Week in Review: The holidays and freedom

Andy Matthews

Every week, NPRI President Andy Matthews writes a column for NPRI's week-in-review email. If you are not getting our emails, which contain our latest commentaries and news stories, you can sign up here to receive them.


Everyone has his or her favorite aspect of the holiday season. And there are certainly a lot of things to appreciate — there’s the great food, the gift-giving, the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and, of course, the celebration of faith.

Each of those is special to me, but there’s something else about this time of year that has always made me feel grateful. It’s easy to forget sometimes that in many parts of the world, people aren’t free to observe their holidays the way you and I are. The freedoms to associate with whom we choose, and to practice our faith as we want — we often take these things for granted here in America, even as so many on this planet go without those rights.

So I hope you’ll join me this year in taking some time to reflect on those freedoms — and to appreciate the opportunity to live in a country that, while not without its problems, is rooted in the idea that those freedoms are inherent to humanity.

We can each celebrate this holiday season however we wish, based on whatever it means to us. For me, that means celebrating Christmas with my parents, who are flying out here to Las Vegas from Massachusetts, and my brother, who’ll be joining us from San Diego.

Whatever your plans for the holidays, I want to wish you happiness, peace — and a much-deserved break from the anxiety and drama of the political world.

From all of us at NPRI, Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Until next time,

Andy Matthews
NPRI President


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