So I don’t bury the lead, on behalf of the WMNF staff, I wish you all a joyous holiday season. Truth be told, though, this is the time of year that feels so “in between” for me. Sure, it is “the holiday season.” Growing up in New York City, this was the time of year that decorations went up, windows were dressed, lots more music on the street, and folks even seemed a bit nicer to one another. However, the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year is always a bit wonky to me in part because so many holidays do not share the same date.
This is also the time of year that we get to hear on air from the many people who do not have regular shows as our beloved programmers may take time off or spend it out of town. Even I get to spin a record or two during this time. This in between time is certainly a bit wonky.
Anthropologists have suggested that all the holidays at this time of year say something about the human recognition that the days are approaching their extreme. Shorter, darker, colder days in this hemisphere and the opposite below the equator. Christmas, Diwali, Chanukah, Kwanza, and solstice parties celebrate the return of the light to our lives. And light is the spark within us, the joy we see outside of us, and the promise of a lasting peace we can create together. We hope that with each song played and voice heard on WMNF, that we are creating a call to activate the station’s mission. Even when the days seem dark and dreary, there will be another holiday, or reminder that the light is coming back.
At WMNF we do our best to acknowledge all the days between Thanksgiving and New Years. I’m not sure I could get through the darkness without constant reminders that the light will return.
Again, wishing you and yours a very joyous holiday season, how ever you may mark the time.
Regards,
Randi M. Zimmerman
General Manager, WMNF 88.5FM
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