I find this Christmas season an especially wonderful time to be in Montana. There is much to celebrate. Even our record snowfall and unusual cold bring blessings. Snow is our summer water for fish and irrigation; cold kills bugs and discourages others. And we have early skiing.

Technology reduces cold’s discomforts and dangers; consider today’s vehicles, housing, and clothing. All are vastly superior to those of a few decades ago. New technology has also unlocked vast quantities of natural gas, our most environmentally benign hydrocarbon, and naturally lowered its price to consumers. Concurrently, communication technology has lowered the costs and inconvenience of living in the most remote of the lower 48 states.

More importantly, in terms of satisfaction and civility, Christmas kindles a sense of good will and sharing. The phrase “Peace on Earth, good will to all,” although a mistranslation, captures the Christmas spirit.

In the United States, the minor Jewish holiday Hanukkah has become part of the holiday tradition. The U.S. Post Office features a holiday stamp with the nine-branched Menorah candelabrum. (While it begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, this year it begins on December 12.)

I thought of Kinky Friedman’s song, “They ain’t making Jews like Jesus anymore,” when a friend from DC sent me a piece from the New York Times, “Yes, Miky, There are Rabbis in Montana.” And then I thought that one of the things I most appreciate during this season is seeing and hearing Jews sing and play Christmas music.

I find this annual occurrence a remarkable testimony to America, not because I favor conversions, I don’t, but rather because it demonstrates remarkable acceptance and appreciation of others’ beliefs. The Times article gives a wonderful example of this.

Territorial Montana had a significant Jewish population; Butte had three synagogues and Helena’s Temple Emanu-El had a sitting capacity of 500. However, most of the Jewish population assimilated or moved to large cities. Now there is a minor revival; Bozeman has two rabbis and Whitefish one.

Last year the rabbis were at the Capitol to light the Hanukkah menorah. An officer of the Helena Police watched and after the ceremony approached Rabbi Chaim Bruk and introduced his bomb dog Miky. Miky was trained by the Israeli Defense Forces to find explosives. Naturally, the dog was trained in Hebrew, a language the officer doesn’t speak. The rabbi tutored the officer in pronunciation of simple Hebrew commands including “stay” and “search,” and also “good doggy.”

The policeman now speaks words the dog understands. My only Montana Christmas season story topping this occurred in 1993 when over 10,000 Billings residents put makeshift menorahs in their windows after vandals broke windows in the homes of Jewish families. This America merits pride.

I am sorely afraid that the foundations underlying such honorable behavior, and good will and civility more generally, are eroding by political forces. Honoring the spirit of the season, please don’t attribute to wickedness behavior that which may be explained by arrogance and naiveté.

Perhaps the schemes of the Obama administration that increase government control are not deliberately designed to make ever more people dependent on political allocations. Rather, the president and the various appointed czars, a term that should be alien and repulsive to Americans, may well believe that central direction of the economy and society will be beneficial.

Of course government management will not work as promised. Opportunists will surely capture benefits promised to others. Liberty will certainly be ever more constrained. Bounty, benefits, and preferential opportunities will flow to those with political influence. These pathologies will ultimately be exposed and resentments will grow. I fear for the targets, probably the usual suspects in times of disruptions.

This is still a Christmas with much to celebrate. The key question for the New Year is how to maintain the liberty that provides its underlying qualities.