December 2024 Newsletter

Dear Estrella Mountain Car Club,

December is the season of rituals, 31 days packed with cultural, religious, and family activities that brighten short days and create cherished memories. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, and don’t forget about New Year’s, rituals connect us to each other and to past and future generations.

My favorite – and one of the earliest I remember – is the annual visit to Santa Claus. As a boy growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I recall Mom taking all my brothers and sisters to sit on Santa’s lap at Halie’s department store on Euclid Ave. in Downtown Cleveland.

For me, as well as my siblings, the ritual instilled a sense of the magic of Christmas and resulted in photos that we still cherish today. The visits also reinforced good behavior through the year as we tried to avoid Jolly Old St. Nick’s naughty list.

Like all rituals, the visit to Santa carried multiple layers of meaning that revealed themselves as I grew older. Santa’s generosity and kindness (thank you for overlooking a few “naughty” incidents over the years!) served as an introduction to the power of giving to children everywhere.

Aside from some milk, a few cookies, and good behavior, Santa shared his wealth of toys and candy without getting anything in return. The joy of giving – and lighting up children’s faces on Christmas morning – was his reward.

Certain facts about Santa have come to light as we grew older. But his giving nature stayed with us, and as parents and now grandparents today, we use our own experiences to deepen the traditions for our children and grandchildren.

The rituals involving Santa are for many of us the starting point of a lifetime of giving. We give to others as Santa gave to us - for the joy we receive and the emotions it evokes. And it expands beyond family to our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even strangers.

A few weeks ago, I asked my kids to share stories about what motivates them to give, whether over the Holidays or the rest of the year. The response was humbling, and it made clear that there’s a little bit – or a lot – of Santa in all of us, regardless of faith.

For our daughter, Bobbie, letting people know how special they are to her and how grateful she is for them, is the way she lives her life. She also remembers that it’s OK to be a gift recipient because she realizes other people most likely enjoy giving as much as she does.

“ The thought that someone is just thinking about you is such a special feeling, particularly when you least expect it. I believe, as humans, we all want to be seen and cared about. Gift giving is one way to do that. Small or large, goofy or practical, or maybe even just a card with a special note, it’s the love and thoughtfulness of gifting that really enhances life .”

As a child, Rebecca tried to always listen to her grandmother, who gave, shared, and prayed for family members and friends
who needed assistance. Rebecca’s grandma always taught her
not to be selfish by giving and helping others.

“ As an adult, I’ve carried my grandma’s caring thoughts throughout my life and given back to the community, our family, and friends. As a child, we had what was needed yet didn’t have a lot, we were always thankful for what we had. Every day, I’m blessed that I can give back and share my blessings with others like Grandma did .”

Bill Jr. shared how he learned how to give as a child. When my dad allowed me to give used Hot Wheels I had to a friend who lived in a less fortunate family. The friend took it upon himself to share it with other friends and spread the joy of the present.

Today, Bill sends personal messages and special gifts to friends and co-workers.

“ Life is meant to be shared. For me, giving gifts is a celebration of the abundance and richness of life I have. I have a fulfilling career and lots of loving family, friends, and colleagues. It's my belief that sharing and giving back is an essential response to all the blessings I've received .”

Here is to wishing you and yours the very best over the Holidays Season and a Happy New Year to You All.

Best Regards,

Bill & Nancy Owen

The following members and significant others are celebrating birthdays this month.

Cruise to Cottonwood for Lunch: Jim and Patty did an outstanding job putting together the Cottonwood Cruise to Colt BBQ, the 14 cars ever one full of fun-loving folks in search of fine BBQ in Cottonwood AZ. The gang had a terrific time, with Chicken, Beef or Pork it had the best smoked/BBQ flavors you could ask for. The owners were terrific, giving everyone fine hospitality at the busiest eatery in Cottonwood. Menu has more items than anyone could ask for, IPA Beer, Ice Cold Draft as well wine and more. Good times were had by all to say the least.

Thank you, Jim, for yet another great cruise for all the EMCC members to enjoy.

A special car show will be held from 11 AM to 1 PM under the solar panels at the Starpointe Residents Club. Club members will showcase their vehicles, and EMR residents are invited to enjoy the display while dropping off their toy donations in the provided boxes.

This campaign offers a wonderful opportunity to brighten someone’s holiday, whether through donations or participation. We encourage everyone to join us in making a difference.

We’re thrilled to announce that approximately 75 people have already registered for this year’s Christmas Party! 

There’s always room for more, so if you’re interested but haven’t registered yet, now’s the time! Don’t miss out on the festivities—secure your spot today.

We can’t wait to celebrate with all of you!

We sent out an email to all members about some issues processing online payments for the Christmas Party. GoDaddy confirmed that a caching issue caused website errors, resulting in saved data displaying incorrectly and potentially leading to double charges. To address this, they reconfigured the caching plugin and cleared the cache. We’ve since processed three transactions without any duplications.

While the issue appears to have been isolated to one member's data, the club is committed to safeguarding your information and ensuring this does not happen again. Following GoDaddy’s recommendation, the board has approved a plan to implement a security upgrade from GoDaddy.  The cost of the upgrade is approximately $400 for a three-year package. However, by eliminating an unneeded product, we will offset about $200 of this expense. As the initial $400.00 expenditure exceeds the $150 threshold, it will require that members vote to approve it by clicking here by noon Monday December 2nd.