A year ago there was an expectation that Christmas 2021 would be more "normal" than Christmas 2020.
And in significant ways it was.
Many here in the U.S., in Ireland, and around the world had been vaccinated against Covid-19. Not a few had availed of booster shots.
Arrayed against such positives, however, was the Omicron Variant, a viral Grinch that pulled hard at the definition of normal; or the idea of simply more normal.
As the final days to Christmas counted down, the numbers of Omicron-infected people was counting up. And up. As it turned out, in many instances, Omicron was not an especially acute variant. That said, it was all too acute for some.
As with Christmas 2020, the Christmas of 2021 would stand out as another season with Covid, far too much of it, in the air and in every sense.
Here we are a year on. It's Christmas 2022 and Covid is still out there, as is the Flu, and also a widespread respiratory infection, Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV, that is especially dangerous to children.
We are still on our guard because we need to be on our guard.
Nevertheless, we can embrace Christmas and all its joys as best we can. And we can hope that a year from now the world will be a little bit more "normal," at least in the context of deadly viruses.
A Happy, Peaceful, and especially Healthy Christmas to all our readers and advertisers, their families and friends. Nollaig Shona Daoibh Go Léir.
