Opinion

jstolen-jacobson@cherryroad.com The days leading up to Christmas were filled with snow, wind, subzero temperatures, and thus cancellations. Of everything.

Holiday Greetings from the United Way of Southwest Minnesota! I have the honor of serving as the board chair this year for this incredible organization. I joined the board 4 years ago, connecting to their mission to “Unite people and resources to improve lives and strengthen communities in Southwest Minnesota.”

The Year in Review: 2022 Just what was 2022? Like many years that came before it, 2022 was also a year. But 2022 was diuerent in that it was new.

When my kids were young, they were fortunate enough to have their own personal Santa. Back then, Lee Eiler, of Wood Lake was well into his years of being San ta Claus at all of the local events, and he enlisted me to help with some of those.

Rob’s Advent Calendar © Every year around this time, some well-meaning aunt sends my children an advent calendar. Not one of the cool, new, weird advent calendars.

This past month many of us have been scurrying around looking for the perfect gift(s) to buy. Some of us have been given “lists” from our children or grandchildren – so that can make the shopping a little easier.

jstolen-jacobson@cherryroad.com While my son was deployed in the Middle East, I wrote about my grandma’s great cookie mission. Each week she would bake and send box after box of cookies and then, once they arrived, my son would go around base and hand them out to all of his fellow soldiers that were around at distribution time.

7:15PM. The center atrium at the mall. A large, temporary structure houses “The North Pole”, an ad-hoc collection of holiday lights and fake snow. Rob weaves his way past a “Closed” sign, through the short maze where a line usually forms, and pokes his head behind the curtain.