The true meaning of Christmas

Christmas time is a season of hope and a joy-filled time spent with family and friends. It’s a time to be generous as we take stock of our many blessings as Americans.

It’s a time to trim the tree and take a drive around the neighborhood to see Christmas lights.

It’s a time to sit together around a cozy fireplace. (For some—perhaps it’s a time of last-minute gift shopping.)

Filled stockings hang over the fireplace, and wrapped presents lie under the tree.

In Central Washington in particular, we farmers watch expectantly for plenty of snow to blanket the mountains to keep our water reservoirs f...