News : Wishing everyone the Merriest of Christmases

The business part...

Because Christmas lands on Monday, there will be no outbound email on that day...and honestly, probably not on Tuesday.

The same will be true on New Year's week.

Mostly because you folks think you should enjoy the holidays and not much will be happening outside your respective homes, during the holidays and good for you!

(UNLESS something urgent comes up…in that case I will zap out an email and post the info on the Vinton Today page!)

From me...

As we come to the end of yet another year, and an interesting one to say the least, I again am reminded of the wonderful little town of Vinton, and its inhabitants. Every year about this time, when the lights are twinkling and the memories of the last year while most are a blur on this side of the computer, I am reminded of you folks.

Each of you, whether you're just a reader, a contributor, or an advertiser, or you're just in my ear with a word of encouragement, all are important to this lady and this community. Thank you to those who financially keep my lights on and gas in my car, and donate so that when my computer crashes, I can replace it like I had to this year.

I get to see the very best in everyone in this town. Occasionally, I say, "Hey wait just a minute!" but in general, I'd take this town over any other that I've met.

The generosity at this time of the year especially, makes me smile. The way you take care of our kids especially is just outstanding. This year I have been lucky enough to have a granddaughter in tow as I cover Santa in his many stops, I appreciate every Santa who steps up to help bring the magic of Christmas to our kids.

Every year, I get to brush elbows with our dear veterans in their various organizations, and I admire everything that they do. The men and women that fought for us, risked their lives, and lost some of their friends in war, still step up to take care of our community. By the way, if you are a veteran consider joining one of the organizations, they could use a few younger and stronger backs to carry the load.

Our churches, my oh my. I only know of some of the work that some of them do throughout the year. So many of you work quietly in the background meeting a variety of needs throughout the year. They provide food, and sometimes shelter, they take kids under their wings all year long, they look out for them at Christmas, and meet the needs of many they come in contact with throughout the year. That says a lot about our church folks and their pastors. The giving is extraordinary. Thank you men and women for all that you do!

There are so many that step up in so many ways. There are the coaches, the teachers, the teacher's helpers, the principals, and superintendent, and their families that give not only their time but usually their family's time to help our kids. It's so appreciated. by our moms and dads and those of us in the community. Thanks to our lunch ladies and men, the janitors, the bus drivers, and those who clear the sidewalks and driveways, our schools could never be as good as they are without all of you.

To the ones that might think, "I can't do much anymore to help anyone," trust me, someone out here admires you. If you're at the stage in your life where it takes a lot of planning to get around, or arthritis has just made it impossible to do what you used to, cut yourself a lot of slack here. You might not know it, but you've helped to make someone's life just a little better. I can think of numerous people that I've crossed paths with in my life, and they always put a smile on my face, you are one of those. You can still give a kind word or a smile or a word to simply say, "You're doing a great job," we need more people like you.

If you are in Benton County or have ever lived in Benton County, you are the ones who have made this place the best little area to live in. I know those of us who have lived here or grown up here are building on the backs of all the residents who came before us. I like to think that we are making everything better than when we found it.

I admire the men and women in our local government positions who have run for office, some appointed, some applied for openings in the departments, I can't say enough good about all of you. You serve us well, you do your best and we appreciate it. I get to talk to most of the leaders in our government positions and there isn't any of them that won't answer the phone or answer whatever silly question I have for them. Thank you for that.

Our services like police, sheriff, fire and ambulance, all of our emergency services, thank you for all the work that you do. Thank you for taking those tough calls, the sometimes gruesome calls and for continuing to show up for us the next day. For those in law enforcement in those behind-the-scenes positions, the detectives, the paper pushers, the jailers and the cooks, thank you for doing your jobs well also.

For the good neighbors out there, thanks for being that. Thanks for helping our elderly and disabled to care for their property throughout the year. Thank you for those volunteers who care for our tiny cemeteries and do such a wonderful job, it's this time of the year that many of us remember and stop to visit, thanks for keeping them looking nice for us.

There are so many of you good people out here who might think that no one sees you, but we do. (there might be a few bad eggs that we see too, but we won't mention them here, oops, but we'll pray that they can come around.)

At this Christmas season, this is the time that we see the very best in everyone. All of the deeds done throughout the year make this time of the year so fun to celebrate in our corner of the world.

There will be several opportunities to take a little bit of time to visit a Christmas service this year. Don't forget to take a few minutes to be appreciative of what we have, where we live and all of the wonderful people in our world.

Wishing you all the very best Christmas this year. May your homes be filled with joy and contentment and your stockings a reminder of the magic of the season. Before all of the lights get packed up, be sure to pile into the car and take a trip around town, and take a few minutes to make some Christmas memories.

Merry Christmas!