Palmer a great place to raise a family

The end of the calendared world has not had much effect on the holiday season in Palmer. Much in evidence here are volunteers, families and businesses enjoying another Christmas season.

Holiday concerts are winding down, high school students and their college friends and siblings are migrating back to the their familiar places at the VHo (Valley Hotel) and Vagabond Blues, volunteers ring bells and offer a bright place to remember loved ones at the Hospice Tree, shopping and visiting is in full swing and Advent services are counting down the days. In Palmer, you can feel the anticipation and busyness of the season. Families and Christmas is wrapped together with those words of promise — joy, miracle, hope and love.

My early Christmas present this year was the announcement that Blomberg Businessweek has named Palmer as the best town to raise a family in Alaska.

One of the areas for scoring is the quality of education. It is very encouraging to watch what is happening throughout our area in the schools. Each year in December, I have the privilege of visiting the second-grade classes at Swanson Elementary School. These are the types of events that make being mayor a fun job.

The more time I spend in the schools and visit with teachers, the more I realize how blessed we are in this community to have dedicated teachers. Watching the events at Sandy Hook is almost unbearable. Watching the funerals makes me feel a need to go back to the second-grade classes and give each child a hug and a big thank you to each teacher.

With that in mind, thank you to all of you who work with our children every day; you watch over our most precious community asset.

For our family, this time of year means that our home is filled with activity. Children are home from high school and college, and the house becomes filled with different people and new voices. During this holiday celebration I hope all are fortunate enough to share from your abundance with the less fortunate and share a child’s anticipation of Christmas morning. It is the most beautiful expression of the Advent season.

From our house to yours, “God bless us, everyone!”

DeLena Johnson has been mayor of Palmer since October 2010.