Do you notice the change in the air that comes only this time of year?

The Christmas season is like no other, and nowhere is it more special than in the Pawtuxet Valley.

Not only from the perspective of the holiday lights and decorations everywhere, including the spectacular presentation at the home of Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi, but also from the common conversations that we have with friends and strangers throughout the Valley.  It just seems like those conversations are a little more friendly and a little more engaging and polite.

Growing up in the Arctic section of West Warwick, I could not have asked for a better childhood, filled with Christmas memories that some of you might remember, or at least cause you to recall some of your own memories of Warwick.

A few that stand out are:

- Sidewalk Santa on his perch on Washington Street in Arctic welcoming throngs of shoppers who clogged Arctic from Town Hall to Kostyla’s gas station.

- Going to Veterans Square Diner for the best “tourtier” (pork pie) in the country, but of course hearing Jules, Sammy and Dicky swear that they’ll never make them again because it was “too much work!”

- Laughing at the drunks fresh from their stool at the bar standing in the back of the church and belting out the Christmas hymns at midnight mass.

- Going to the Donut Kettle with the hope of having a holiday sip of whiskey in the kitchen with Dotsy Proulx and your dad.

-  Visiting Memere and Pepere’s house in Coventry and getting twenty-five cents every time you brought Uncle Henry a fresh beer.

-  Seeing all the streets and houses lit up with decorations and noticing people happy to see each other, seemingly for the first time.

-        Volunteering for one of the many community organizations that delivered holiday dinners and toys to the kids from disadvantaged families.

And driving through town on Christmas morning to see the dreamlike serenity that was cast over the village and wondering why the holiday spirit couldn’t last year-round.

Unfortunately, most of the places and sadly too many of our relatives and friends are gone.

But every year we are blessed with new memories of events that bring us back in time, or at least relish that fact that some of our traditions and values have endured, like the time last year when I was sitting at the bar at the Cowesett Inn and having a grand old holiday time with holiday-regulars that seem to pop in every Christmas.

While talking to a nice middle-aged couple next to me and explaining the history of West Warwick (they didn’t know and I didn’t tell them that I was a former West Warwick Mayor) and its important relationship with Warwick, having been part of Warwick until Patrick Quinn and the boys led a successful drive to form their own Town and of course their own government in 1913, I turned around to say hi to someone who tapped me on the back.

When I looked back to continue the conversation with the couple, I saw that their food had arrived and then what happened was the best Christmas event that I could ever imagine.

The couple bowed, joined hands, and said a soft prayer of thanks to the Lord.

That moment will forever be embedded in my Christmas thoughts.

A simple act of forgotten grace that is no longer common in our world.

 It’s a simple reminder that Christmas is not about places or food or decorations, but about family, faith and community.

It’s a season so powerful and important that it is celebrated all over the world

Not just in Christian countries but in countries that you would least expect.

As a frequent traveler to the Middle East, it was heartwarming to see their malls and stores decorated with Christmas splendor.

In their religion, Christ is still celebrated as an important prophet.  They also respect our beliefs.

 I am proud to have been raised in the “Valley”, where immigrant families came to provide a better life for the children.

Our history is alive with stories of the Italians, Irish, French-Canadian and Portuguese families, among others, working in the mills along the Pawtuxet River to the unmistakable clicks and hum of the warping machines.

We have so much to be thankful for.

 From the Levesque family home in Buttonwoods to yours, a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.