Growing up Catholic, I experienced Midnight Mass many times on Christmas Eve. 

It was usually something of a challenge for me, because I’ve always been horrible about staying up late, for one, and all throughout my childhood I woke up far too early every Christmas morning. It could make for a just about sleepless night, so I developed a plan.

Our family tradition was to open one present Christmas Eve and the rest Christmas Day. So, I tried to ensure through careful jiggling of boxes and weight and size guesses to find a present, such as a good book, that would get me through a potentially sleepless night. 

In my youth, presents were far too often the main focus of the Christmas season. 

Since then I have thankfully discovered the Christmas season is about so much more than gifts. If you’re a fellow Christian, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, first and foremost. 

While shopping, for me, is generally a four letter word, I do have a very nice pair of Muck boots from a Black Friday sale years ago, so I can’t say I’m quite as anti-Christmas-commercialization as I may like to think I am. 

But suffice it to say, I lean more heavily into the religious, family and food aspects of the holiday these days. 

Still, the joy of presents under the tree is one my wife and I — with an overabundance of support from family — still make sure our children get to enjoy. 

It’s great to see organizations in the area that are making sure children from families less fortunate can also have that same excitement, and families can have that classic Christmas feast.

The Christmas Basket program, with a long tradition in town, aims to provide families in need with all the food and other supplies for a memorable Christmas experience. Qualifying families receive a turkey with all the trimmings, as well as some staples like milk. Last year the volunteer group added a disposable roasting pan for cooking convenience. They even provide diapers for families with kids ages 2 and under. 

This year’s deadline for applications for the Christmas Basket program is Tuesday, Dec. 12. Applications are available at numerous locations in Powell, including the Powell Police Department, The Department of Family Services (in the Park County Annex), Loaves and Fishes, The Northwest Trading Post, and area schools and churches.

The Christmas Basket and Toys for Tots distribution will be Friday, Dec. 22 from 10 a.m.-noon at Northwest College’s Cabre Gym. 

Toys for Tots collection boxes were expected to be delivered Friday to Powell-area and Big Horn Basin businesses and organizations.

The Christmas season should not be primarily about things, but as a community we can show our support of others, maybe reduce the stress of parents struggling to put toys under the tree, or families struggling to provide a nice meal with rising food costs. 

My conviction that Christmas shopping is torture faded when I started covering the annual Toys for Tots event, where officers from Cody, Powell, the sheriff’s office and Big Horn County departments take youths whose families don’t have the disposable income and, with donations from area businesses and organizations, take them on a Walmart shopping spree. 

You can find pure joy when a little girl picks out the Lego she’s always wanted, and renew faith in the next generation and see the spirit of the season when a teenage boy starts his trip by buying something for his sister, then his mother and father, before thinking of himself.