Season’s Greetings to All!
And a Merry Christmas to the Christians among us!

As we enter the last days before Christmas, the holiday season is in the air, decorating our streets and homes. While the celebration of this time is rooted in a Christian holy day, this season is a reminder not just for Christians. Muslims, for instance, are reminded of Jesus’ miraculous birth in the Qur’an, which tells the story of the annunciation as well as the birth of the baby Jesus in the chapter named after his mother, Mary, or Maryam in Arabic.

This holiday season should lead all of us, whatever our faith tradition (or lack of one), to reflect on the meaning of a holy day – something that characterizes all religions. A holy day, fundamentally, is a way of sanctifying time, and a way of declaring that time as holy. As an Episcopal priest once told us, “It is those who have a special holy day who learn that all days are holy.” The message of a holy day is that every hour, every minute, that we have is holy and blessed – and it’s up to us to live out that blessing. So we at ING want to wish you all, whatever your religion, a holy and blessed time every moment of this season and every moment of the year.

Holiday blessings to you all, and thanks for your support of our work!

– The ING Team