By Adena Lewis

President, Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce

Merry Christmas to you!  We hope that the spirit of Christmas is alive in your hearts and that you are gathering with family and friends to share the blessings of the season.  Smithville has been alive with the holiday spirit.  Our city and its churches, schools, organizations and businesses have been humming with the special rhythm of activities.  I’m sure many of us have enjoyed the music, gatherings, worship and perhaps too much food during this busy time. Our little town and the calendar have been spinning. Now we move on to the next calendar and another year of excitement.

This is the time of the year when we reflect on the events of our past year and begin to make plans and promises to ourselves and others for the brand new year.  An email I received listed things to do before Dec. 31, 2009.  All were good suggestions, but for some it might take until Dec. 31, 2010 to get them done.  The year end suggestions included such smart things to do as: paying property taxes to get the deduction for this year – a painful, but important thing to do; making sure that the family’s wills are updated; and making donations to local charities. As quickly as the calendar pages buzz by, we will be at this crossroads in time before we can blink an eye.

Fair warning……the next year will be another fast one!

I once asked my doctor if there was a scientific/medical explanation for why my time seemed to go by so quickly.

I’m sure doctors have a long list of “silly” questions they have been asked. His answer to this silly question is that “consider your life like a pie and each year is a piece of the pie.  When you are young, the pie is divided into fairly large pieces, but as you age the pieces keep getting smaller and smaller!”  He had an answer.  I’m not sure if it was the answer I wanted. We’ve all heard time goes by faster, but unfortunately as we get older we prove it – scientific or not.

So now is the time to contemplate where your time will be spent in 2010.  We hope that your plans include being a part of the many opportunities that involvement with the chamber will offer.  We hope that you will consider the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce an important part of your new year.  When we partner together, we accomplish many great things.

Here are some dates – please join us if you can!

1/1 – New Year’s day – chamber and city offices closed

1/4 – Final shop local drawing – Gazebo at 10 a.m.

No First Saturday art show

1/7 – chamber radio segment on KBUK 104.9 fm – 8:30 a.m.

1/9 – “undecking the halls” – removing decorations from downtown and gathering gingerbread men – meet at Gazebo at 9 a.m.

1/11 – Economic Development Committee meeting – La Cabana -11:45 a.m. – program:  Les Warren on economic impact of art

City council meeting – city hall council chambers – 7 p.m.

1/13 – Chamber board meeting – La Cabana – 11:45 a.m.

1/15 – Thunder on the Colorado meeting – La Cabana – 6:30 p.m.

1/18 – Martin Luther King’s birthday (observed) – chamber and city offices closed

1/19 – Smithville Film Commission meeting – Pocket’s Grille – 10 a.m.

1/20 – Keep Smithville Beautiful meeting – Pocket’s Grille – 3:30 p.m.

1/21 – chamber mixer -   Shangri-La Emporium and Tom-Kat Paper Dolls, 216 Main St. – 4 – 6 p.m.

1/22 – Nominees for 2009 Citizen of the Year due at chamber office – stop by chamber office to pick up nomination form