❄‘Tis The Season: Celebrating the Holidays In NH
The holiday spirit is in the air in New Hampshire! From Nashua to Pittsburg, you can see houses dressed in decorations and illuminated by lights.
I always find this time of year so special — for me, it’s a season of gratitude, reflection, and service.
Service is something Granite Staters know well. And year after year, I’m inspired by the all-hands-on-deck attitude people across New Hampshire bring to making their neighbors’ holidays a little bit brighter.
Last month, I joined the U.S. Marine Corps in Manchester to kick off its annual Toys for Tots drive. Every child should experience the joy of unwrapping a present during the holiday season, and this program helps make that happen for kids across the Granite State.
The Marines’ Toys for Tots program isn’t the only initiative dedicated to bringing joy to kids in New Hampshire. I recently had the chance to join dozens of volunteers and New Hampshire National Guard members at SEA/SEIU Local 1984’s Operation Santa Claus. Together, we loaded present after present into trucks so that they can be delivered to kids across the Granite State.
Other organizations are also making sure that Granite Staters’ most immediate needs are met. Earlier this week, I joined the New Hampshire Food Bank at its mobile unit in Laconia. The comfort of a warm meal shared by friends or family is a special thing, and the volunteers I worked alongside are helping ensure that everybody can have that experience this season, ensuring that more Granite Staters can put food on the table.
These are just a few programs that are helping support Granite Staters this winter, and they’re fueled by the countless Granite Staters committed to giving back to their communities. As always, their service makes me extraordinarily proud to represent the state of New Hampshire.
Thank you to all who have volunteered this holiday season and throughout the year. And to all Granite Staters: please make sure that you stay safe this holiday season. That means getting vaccinated, receiving your booster shot if eligible, and getting tested for COVID-19 after a possible exposure or onset of symptoms. This is especially important as we’ve seen severely limited hospital capacity, as well as the spread of the Omicron variant, in New Hampshire.
So to my fellow Granite Staters and Americans: Happy Holidays! I hope you are able to connect with loved ones and find joy throughout the rest of the holiday season.
