Hello again from Mayor Kim Johnson.

As usual December has come very quickly, and I am not ready for Christmas. I remember I used to be so prepared when my kids were younger but as I age, I seem to procrastinate a bit longer every year. As I am writing this article, our community is preparing for an ‘Old Fashioned Christmas’. I hope that many of you were able to partake in this festive event. I was in Minnesota this past weekend, taking my granddaughter to The Grinch play at the Children’s Theater in St. Paul so will miss another community activity. It seems this year that I have missed several great community activities due to various obligations, but I am looking forward to be a more active participant next year, especially following my retirement!

This month I would like us to move from our construction paper turkeys to tree decorating. If I had a ‘West Bend Community’ Christmas tree, this is how I might decorate it:

First, I need to put the many lights on my tree which would represent the ‘glow’ we feel when we walk or drive around our town. Thank you to our neighbors who have been able to add some fun lights on their house and/or buildings. It’s also fun to drive around and see the trees lit up in our windows.

My tree is now ready to add some ornaments. I would first hang a cross to represent our churches that support our faith community because we know that Jesus is the reason for the season!

I would add a pair of ice skates and hope that the weather cooperates this year for our grotto ice skating season. An elk would be added next because my son-in-law loves the elk jerky made at Skogland’s Locker. Several colored balls would be hung at the tips of the branches for the friendships we have made and continue to make in our great town. I would add a homemade ornament of ‘food’ that will remind me of all the great blessings of food and beverages our community offers, from our restaurants to our grocery store, to West Blenz, Golf Club, to our catering business, to the scrumptious products produced by Country Maid and to our community food pantry for those in need. If any of you know me, I love decorating using beautiful decor from Ellie’s and would place beautiful garland throughout my tree. And at the top of my ‘town tree’ I would put a glittered star to represent our great community of West Bend. It’s time to plug in my tree, using my cords and timer from the lumber store we are so lucky to still have. Snuggle time is now needed on my comfy couch, drinking hot chocolate from our quaint Homestead Store but, oops, I would quickly pop up to hang the candy canes on my tree that I had also bought at Lisa’s. It’s time to finish my Christmas shopping list and make a plan to stroll through our small town of West Bend, which offers so many options for the season of giving. Reading another chapter from a holiday book checked out from our terrific library would definitely be the final plan of the night. From my vantage point, the blue lights around the grotto pond bring a warm smile to my face as I would continue to settle in for the cozy December night, reflecting on thankful blessings of Christ, family, friends and community.

And that would be my West Bend Community Christmas tree event!

What would your West Bend Community Christmas tree look like? I pray that you all have a blessed holiday and safe travels if you are going out of town. As always, if there is anything you would like me to be doing as your mayor, please reach out. Be assured that there is no cost for this column. We are very fortunate to still have an actual newspaper that serves our community. Feel free to contact me at any time at my email (kjkimtalk2@gmail.com) or you can reach me by phone at 320-241-4770.