A Merry Christmas to you

by Frank Stork

As we enter this December holiday season, we eagerly make plans for family gatherings. Long held traditions make this season special because we spend more time with those we hold close. Our desire to be with family reaches its peak at this time of the year.

Our families may change with each passing year but the traditions of Christmas remain constant. Older family members pass on but are remembered vividly during this special time. New family members add joy in their very special way.
As we grow older, we plan Christmas around our children and grandchildren and enjoy the season through their young eyes.

Communication among family members is at its peak in December. Mailboxes are filled with Christmas cards. Our telephones ring more often as family and friends call. Our e-mail contains holiday greetings from distant places. The air is filled with traditional music of the season. More than any other time, a fresh blanket of snow is welcome at Christmas.

As we bring this year 2002 to a close, we thank our readers for keeping in touch with us. By sharing your views with our staff, you help us stay focused on serving you. It is good to know what you think about the articles we publish in Rural Missouri. We sincerely appreciate and value the time you take to communicate with us.

We are deeply grateful for the many good things we have accomplished by working together during this past year. As we greet our new year we promise to continue working with our loyal readers to benefit all Missourians.

Please allow me the privilege, on behalf of our Rural Missouri staff and rural electric cooperatives everywhere, to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and a blessed new year!

Stork was executive vice president of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives and a member of Three Rivers Electric Co-op.