Many people mistakenly assume this Christmas classic has been around for years and that it is of European origin. But it was written in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis as a powerful plea for peace by a man who had experienced the horrors of war.

This is a time of year when the chill of the air is balanced out by the warmth of fond memories and earnest hopes for the future. The joy and promise of Jesus’ birth are shining lights for us to hold on to as the days grow short and the nights long. It should be a happy time. It’s also a time to look back on the past year and make some assessments, both personally and beyond.

Father James Martin, SJ, is a best-selling author of books about Catholic spirituality. In 2016, after a horrific massacre at a gay nightclub, the Pulse nightclub, in Orlando, Florida, he spoke out on the silence about the massacre on the part of Church leaders.

Imagine waking up to no presents on Christmas morning. That, unfortunately, is the reality for most children in impoverished countries like Haiti. For Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, that reality wasn’t acceptable, so he created a program to change it.

“Sleigh bells ring. Are you listening? ”

Nope.

“I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. ”

That’s impractical.

“Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy: ‘Do you hear what I hear?’ ”

Talking lambs?