Holiday 2015 Edition – “To All a Good Night!”

The Holiday 2015 Edition: To All A Good Night! is now available online & print.

“It’s not fair.”

How many times have you heard or uttered this phrase?

Log into social media at practically any time of the day and you’ll find a dozen instances of the harsh reality that life isn’t fair. The last month has been particularly momentous and, too often, those momentous occasions have been marked by tragedy. So much sadness and outright ugliness has invaded my Facebook feed that, some days, I actually find myself at a loss for words to combat it.

“Life just isn’t fair,” I think, and reconcile myself to the fact there’s really not much I can do about the poisoned well except refuse to drink from it.

So, I pause before I share that political meme or repost that obviously biased news article. I think twice before I comment on someone’s status update, always asking myself: Is it worth it? Does it matter? What’s the point in alienating friends, family and members of my community simply because I want to have an opinion?

“Life just isn’t fair,” I repeat, and continue scrolling. It’s just easier that way.

Easier, except for the fact that it’s dead wrong. Wrong, because you can’t make a right with two wrongs. Indifference to the knowledge the playing field isn’t level is part of the problem and I, along with every other person who adapts that attitude, am the reason life will continue to be unfair for so many people.

Realizing this, I’ve begun a conscious journey of trying to discover ways I can help make life a little better for others, both in my community and on a more global level. That journey is reflected in the pages of this edition, and it’s a well-worn path to follow, trod by so many others before me.

One major change I’ve made was a fairly quick fix, not to mention an innocuous way for me to make a statement. I’ve started voting with my dollar, and refusing to support companies and organization whose business practices I find reprehensible. Speaking of dollars, I’m also trying to spend mine locally when possible. Sure, I’m just one person, but I believe I can make a difference, even if it’s just by leading by example.

We talked to so many great people for the edition it’s impossible to name them all here. A quick glance at the table of contents reveals no shortage of people trying to restore a sense of fairness to their communities, people seeking to assure everyone has an equal opportunity to experience the “good night” wished for all by Dicken’s Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol.

“To all a good night,” he exclaims, expressing a sentiment we at Pennsylvania Bridges wish to share with our readers this holiday season. Merry Christmas, and happiest of New Year’s to you and yours.

Until next time,

Carla E. Anderton

Shortly after the fall edition was released, I had the honor of being invited to speak to the Publishing the Magazine class at my undergraduate alma mater, California University of Pennsylvania. I spoke briefly on my experiences in the magazine business but most of my talk centered on my passion for the industry. I recalled how during my teens, when most girls were spending their leisure time painting their nails and dreaming of Mr. Right, you’d find me camped out in the family room with a pile of glossy magazines, poring over every word of every article, analyzing every photograph and illustration for meaning.

Fast forward a little over 20 years and I still spend my “free time” devouring magazines. I’m the person who’ll volunteer to accompany a friend to the doctor just so I can hang out in the waiting room and check out what publications the office subscribes to. It was during one of these excursions that I first encountered O, The Oprah Winfrey Magazine.

I know, I know, Oprah’s been a household name for longer than some of our readers have been alive, but this was my first exposure to the publication that bears her name. To say I was impressed would be to downplay my appreciation of this beautifully designed, masterfully edited magazine. I read it cover to cover twice, once to simply absorb it and the second time to take detailed notes on what aspects of it I wanted to emulate here in the pages of Pennsylvania Bridges.

Now, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I didn’t decide in that moment to give all our dear readers a new car. Still, two things struck me that I’ve tried to incorporate in this edition. First is what you’re reading now, the first installment in what I hope to make a regular feature, a piece on something I’m looking forward to. Second is a list stuff we recommend, curated lists of products and services suggested by our readers, our writers and our editors. Want to get in on the fun? Send me an email at carla@pabridges.com.

So, what is it exactly I’m looking forward to as we approach the holiday season? To answer that question, we must travel back in time to the year of my birth, 1977. My arrival into this world was a mere blip in the cosmos compared to the explosion into the universe the same year that was Star Wars: A New Hope.

The first film in the beloved Star Wars series, A New Hope was released in theaters on May 25, 1977. Dubbed an epic space opera, A New Hope was the highest grossing film of all time until the release of E.T., The Extra Terrestrial in 1982.

I didn’t get to see A New Hope in theaters for obvious reasons; I was only a little over three months old. However, my first trip to the movies was to see the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. The effects were immediate. Han Solo will always be my first love, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was something about a guy – Darth Vadar – who can blow up entire planets on command that, well, speaks to me on some level. While I’d like to think I’ve spent my life using the “force” for good, there’s been times the dark side of the force has seemed equally appealing.

Call me a nerd. You won’t be the first. I’m so much of a geek I bought some Star Wars toys for my four-year-old godson and – if he behaves – I’ll let him come over to my house and play with them. I’m currently trying to bribe my husband into buying me the 31-inch Darth Vadar figure for Christmas. (Hint, hint, Eric. I’ve got the perfect spot in my office picked out.)

All kidding aside, for me the Star Wars story is about more than good spacemen versus bad space guys. It’s about the triumph of good over evil, a theme that has resonated throughout history. So, this holiday season, the thing I’m excited about is the arrival in theaters on December 18 of the seventh film in the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens. I’m not much of a crowd person so I’ll skip opening night, but come December 19 or 20, you’ll definitely find me firmly planted in a movie theater seat, popcorn in hand, with a wad of hankies for the inevitable flood of happy tears I’ll shed when – after more than 30 years – I’ll get to see Han Solo swagger on to the screen.

Merry Christmas, and May the Force be with you!
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Written by Carla E. Anderton for Pennsylvania Bridges