I wish you all the happiest of holidays. Whatever your beliefs and traditions, I encourage you to make the most of this most blessed of seasons.

By now, all of the shopping is done, the wrapping is complete, and gatherings planned. Take some time to breathe and enjoy the day. I am looking forward to watching my son open his gifts on Christmas morning and then make our traditional grilled gingerbread and pancake breakfast. As busy as life can be, we have made a point of slowing down this year to take in Christmas lights, build fires for holiday movie night, and churn our own candy cane ice cream. These may sound like boring activities to some of you but, to me, these moments are treasures. Treat each day as a gift.

There many local options for fun and entertainment during this holiday time.

A dinner and Round and Square dance will be held New Year’s Eve in the Clinton Township Fire Company Banquet Hall. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the meal at 6:30 p.m. Music will be provided by Shawn and Tim McNett and McNett Country Band beginning at 7:45 p.m. until midnight. Pork and kraut will be served at that time. Reservations are necessary and must be made by December 28. For information contact 547-6928 or 9l6-3270. Come out and enjoy a night of fun with friends and family.

The Oak Grove Community Center will be holding their January breakfast on January 5 from 8:00am-11:00am.

Also, take a moment to visit the Montgomery Borough website (www.montgomeryborough.org). Congratulations goes to Larry Wilcox who retired after 41 years of police service and 27 years with the Montgomery Borough Police, including that of Police Chief. The mayor gave him an honorary badgeContact me at cmcnear@montasd.org with any information you would like posted in this column.