the best of it. If there’s one thing we have learned from this crisis it is the resilience of the human spirit — throughout the pandemic, in the face of social injustice and amid political warfare.
There is a bounty of examples.
After a year like we’ve had, we could easily justify a lament over what — and, especially, whom — we have lost. But, in the spirit of Christmas, we are also grateful and hope that better things await friends and neighbors under the Christmas tree:
▪ To those who have lost a loved one to the pandemic, we hope today you find a measure of peace and enough comfort to stifle the “what ifs” and to help your heart heal.
▪ For the front-line medical workers, who have endured the repeated horrifying peaks of the coronavirus and battled it like gladiators, holding back death at local hospitals, we wish them all the personal protective equipment in the world. But more than that, we wish them a soon-to-be vaccinated world where they will not even need PPE to protect themselves and their families. Oh — and we also wish each and every one of these heroes a fabulous vacation.
▪ For Gov. Ron DeSantis, we hope he finds a heart — his heart. We know it’s in there, somewhere . . .
▪ For local mayors, from Miami-Dade, Miami, Miami Beach and Hialeah, we wish them keys to the handcuffs DeSantis has cruelly put them in, as he refuses to allow them to fight the spread of the virus in ways that are appropriate for their constituents’ needs.
▪ For our newly elected congressional members, city, county and state officials, we hope you find a box brimming with common sense and a reminder to always have at heart the best interests of those who elected you.
▪ For Black South Floridians who have been mistreated by law enforcement, we wish you a community where true justice reigns and in which those who mete out brutality awaken to their own humanity and reform.
▪ For the Miami-Dade school district, Miami Dade College and our universities, along with the thousands of students, parents and educators trapped in a Zoom world, we hope you find a beautifully wrapped box of patience, gold stars — and eventual release.
▪ For those left jobless in the tourism and restaurant industry, and every other industry, we wish you a stimulus check — and a president and congressional lawmakers who stop playing fast and loose with your very lives.
And finally, the Editorial Board wishes a mask under the tree for everyone — and the good sense to wear it. For those who refuse, we hope they find a lump of compassion in their Christmas stockings.
This story was originally published December 25, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
