There are lots of things to write about, gravel pits, Falls Crossing,

water quality, county fees, I-695, school funding, etc. But during this week of

holiday celebration, none of that seems as important as spending time with

family, decorating the house, or eating all those home-baked goodies.

Christmas in the Valley has been a part of my life for 32 years. Many

things have happened in those years, but I still have fond memories of the annual

trip to Fredrick & Nelson for the Santa shot, or watching J.P. Patches as he

made his trip to the North Pole – including one year, when he called my brother

and me regarding our letter to Santa. Or the time we went snowmobiling

at Snoqualmie Elementary in a sleigh that a family friend, Paul Lynne, had

hooked up to his snowmobile. Or the annual trip with my dad in his patrol car

on Christmas Eve, since it was one of the quietest nights and nobody really

cared that a State Trooper was packing around his son.

Or the trips to the grandparents in Port Angeles, knowing that I could

eat until stuffed. Or that dreadful time when my old buddy Craig Stillwell

decided to inform me that he didn’t think there was a Santa Claus and the

ensuing argument in Mrs. Bonnell’s fourth-grade class at Fall City Elementary.

What’s amazing is how vividly those details really are and the

impression they made on the rest of my life. They were all created here, in one of

the greatest places on earth. And this year we have more neighbors than ever,

and I hope they all are creating long-term, positive memories.

So, from all of us here at the Record, have a wonderful Christmas.

Enjoy family and friends, put on that extra smile when driving down the street.

Maybe even wave to a neighbor on Christmas morning, just for the heck of it.

I know this isn’t politically correct, but … Merry Christmas and

Happy Holidays!

Jim McKiernan