I cannot believe I am writing the last newsletter for 2021 already! I hope this finds all of you healthy and doing well as we enter the great season of Christmas.

November was all about family, tall-tales fun, Native Americans and Pilgrims, and everything else about Thanksgiving and how we should be thankful! Of course, the Thanksgiving Family Feast is always the highlight of the month. The kiddos enjoyed their activity of baking the pumpkin bread themselves just like they do every year. Our Bible stories were all about Moses, from being in the basket to the Ten Commandments.

After Thanksgiving break, we will jump right in with Christmas activities and preparing for our Christmas program on December 16 at 6:30 PM. If you would like to come watch, we welcome you to do so! We are happy to have this back this year as well, and our parents are beyond thrilled they get to watch it in person this year. It is always so beautiful in the sanctuary with the decorations and festive atmosphere. As it goes every year, I tell parents “You get what you get” when you have a group of 3–5-year-old children on stage, so we are really looking forward to what kind of show the kiddos will present this year! The time is short to practice for it so we will be super busy preparing!

December is all about the birth story of Jesus along with the other stuff kids like, such as Rudolf and Santa. We will also read the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker and talk about Christmas in other countries and how they celebrate in their culture. Our last two days before Christmas break will be party fun. As always, we will end our year with the Polar Express party by wearing our PJs to school, searching all over for the runaway Gingerbread man and watching a Christmas movie while sitting in our Polar Express “Train Cars” eating popcorn and hot chocolate. Of course, we must get our golden ticket punched before we can get on board the train!

Following Christmas break will be preparation for 2022–23 registration. As always, we open it to current families and church members first in early January. We open it to the public near the end of the month in coordination to the Preschool Fair which is back on for this year as well. Pass the word about our program if you know anyone looking! We have our Level 4 quality rating (out of 5) in Colorado Shines that is an accomplishment of which we are proud. Not only that, but our families always talk about the special environment here where it truly feels like a second family. That is the one thing I am most proud of about this program. Having families feel welcome and happy here is always most important to us.

There is so much to be grateful for this season, and we will be talking to the children about that as we go through these next few weeks. I encourage all of us to think about the things we have to be thankful for as we enter this season that inspires generosity and kindness, and that we would all carry that through the rest of 2022 to everyone we know.

The staff here at Open Arms wishes you and your families a healthy, blessed and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kandy Wise is the Director of Open Arms Preschool, a ministry of Saint John’s Lutheran Church. You may reach her at 482-1357 or OpenArms@StJohnsFC.org with any questions about the Preschool.