From the Editor
By Christopher Harris SEKYL Editor
The Personal Side of Christmas
Do you remember writing letters to Santa? Did you ever do that?
For many of us as kids, Christmas represented the ultimate expression of wish fulfillment. Those of us of a certain age( ahem) might thumb through the Sears catalog, a. k. a. the " Wish Book," a massive tome filled with pages and pages of the most magical toys one the market.
Youngsters like myself were most drawn to the posed displays of " Masters of the Universe " or " G. I. Joe " figures; others might have been more captivated by Hot Wheels, Barbie dolls, or Tonka trucks. Whatever the case, we saw what we wanted and we told our parents— and while they were expected to let Santa Claus know, it never hurt to write a letter to the big guy ourselves. It was more personal, after all.
For this year ' s holiday season edition of Southeast Kentucky Life magazine, I wanted to capture that feeling in our coverage of some of the community ' s key Christmas season events. We ' ve covered the Somerset-Pulaski County Christmas Parade, Christmas Island in Burnside, even the Eubank Christmas Cabin in the past, but this time, we ' ll feature letters from the people who make them possible, speaking in their own words about what makes this local holiday traditions so magical. It ' s warmer, it ' s more from the heart, and I think it ' s something that will make this a very special edition of SEKYL.
In Pulaski County, we also do the classics in a personal way. You can go to a fancy ballet theatre in a big city and see " The Nutcracker " performed by the professionals, but it ' s hardly more fun than seeing local children dress up as the familiar characters from the beloved Christmas staple and perform their little hearts out on stage each year. Britani Shoemaker of Pep & Pizzazz is the woman who has made that happen for over a decade now, and we profile her and the dance and cheer studio ' s one-of-a-kind " Nutcracker " production that has brought joy to so many over the years in this issue.
While Christmas is about wish fulfillment for many of us, less fortunate children don ' t get to enjoy a bounty under the tree the same way. Some even go hungry during a time of year when most of us are busy stuffing our faces with turkey and candy. Organizations like God ' s Food Pantry and the Somerset Junior Woman ' s Club with their Operation Angel Care project exist to do something about that, and we ' ll learn more about that in the pages that follow as well.
And I ' ll share something very personal— a story from my own childhood, of a year when we had to improvise what the Christmas tree in our house would look like because of challenging circumstances. I hope you enjoy this heartwarming true story about the Christmas bass.
All that, plus info on staying healthy during cold and flu season, the monthly " Ask the Readers " responses and more are featured in the most wonderful Southeast Kentucky Life of the year. However you celebrate the season— for me, that ' s with lots of Christmas lights, stockings hung by the fireplace with care, and of course remembering and honoring the birth of Jesus Christ— I hope this magazine is a bonus gift that spreads a little more cheer for you and yours!
December 2025 SEKY- Southeast Kentucky Life • 5