By Mark Courchane and Matt Uselman
When we were growing up, few things excited us more than the Christmas season. We found it hard to concentrate at school with so many visions of decorated cookies, brightly lit trees, and animated TV specials dancing in our heads.
Back then, the unofficial kick-off to the holidays was the arrival of the Christmas Wish Book from Sears or one of the other department stores. We would pile onto the couch with our brothers and sisters and eagerly turn each page – starting at the back of the book where the toys were located, of course.
We each had our own colored pen or crayon and would circle all the toys we wanted for Christmas. Naturally we couldn’t get everything we circled, but it gave our folks a pretty good indication of our Santa expectation. And it gave us something to dream about.
For 23 years, we’ve had the privilege of working with so many different merchants, service providers, and partners in the software and financial services industries. And we’d like to take a few moments today to share some of the Christmas wishes we have for each and every one of you.
We Wish You the Joy of Giving
A colleague’s mom still talks about her best Christmas as a child. It was the depression era, and her family, like most, had very little. Normally, her Christmas present would be an orange. There was an Army base near her home, and one year, a soldier appeared at their door and handed her a doll and a set of dishes for Christmas. Needless to say, she was thrilled. Thrilled enough to talk about it for the next 80 years.
No doubt, the person who donated the toys had no idea the impact it would have on a little girl who was expecting an orange for Christmas. When we give to others in need, we may very well be creating memories they will carry with them for years to come. And there is great joy in that.
We Wish You the Comfort of Family and Friends
Amid all the hustle and bustle of shopping, baking, and food preparing, it is so easy to focus on the “doing” of the holidays and less on the “enjoying” of the holidays with loved ones. Our wish is that we all can relax a little during the season and spend time on the things that truly matter most – the things that are invaluable and irreplaceable — our loved ones.
We Wish You the Peace of Faith
Our wish is that we do not forget what Christmas is all about. The birth of a Savior over 2000 years ago is the source of our hope and inner peace. Our wish is that your faith inspires and guides you, not just during the Christmas season, but throughout the New Year.
To our Wind River employees, customers, and partners, you are like family to us. And we appreciate you every day. To those of you we haven’t gotten to know yet, we hope we have the opportunity to get acquainted in the coming year. In the meantime, we wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous 2023!