Not all the presents of the holiday season are lying beneath the tree.

At this time of the year, when the expression “Peace on Earth” traditionally resonates, there is a unmistakable spirit of giving, renewal and gratitude. This can be difficult to pick out from the noise of a turbulent world, but it is there.

Christmas is, at its essence, a family celebration, a personal one, for many a declaration of faith. But there are reasons for thankfulness on a grander scale than within our own households.

As 2022 comes to a close, the war in Ukraine, which escalated at the top of the year, is subjecting millions to another long, cold winter of violent attacks and suffering.

Last week their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, making his first international trip since Russia invaded, spoke on behalf of the people to America’s leadership.

Here there has been a debate over how much of the costs of that war can and should be borne by Americans. What’s indisputable is the valor of ordinary people that the world has witnessed.

This is moving, inspiring, and a reminder that our own freedom is a precious gift. Ukrainians are proving they’re willing to fight for their sovereignty. Uprisings in Iran, China and elsewhere signal the same longing for personal freedom.

Those of us who have secured that freedom need to defend it, and count that among the privileges for which we are grateful.

This country has just completed another election cycle, and it ended far more peacefully than many had expected. The 2020 campaign, with its election-denial upheaval, still reverberated. The fear nationally was that nominees determined to destabilize the integrity of elections would win, undermining one core foundation of American society.

That didn’t happen. Most of the attention was focused on the top-of-the-ticket races, where the stakes were the rebalancing of power in Congress. However, it was the result in down-ballot contests — voters elected experienced, professional secretaries of state, the officers who run each state’s elections — that was the most reassuring.

It was another gift, and one that reinforces democratic institutions that had come under assault.

In our own state, the fall elections have brought a transition to new governance, as eight years under David Ige ends and the administration of Gov. Josh Green begins. It’s far too soon to know how well Green will navigate whatever unexpected problems lie ahead — who knew anything like a pandemic would up-end Ige’s second term?

Even so, a changing of the guard provides the opportunity to step back and consider new directions Hawaii could take, along with the new energies and ideas that come with it. Each election season is enormously disruptive and wearying, but that chance for a new start from time to time is one of its benefits.

On the more personal level, Hawaii residents also are celebrating the renewal of the holiday season, the first one since the pandemic to restore a sense of normalcy.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser editorial board asked readers to share what things they appreciate this year. Their letters appear on the pages of today’s opinion section. The invitation drew heartfelt expressions of gratitude for family, for the work of essential workers who have helped people soldier on, and for simply the joy of being alive.

People are happy just to be together again, especially after two Christmases with muted celebrations.

“This might sound weird, but I appreciate the crowds,” wrote Robert K. Soberano of Moiliili. “During the height of the pandemic, almost everything was shut down.”

This year, Christmas has brightened again, and the crowds are indeed back. This is the first year that the Honolulu City Lights kickoff looked the way it used to. More family gatherings have ramped up, and there is again a full slate of entertainment events.

Hawaii’s family values are a recurring theme in the letters, adult children expressing their gratitude for the chance to be with their aging parents.

Health is a gift, if you have it. And for those who do, providing comfort and care to those who are ailing can be a privilege.

Of course, life is not always kind, and people are human beings who don’t always listen to their better angels. Virtually everyone has damaged a relationship in their lives. For those who would like to add their own small measure of peace on Earth through repairing that, the end of the year serves as another occasion to do that.

To begin with, forgiveness is a big part of Christmas, which Christians celebrate as a gift from a loving God, in spite of everything humanity has done. But it’s not uniquely a religious concept. Forgiveness allows for healing, and then to move on, the health of the relationship restored.

It’s important to have hope that past wrongs, large and small, can be corrected — on a planet bowed by environmental ills, war and poverty — and that 2023 offers a better way forward for us all.

Merry Christmas!