We have just been through a very different Christmas season - one where joy was overshadowed by apprehension  and concern, where the customary gatherings were either cancelled or so much changed that they were not what we had envisioned.

We still have a great battle before us, to get the COVID 19 pandemic under control and hopefully out of our lives. We each must discipline ourselves to the task before us and make sure we carry it through -- we do not want a 3rd wave -- which could be worse than what we are facing right now.

 So, what have you and your group done to battle this scourge? What have you done to protect yourself and your families, your neighbor’s and your communities? I have heard many stories of members who spend hours and hours at their sewing machines to help provide masks in the numbers they are needed. Some are busy baking to help provide nourishment for those who are homeless, or those whose jobs have vanished and are struggling to feed themselves. Still others are finding vulnerable persons in their communities and assisting them in whatever way is suitable to their needs.

 There are those also, who need cheering up. Perhaps a fairly regular phone call would help them? Or a friendly message in the mail? Make some cookies and share them with seniors or families in your area. One of the problems I feel is not being as fully addressed as it should be is that of people who are becoming emotionally affected by the pandemic. We have to help keep each others spirits up so we don't have a wave of another kind to stem, perhaps a year from now. If you cannot do anything else, have a conversation with your neighbours, physically distanced of course, out in the street. That could help them and you also.

 While we have not been able to mark Christmas in the fashion to which we are accustomed, that does not prevent us from carrying the Christmas spirit into the coming year by finding ways to help others, or to help our own communities. It will take time for the vaccines to arrive, be distributed and to do their work to fight COVID 19 to help free us all from this dreadful problem. And when you do these things in your communities, please, please keep a record of it. I know Women's Institute members are dedicated, community-minded individuals who can turn in and make a BIG difference in their communities.

 We can't all make masks but we can all wear masks.  We can all listen to Dr. Bonnie Henry and other officials who tell us what the dangers are and how to avoid them. And when I say listen, I mean listen and act on their recommendations. This is but another of the situations which we were told about when we were younger: The solution, we were told, is "short-term pain for long-term gain." Life cannot return to normal, or close to normal, until the pandemic is defeated.

 Let's pull together, and work toward a wonderful, happy Christmas 2021, and if some aspects of normalcy returns earlier than Christmas, that will be something more to celebrate! Please remember, I do want to get your story to record in an overview of Women's Institute activities in this period of time.

 Yours  For Home and Country, Ruth Fenner, Provincial Historian, British Columbia Women's Institute