Wishing You Health and Happiness This Holiday Season

Earlier this month, I was thrilled to see so many of you at our Holiday Open House in Washington, DC, including those who drove long distances or flew in just for the occasion. More than 800 people visited our House Beautiful to enjoy the festive atmosphere. The energy was contagious!

There’s something magical about the holidays. My oldest memories include celebrating Christmas at my grandmother’s, where every year I would watch her as she carefully placed each ornament on her 1950s-era pink aluminum tree. It wasn’t until years (and several updates to Christmas tree “fashion”) later that I fully realized that her delight in these and other traditions was not in the activities themselves, but rather was in creating shared memories with those she loved. No matter how you celebrate the holiday season, I hope that you are creating memories with your loved ones and friends!

In many ways these special weeks embody the spirit of service and friendship that DAR members pour into our organization year-round. Please know how much your dedication and generosity mean to me, and what a privilege it is to serve with you at the helm of this amazing organization. As we start to reflect and report on what our members have accomplished this year, I am reminded how important our missions of historic preservation, education, and patriotism are, and the difference that we our making in our communities every day.

During this season I hope you will join me in expressing gratitude for all the active duty men and women and first responders whose service will keep them far from families this year. Please consider reaching out to local units to see if there are ways that we might able to support them. The DAR Project Patriot Committee has also assembled a list of opportunities on their committee webpage. I hope you will also take a few moments to reach out to chapter members who may be going through a difficult time or who are unable to celebrate with family, to let them know how much we appreciate them.