It’s hard to believe it is almost time to begin the seasonal baking, shopping for Christmas, and making plans for where to spend the holidays. Every January I find myself in a slump as the hustle and bustle, abundance of cookies, and excuse to spend extra time with friends and family come to an end. Inevitably, though, year after year I find solace in the fact that the season I love so dearly will be back before I know it … and here it is!

I can’t say I’m surprised to find that the holidays are already nearly here. It has been a fast moving year at the magazine; one full of exciting challenges and accomplishments that have kept us on our feet and in anticipation of whatever lay ahead.

Now that the launch of our Fresno edition is safely behind us, we can move forward with a sense of ease in knowing that we’ve already met one of our biggest goals (an ambition set forth upon commencement of the company almost two years ago).

It wasn’t until I began working on this magazine that I finally began to grasp the true meaning of something my dad used to tell me when I was growing up. He would say, “There’s never an end result without a process,” to which I probably politely (or maybe not so politely, as I was only 17 the first time I heard this) nodded and let it filter through one ear and out the other. A little over a decade later, though, I have finally found its significance and can admit resolutely that no end result is worth itself without the process we go through to get there.

So here we are, another year later and the holidays are among us again. Due to the nature of our content we won’t be featuring a section devoted to gingerbread houses or wreath making, but we have reserved a space to mention the people of our community to whom we would like to give thanks. They are the unsung heroes of our daily lives that provide us with the things we might often take for granted, and for whom, all the more, we are highly grateful.

Also in this issue you’ll find an article encouraging holiday shoppers to take extra precautions with their belongings, while out at the stores as well as once they’ve brought their packages safely back to their homes. In “Don’t Become a Cautionary Tale,” writer Jim Blanks shares tips from the Visalia Police Department about protecting yourself, your home, and your belongings this year during the holidays.

The staff at Valley Response Magazine and I want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday season. Please remember to enjoy every cookie, every carol and everyone you are thankful for; none of it should be taken for granted. We’ll see you in the new year!