When I was in high school, I was in a one-act play that reached the state finals. Our last competition started at 9:00 p.m. on Friday evening. As a Sabbath-keeper, I wasn’t able to participate. “Can’t you miss church once?” one girl from our cast asked me, casually adding, “God would understand.”

A trade war is underway between China and Australia, due in part to Australia’s inquiries into the origins of the coronavirus (AlJazeera, November 27, 2020). In November, China slapped a 200 percent tariff on Australian wine imports.

Twenty-seven leaders of the world’s biggest businesses recently announced a partnership with the pope (NBC News, December 8, 2020).

As winter winds begin blowing, crowds of people, undaunted by the global pandemic, head to the evergreen lots. The sights, sounds, and smells of the cherished season bring people out in droves. While artificial trees have become popular, the evergreen tree is by far the most popular symbol of the season. Various customs, such as selecting the tree, setting it up and decorating it, and placing gifts and special treats under its boughs, are all part of the annual tradition that occurs on December 25—the winter solstice.

In many nations around the globe, COVID-19 restrictions are crippling economies and forcing many into joblessness. In the Philippines, the rates of hunger are unprecedented, and food charities are struggling to keep up (AFP, December 9, 2020). A director of one food charity observed, “If you go out there everybody will tell you that they’re more afraid of dying from hunger than dying from COVID. They don’t care about COVID anymore.”