Jonathan Meyer.

We’ve made it ladies and gentlemen, Christmas is next week! A year of buildup and anticipation, culminating with lights, family, Mariah Carey, food, and everything else festive you can think of. With this being the last paper published before the big day on Wednesday, I wanted to use this opportunity to share my wish list with the community.

Buy a paper! Make it a routine to go purchase a newspaper every week or call the office and subscribe to receive your local news at the doorstep every week. Supporting the newspaper, supports everything and everyone else in town. Let’s stay strong for years to come!

Volunteer. Here’s an item I don’t suppose you’ll see on your typical Christmas list. I urge everyone to find something you are passionate about in town. Maybe it’s one of our local festivals, or maybe it’s helping out at the schools, or stopping in at one of our nursing homes, or the food pantry. Get creative if you must, we can all make a positive contribution to the place we call home. With give or take 5,000 of us between two towns, everyone doing one thing to help a neighbor out would make the biggest of differences.

Attend an STC event. As a product of South Tama and the many many activities offered through the school, I know full well having the support of the community helps. We might not always win or get first place, but our students show up week in and week out and give their absolute best. Have you ever gone to the speech team’s community night? Our speech team is one of the best in the state, hands down. Have you been to a soccer game in the stadium? How about checking out a band concert or a middle school track meet? There are so many low cost or free opportunities to see young people do incredible things in our town. Let’s support our youth regardless of the outcomes and show our appreciation for all they do.

Utilize our amenities. I’m a guy who needs to always be doing something. That comes in many different forms, yet I always find myself taking advantage of the beautiful offerings of our community. In my mind we have one of the best rec trails in the state. Our trail has it all, shade, benches, trashcans, mile markers, wildlife, soft footing and so even more you can explore. Our parks are wonderful for walking through or reading a book or simply driving through every so often. What a beautiful pool we have, when is the last time you’ve sat in a beach chair and enjoyed our aquatic center? “Use it or lose it” is a saying that comes to mind with this wish, get out there and explore our community.

Show gratitude. One profound thing I picked up while on the job this year was Principal Robert Boley sharing his commencement address about gratitude. This stuck with me all year. A simple thank you along with some eye contact goes a long way. Say “Thanks” at the grocery store. Hold the door for someone. Call a friend and say you appreciate them. Little acts of kindness can have the biggest impact.

While this isn’t the most entertaining column I have ever written, I hope you can hold onto this one. Being from Tama-Toledo is something I will always be proud of. I love our community and will never stop supporting the wonderful people that live here, I hope you are with me on that. Have a great holiday with your family and friends.

Until next time, I’m Just Jonathan.