The holiday season is upon us, and I would like to wish a Merry Christmas and happy New Year to everyone in Southwest Michigan. I hope you are all able to gather with family and friends, reflect on the year and look forward to a new year full of possibilities.

During this festive time of year, I recall the poignant words of Dr. Seuss: “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! ‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!’”

Indeed, the holiday season presents us all with a moment to spend quality time with loved ones and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

I encourage all Southwest Michigan families to take the weight of the world off your shoulders and enjoy Michigan’s Winter Wonderland. Get outside and try sledding with the kids or building a snowman. These are memories that I cherish the most.

I am truly blessed to be able to gather this Christmas with my family, whose love and support give me strength. They are my rock, and the greatest gift I can ask for is for us to be together.

As we celebrate, my heart is drawn to those who cannot be with their families for Christmas.

The holidays are an especially hard time for those men and women who are serving America overseas. Consider sending a letter or card to a serviceman or woman, thanking them for their sacrifice and wishing them a safe return home. It is a simple way to make their holiday a little brighter. Letters may be mailed to: Blue Star Mothers; P.O. Box 76; Stevensville, MI 49127.

We each have the ability to lift the spirits of those around us. Writing the troops is one way to do this, another is by helping a remarkable organization: Toys for Tots.

If you are able, please join my family and me in making the season brighter for a child with a donation of an unwrapped toy at one of several locations throughout Southwest Michigan.

I wish you and your family the very best this Christmas. God Bless you all.

 

Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents the 21st District, which includes Berrien and Cass counties and most of Van Buren County.