As we are in the season of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other worldwide holidays celebrated during December, I want to wish each of you a peaceful, stress-free and happy time with friends, family and loved ones.

Please remember that this is a very special time for children and the tension brought about through stress at this time of year is easily detected by them.

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) will continue our effort to provide the best opportunities for the youth of our state, and we hope you will continue to support us in this endeavor.

We will be working with policymakers in 2020 to implement the best policies and procedures to support children, and that starts with a complete and accurate count in the upcoming US Census.

The need for a census is not something new; in fact, people have been conducting them for thousands of years.

One of my favorite scriptures from the Bible is the story of the birth of Jesus.

According to Luke 2:1, Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem not for the birth of Jesus, but as a requirement to be counted in the census of that time.

The scripture unfolds with an order by Caesar Augustus that a census would be conducted by local governors.

It was initiated because the Roman government reportedly wanted to make sure that everyone in the Empire was paying their taxes correctly.

The census was supposedly carried out all over the Empire, which included most of Europe.

In Palestine, the census required every citizen to register in their historical tribal town, rather than the Roman method of counting everyone where they presently lived (a method we use today in the U.S.). That means that Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have had to travel to Bethlehem, as this was the town that Joseph's family was from - a journey of about 70 miles.

The Bible never tells us if Joseph, Mary and Jesus were counted in that census, but they certainly went to a lot of trouble to participate!

Today’s census is different in two major ways. First, we have made it much easier! You can respond by mail, over the phone, online or through in-person interviews conducted on your doorstep.

No more trekking 70 miles and then sleeping in a manger!

Second, today’s census goes far beyond the original purpose of ensuring tax compliance.

The census helps Congress allocate federal revenue that supports children and families across the United States.

Census counts help direct funding for programs that support our schools, roads and bridges, meal programs and more.

Please ensure that one of your New Year’s resolutions will be to fill out your census form either by mail, phone or on the Internet beginning in March.

And, like Joseph and Mary, be sure your young children are also counted!