Merry Christmas Lake Forest

I wanted to pause for a moment to wish my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Most of us will be having a Merry Christmas. We live in a great place. Our weather is the envy of the world; a true Goldilocks situation where it’s not too hot and it’s not too cold. We also have a great location – close to the beaches and to the mountains as well as the desert, while nearly a third of us live close to the Lakes and the Forest that give the City its name.

Most of us are also lucky to be living in HOAs which, for all of their disadvantages, provide a relatively stable, attractive, and neighborly atmosphere in which our families do well.

It’s also good to note that our City government is slowly arising from its deep sleep to provide better amenities for all of us, helping contribute to a Merry Christmas this year, and even merrier Christmas in the years to come. In the past year we finally finished the Sports Park and it looks like Lake Forest has the “great park” after all. We opened our first dog park only a few months ago and we are moving forward with another new park that will feature our first pickleball courts along with our second dog park. And only a few weeks ago we signed off on the new Civic and Senior center, much needed and long overdue.

If this is going to be a Merry Christmas for the large majority of us, let’s pause for a moment to think about those who are less fortunate.

Lake Forest has a small number of homeless people and they can use our help. My wife came up with a handout that has common grooming necessities in it, and she’s been getting this to the homeless. People are sometimes worried that the homeless may use money for something other than basic necessities, so the grooming packet is a good way to help. And we have a whole bunch of gift cards for local restaurants that we give out. It’s a Merry Christmas for the homeless person and for the local restaurant too. Think about how you can help the homeless at this time of year.

Talking about local businesses, we have a lot of businesses in Lake Forest that are struggling, so please consider using them for your needs. Our family spends more than half of our discretionary money here in the City, using local restaurants (Lil Kitchen Café, Peppinos, El Conejito, Americas Taco Shop, Bagels and Brew) as well as local service providers, such as our vet, dermatologist, physical therapist, handyman, baby sitter, etc. You’ll help make the New Year better for our City if you use our local people and businesses.

Our non-profits can also use your help. We’re fortunate enough to be able to give to our local non-profits and support the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Forest, the US Marine Corp Support Committee, the Salvation Army, AgeWell Senior Services, Breast Cancer Solutions, Meowz Rescue, Modjeska Playhouse, South County Outreach, etc. When you’re thinking of charitable contributions, think locally.

From my family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.