“Peace on earth, goodwill to men” has entered our thoughts many times in the past few months. It might be fading away now as this Christmas of 2023 passes.

This lovely, well-meant phrase makes great decor. It lines up well on wooden plaques, on ornaments dangling from Christmas trees, on banners strung across walls. It looks charming in multiple fonts and is easily adorned with pictures of angels or stars or a baby Jesus or musical notes or trumpets or swishy embellishments.

It’s an impressive phrase when you consider it was delivered not by some eloquent speaker but by herald angels singing in a far-flung field to the ears of humble shepherds watching over their flocks that night. Actually, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men” is not precisely what the angels sang. According to Luke, their words were “on earth peace, good will towards men.” A bit awkward in English, so we tailored it to a simpler statement, one that rolls off our tongues and begins with the lovely Christmas-y word “Peace.”

It’s a comfort phrase that sounds divine when sung, is pleasant to our ears and simple to ponder. And thus far, impossible.

Peace on earth does not exist. There was no peace on earth when Christ was born. In fact, his parents couldn’t return home when it was time to leave Bethlehem. To preserve their newborn’s life, they fled to Egypt while King Herod killed babies to try to rid his world of what seemed to be a strange but real threat to him. Meanwhile, Jerusalem chafed under Roman rule and, around the world, wars and rumors of wars reigned.

Has that changed? No. Has Peace on earth ever actually happened since it fell from angelic lips 2,000-plus years ago in pastureland somewhere near Bethlehem? No. Not once has the world in solemn stillness lay.

None of us have the personal power to make peace on earth happen. We’d like to believe world leaders could, but so far they’re batting a big zero with no change in sight. So why would angels sing an impossible decree? Well, they answer that in the second half of the phrase: “Goodwill to men.”

Each of us do have the power to make “Goodwill to men” happen. Every day. In singular ways, if we just think about it: Let the other car merge, smile at the cranky kid, pay someone’s grocery bill, compliment a co-worker, put your cart away, use kind words on social media, count to 10, smile, hug your teen, say “Thank You,” shovel a random sidewalk, listen without interrupting, give an unexpected gift.

No single great event will bring peace on earth to this weary world. But could it be that small, consistent, daily acts of goodwill adding up like drops into the ocean will eventually turn the course and bring us closer to the peace we innately long for? Our heads say it’s impossible, but our hearts stay hopeful.

We sometimes think, “Wouldn’t be nice if we could have Christmas all year long?” We’re not thinking about gifts — we’re thinking about the feeling that comes with the season, the awareness of others, the wish for happiness for someone else, the desire to share what we have, the outreach that drives us to do better and be better.

That’s the only way peace on earth will ever happen. It won’t be from the top down — from world leaders who finally hammer out a solution. No. It will be from the bottom up — we, the people, the ordinary folks with eyes to see who needs our goodwill. And, of course, hearts willing to give and serve. All year long.

Goodwill to men, then peace on earth. Perhaps it is possible.

D. Louise Brown lives in Layton. She writes a biweekly column for the Standard-Examiner.

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