Dear Santa,
There are so many things that I want to ask for this year, with peace on Earth being one of them (brownie points, right?).
As you know, I live in the wonderful Upper Peninsula, where white Christmas is never a problem (heck, white Memorial Day sometimes isn't) and visiting the town of
Christmas is just a matter of finding M-28.
Like any good little managing editor, I do have a few requests this Christmas and I am hoping that you'll be able to help out. I've made a list (and I personally checked it twice) for you to take a look at.
First, I am hoping for the safety of every Yooper who is an active member of the military and fighting under our country's flag right now. Be it Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else, I hope they all come back safe and sound.
Looking around the Upper Peninsula, I have a few Christmas wishes, too. Sault Ste. Marie is a wonderful town and a great place to be and I do hope to see the Frontier Energy facility move along nicely, as well as the progress with AMI Industries and their plans to open a plant in the area. The jobs would be great, the boost to the economy would be welcome and the added presence of two top-notch companies will mix perfectly with the great businesses already in place over there.
On the west side of the peninsula, I'd really like to see things work out for Marinette Marine with their US Navy contract. Those LCS ships that they are planning to build will mean a ton of work for our friends over there, and it will keep Menominee humming along nicely. Could you imagine the influx of money? The housing market alone will boom over there. Why not?
There's been a large number of mines that have been making progress toward new projects this past year, and I want to ask that you help make sure that things stay safe for the people working on those sites as well as for the environment. I'm not the kind of guy that is going to ask you to stop the mines or make sure they go through, but if they do or they don't, safety for everyone and everything is the number one priority. Please keep a watchful eye on that in 2011.
In addition, if we could keep these small businesses opening and doing well throughout next year and beyond, it would be wonderful. There are so many great ideas for businesses, and we're just seeing the beginning (I hope) to the rush of openings and the drive to shop local. Yoopers want to support Yoopers, and what a better way than to have a business that fills a need or being someone who shops at such a location?
Also on my Christmas list I'd like to ask that the roads stay clear and that drivers are mindful of the extra time needed to get from place to place during the winter season. Shopping this time of year is hectic, but don't let them all be in a hurry as we don't need the accidents that so typically go hand-in-hand with winter. Patience is a virtue, and I hope my fellow drivers out there remember that and just take some extra time to get where they are going.
And, finally, I'd like to ask Santa to help out the needy this year. There have been some rough times in the Upper Peninsula and we're still trying to recover. If you could see to it that people get what they need to make it through the holidays and the winter, that would be the best present of all.
Santa, thank you for taking the time to read my letter and I hope that you can find a way to make these Christmas wishes come true.
Have a very merry Christmas, Santa, and a happy new year. I'll put out some cookies and milk for you again this year and have some carrots and a tasty
Mighty Deer Lick for the reindeer to enjoy.
Respectfully,
Sam Eggleston
Managing Editor
Upper Peninsula Second Wave
Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of the U.P. Second Wave and a full-time freelance writer. He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula. He can be reached via email.
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