This girl loves Christmas! I always have. From a child believing in the magic to a mom making magical memories for my young boys to the present-day mom of teens and an adult child, I loved and still love the Holidays. I love Christmas music. I love the sparkle and the glitter. I love baking Christmas treats. I love shopping for the perfect gifts. I love sharing time and making memories with my family. I love Christmas break days at home together when we barely know what day of the week it is, and we certainly don’t know what time it is! Like most families, we have several special Holiday Traditions. Some of those have stayed true since I was a little girl. I can always count on cutting down our Christmas tree on Black Friday and a Christmas Eve full of laughter, frosted sugar cookies, filled stockings, and the “Alabama Christmas” CD playing in the background. Some traditions changed slowly over time until one year we found our family eating lasagna with egg rolls on Christmas Eve alongside a smorgasbord of Christmas goodies! Why this food combination? Well, it’s hard to let go of old traditions when new ones are introduced. For me, it doesn’t matter how or when the Christmas traditions started, I just love them all! Every one of them makes me smile and warmly reminds me of Christmases past. It is the tradition of the Waverly-Shell Rock Area United Way to help local individuals and families in need throughout the year, but especially during the Holidays. I am thrilled that so many in our community have made it a part of their Holiday tradition to help those in need. Through the 2023 Holiday Shoppe and Adopt a Family programs, we have made Christmas brighter for 578 local kids. Your support matters. Maybe you took a tag off a Holiday Shoppe tree and bought a toy. Maybe you dropped a toy in a Toys for Tots box. Maybe you made a monetary donation. Maybe you carefully selected gifts for an adopted family. Or maybe you gave the gift of time to one of our Holiday programs. However you showed your support, we are thankful for you. Thank you for including United Way and 214 local families in your Holiday tradition. It is easy for me to get so wrapped up in making these events happen each year that I forget the enormity of the impact that has been made. I forget to slow down and see the beauty of the generosity our community has shown. I’ve started a new tradition of taking time to truly reflect on your generosity and the impact it has made. As I prepare for Christmas in my own home, I think of how your support has prepared local families for Christmas in their home. Together, we created the opportunity for local families to create magic-filled Christmas morning traditions of their own. Traditions which include love and laughter and lasting memories. Many of these families I know quite well, and it makes my heart happy to know their Christmas is just a little brighter because of your support. From my home to yours “We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”