Linus understands what Christmas is all about

Isn’t there anyone, who knows what Christmas is all about? – Charlie Brown (Charles Schulz)

“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about,” his trusted pal Linus Van Pelt answered by reciting from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2, Verses 8-14:

And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, “Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men.

“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” Linus reminded his eternal animated friend.

I suppose that I have watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at least a hundred times. That little message from the blanket-toting Linus always steals the show.

(And, yes, for the record, I have been a “blockhead” a time or two in my life for having brought home the proverbial Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I’ve also been known to carry in a 12-foot pine tree for a living room with a 10-foot ceiling.)

We always managed, though. We always managed to celebrate the Christmas season with family and friends and, on occasion, total strangers. It was nothing unusual for my parents to deliver a meal to someone or invite someone over to our house who had no place to go on Christmas day. Some of their names and faces I can still remember, some I cannot.

But the message was clear. Help others when you can.

Granted, there were times when we could barely help ourselves. We’ve had our share of modest Christmases. So what? We always had our family, our friends and our faith.

Speaking of friends, this is going to be one of those columns in which I end up mad at myself for neglecting to mention someone for his or her contributions that make The Highland County Press the newspaper that it is.

I just hope those people know me well enough to realize that my oversight was not intentional. Some men are sharp as a nail. I’m about as sharp as a spoon. (Thanks, Shane.)

Believe it or not, this is the fifth Christmas since Cameco Communications, LLC purchased The Highland County Press from its founder, Mr. William Latham. Five years. Doesn’t seem possible. To be sure, time flies when you’re having fun. (And we are.)

By the way, for those who may not know, the company name “Cameco” was the brainchild of the materfamilias and chairman of the company’s board of trustees. The name is derived from the first two letters of the materfamilias’ three children’s given names. (The materfamilias and I won’t embarrass those now-adult children by mentioning them by name.)

As a former journeyman printing press operator, I understand that everything we do in newspaper journalism doesn’t mean a whole lot if we do not have good press operators. The folks at The Clermont Sun in Batavia are great press operators. We are eternally grateful for their professionalism. They make us look good and we do appreciate it.

After the newspaper is printed, it takes a number of people to get it to your homes, your businesses, and area stores.

Among those people who make this happen each and every week are: Ruby, Connie, Fred, Bruce, Debbie and Larry, Candace and Frank, Pam and David, Janet and her family, Jarryca and her family, and Colin. Thank you.

Thanks also to Mr. William Latham, Tony Adams, Art Hunter, Frances Pope, René Arrigo, Wayne Gates, Angela Allen and others at both The Clermont Sun and The Brown County Press. Your cooperation and professional courtesy is appreciated.

Closer to home, I must acknowledge our contributing writers. The late Bill Horne was our first columnist. In fact, Bill was a driving force behind our investment. His words of encouragement will never be forgotten. I still miss Bill. Every day.

Bill and I are both graduates of Whiteoak High School.

So is Jerry Pruitt. Jerry’s been fighting the good fight of late against cancer. His many readers ask about him. All of us wish him a full recovery. The sooner, the better. Jerry is a great storyteller and a great friend. (Small world moment: While working as a real estate agent in the 1960s, Jerry showed a house in Fairfax to my parents. They bought it. We loved the place. I live three miles from it today.)

What’s that? Yes, Darke County Engineer Jim Surber is another HCP columnist and graduate of Whiteoak High School. What can I say? Whiteoak has produced at least three capable newspaper columnists – and this guy.

We’re fortunate to have a few other talented writers, too. There’s Mark Faust (Lynchburg-Clay) and Steve Roush (Hillsboro), both of whom I once covered when they excelled in sports at their respective high schools. (Back in the day!)

Former coach and local sports historian Bob Patton has been writing his history of the South Central Ohio League (and other stories) for several years.

There’s my friend Bob Hottle. A nicer man you’re not likely to encounter. There’s Gary Lewis, who has been writing about politics for several years now and seems content to be a lightning rod for online rebuttals.

Christine Tailer is a very popular columnist. And for a lawyer, she’s a very nice person. In fact, every time I read one of her columns, I find myself in envy of her lifestyle.

There are so many others who deserve recognition. Kara Juillerat. Stacie McKee. Chad McConnaughey. Mark Branham. Derek Myers. Helen Hiestand. Nelson Thompson. Jim Thompson, Cindi Pearce. Greg Grant. Donald Terry. Mel Nicholas.

This is where it gets tough. Suffice it to say there are at least two irrefutable facts:

1. Many, many people have contributed to The Highland County Press.

2. I can’t even begin to acknowledge all of them, but I do thank them. I won’t forget, either.

From a purely business perspective, this must be said: Without our loyal readers and advertisers, what we do would not be possible. We take great satisfaction in the fact that nine out of every 10 of our advertisers in 2009 are still with us in 2013. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

We also take great satisfaction that in five years, we have not had a single rate increase on our advertisers. Not one.

We understand the struggles of local businesses in Highland County. After all, we’re one of them.

We’re not affiliated with corporate media in New York or Pennsylvania or North Carolina or Timbuktu. We’re right here. We don’t pass the buck to some “corporate higher-ups.”

That’s not how we operate.

We’re a family business.

And in spite of a few outside forces who might prefer that we go quietly into that good night, we’re not going anywhere.

We’ve been around for a long time and we’re planning to stick around for a long time. Thank you very much.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and thanks for reading. We do appreciate it and we’ll never lose sight of it.

Rory Ryan is the owner and publisher of The Highland County Press.