36 Dec. 17, 2011 - Jan. 6, 2012 Publisher’sNote
Empty nesters at holidays
Many of you have read this column over the years, following our son, Devon, through his finding baby bunny rabbits in the construction of our house about 12 years ago; his days playing Chandler National Little League baseball; getting his driver’s license and much more.
Now, also like many of you, we are facing our
first holidays as empty nesters, now that he’s a sophomore at Arizona State University.
Last year, while living in the dorms, he still came home for most holidays, including almost three weeks at Christmas. This year, however, he is in an apartment on the edge of campus, so he will probably not be spending too much time here.
He did accept an invitation to visit his grandparents with us in Prescott for Thanksgiving, and the fact that we invited his girlfriend probably helped sway that decision.
Alas, gone are the days of a wide-eyed child’s excitement leading up to Christmas. No more do we have to hide big presents at the neighbor’s house, or ask the local handyman to put together the trike, bike and other contraptions. Forget the veiled “Santa is watching” warnings that would usually result in improved behavior, at least during the holiday season. I miss sending his Christmas list to “Santa,” aka, Grandma and Grandpa. Waking up uber early on Christmas morning finally dissipated during his teenage years, much to our relief, but was replaced by sleeping until noon and having an afternoon present-opening session. Those Christmas mornings of his eagerly tearing off wrapping paper and playing with his new toys are just fond recollections now. For the first time, Geoff and I will be taking a short out-of-state trip around Christmas that, with Devon, would have been pure agony on his part. We’re looking forward to it, but it’s going to be very different not to have him with us. We’ll figure out a time to celebrate, but it just won’t be the same.
I guess we’ll always have photos and our memories. To all you other empty nesters and other readers, happy holidays from all of us at the SanTan Sun News.
Opinion Community Commentary
Holidays time of celebration and reflection by Mayor Jay Tibshraeny
I loved this time of year growing up in Chandler. Downtown was an energetic place that always seemed to amplify the essence of the holidays.
That spirit continues even today with a square that is brimming with new stores, restaurants, decorations and events that celebrate the season. Of course, the Tumbleweed Tree has been a constant. It is a great
reminder of our past and how we have managed to keep Chandler’s traditions and heritage alive in the community despite tremendous growth and change these past couple of decades.
In 2011, we witnessed a lot of good in the community and reflecting upon this past year, there is much to be thankful for in Chandler. We created thousands of new jobs through the expansion of Intel and the location of employers like Ports America, Phoenix Packaging, CyrusOne and the Triumph Group. We took a serious look at the many vacant retail spaces along our major corridors. A reminder that the economy is still fragile and it is more important than ever to shop locally and patronize those small entrepreneurs who have chosen to build their business here in our community.
We brought community leaders together through a series of neighborhood initiatives that included my Listening Tour, a Traditional Neighborhood Academy, a virtual town hall and blight-fighting programs like the Voluntary Demolition initiative. These programs, and others, have allowed me to get out into the community and meet so many people – an objective I felt very strongly about when taking office this past January.
Laurie Fagen,e Fagen, Publisher Laurie
Oops –In the story about Kate McRae in the Dec. 3 issue, Kate was in the hospital two years ago, not last year.
And in 2011 we began to make serious plans for the biggest celebration of the century – Chandler’s Centennial year of 2012. It is great to see the many residents who have offered to volunteer their time to make next year a great one. And the local business community has also stepped in with sponsorships to help pay the bills for the many activities we have planned in the coming months. That includes our 100-day birthday countdown Feb. 7. That night we will highlight a number of Centennial contests and events and the evening will culminate with my annual State of the City address. There, we can celebrate and reflect in greater length on all that is great about our community. This time of year is best spent with friends and family. It is a time to share in the joys of those favorite traditions that can sometimes span generations. And, it is a period of warm reflection and of celebration. I wish you all a holiday season filled with wonderful moments and lasting memories. And finally, here is to a very happy and prosperous 2012.
Letters to the Editor
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