December is known for Christmas! My favorite part of Christmas is the Christmas tree. There are so many
reasons to love Christmas trees! The greenness of the tree livens up our lives and living rooms and gives us
some color, which is greatly needed in South Dakota winters because it is either white outside or gloomy
brown. The green reminds of to be full of life and happiness and eternal love. Decorating the tree is a tradition
that all households who have a tree get to experience. Maybe your family decorates it all together with the
kids, parents and grandparents. Or maybe it is done by one person in the house and it gives them time to
reflect and enjoy the quiet.
reasons to love Christmas trees! The greenness of the tree livens up our lives and living rooms and gives us
some color, which is greatly needed in South Dakota winters because it is either white outside or gloomy
brown. The green reminds of to be full of life and happiness and eternal love. Decorating the tree is a tradition
that all households who have a tree get to experience. Maybe your family decorates it all together with the
kids, parents and grandparents. Or maybe it is done by one person in the house and it gives them time to
reflect and enjoy the quiet.
The history of the Christmas tree can be traced back centuries from central Europe, particularly Germany,
Estonia and Latvia where Protestant Christians brought trees into their homes to be decorated with apples,
sweets, wafers, and candles. In today’s fast pace world, the candles have been replace with strings of lights
and the apples replaced by Christmas balls and the sweets/wafers replaces with pretty decorations.
December and the Christmas season is also known as the time of giving, which is the foundation of what
Rotary is built upon. Rotarians should embody our motto – Service Above Self. This motto can take on so
many different aspects from volunteering your time, providing knowledge and experience to push forward
Rotary’s goals, donating money towards projects around the world or locally. It is easy this time of year to give
back. Brookings Rotarians will be Ringing the Bells for the Salvation Army on December 9 th for the Red Kettle
Campaign to raise funds for food assistance, homeless shelters, and emergency financial support.
Other ways that we - as Rotarians - can lend a hand in our area: Feeding Brookings, Project Joy, Food Pantry,
and Angel Trees just to name a few. I challenge each of you to “lend a hand” this Christmas Season.
Donating funds is also highly needed with so many of our fellow Americans struggling to get by. Giving
Tuesday is on December 3rd and is a global generosity movement to unleash the power of radical generosity. It
was created to have a day that encourages people to do good. It is a day to give back to others and promote
the benefits of philanthropy and charitable actions. Visit the Rotary Foundation website to witness the “good”
that we are doing as Rotarians around the world. While at www.rotary.org feel free to make a donation by
clicking the Donate button on the upper right of the webpage.
December will be a short month of Rotary Tuesday meetings with the last 2 weeks of Tuesdays being
cancelled due to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Take some extra time that is being given back to you
and “do some good.”
Merry Christmas! Enjoy the season of giving and experience the joy and happiness that is felt when giving.
And yes, it is okay to receive…we all love opening and receiving presents! I believe that we all are children at
heart during Christmas.
Happy Holidays! Spread Good Cheer Wherever Your Life Takes You!
President Jen Olson