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“Holidays are about creating cherished
memories with loved ones and finding the
magic in the simplest moments.”
-Jeremiah Say
I hope this newsletter finds you preparing for a well-deserved holiday break. The weeks leading up to this break are always busy as you attempt to balance the excitement, stress, and anxiety of the holiday season for staff and students, as well as your own lives. I remember meeting with my administrative teams during these weeks to remind them to stay calm and just be seen walking in the hallways more during these pre-holiday weeks.
Now that I no longer run a school district (or maybe it comes with age), I tend to be reflective and sentimental during the holiday season. Over the last few years, I find myself thinking about my grandfather more, especially around the holidays. My grandfather played a significant role in my life: he imparted his knowledge of gardening, taught me how to preserve vinegar peppers, and, most importantly, reminded me to live in the moment. I never saw him angry; he never carried a grudge, and he embraced people for who and what they were. My grandfather was always available for me.
Starting when I was five years old, my grandfather and I held a holiday tradition of visiting friends and relatives. (Looking back, I’m sure this was a plan my mother thought of to get me out of the house while she tried to prepare the holiday dinner.) I would get all dressed up in nice pants, a blazer jacket with a crest on it, and of course a fedora. We hit the road in the morning to visit my great-grandparents and my great aunts and uncles.
Each house we walked into smelled amazing, and each relative wanted us to sample whatever they were preparing. My grandfather would sit down in the kitchen and eat, talk and laugh a lot. Of course all my relatives had living rooms, but as all good Italians know, they were not for sitting, as most were covered in plastic wrap. All family matters happened in the kitchen. The visits lasted about 40 minutes each, then we were off to the next house to taste the food, talk, and laugh.
While I can’t remember most of the gifts received over the holidays, I can still see me and my grandfather doing the rounds. The smells, the sights, and the feelings I had are as fresh in my mind as they were all those years ago. It is this time of year that the great grandparents, great aunts, great uncles, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents who have passed on enter my life again. They come back to life for a few minutes as I share their stories with all those willing to listen.
If you find yourself this holiday season surrounded by family and extended family, embrace the moment. Share a story or two of those who are no longer with us but who have touched your life. The biggest tribute we can pay them for what they gave is to keep their memories alive in us.
The NESDEC Team wishes you all a joyful and happy holiday season, and best wishes in 2026.
Dave
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