Greetings and good cheer! I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Every year the holiday season offers an opportunity to gather, to set aside differences, and to solidify the relationships that are important to us. I don’t know about your family, but mine represents a very wide spectrum of the political landscape. To successfully navigate family relationships when we congregate means exercising and honing every diplomatic skill we possess just to get by the first course! It can be exhausting, but well worth the effort to share remembrances and our latest family news, recognizing that we have a shared history and hopes for the future. We are, in fact, a microcosm of the nation at large.

With the results of the midterm elections all but certified and one final runoff election for a Georgia Senate seat to go, we can see the deep divisions that persist. Divisions driven by fears—sometimes real but magnified out of all proportion. Fears about our democracy, fears about losing our way of life, fears about not being able to advance our economic futures or those of our children. Fear of the other.

Rational thinking is not possible when you are feeling fearful. I can’t do it, so I can’t expect others to. So, for this holiday season, I plan to listen more and stop trying to make my point and convince others that they are wrong about their own feelings. Trying to change how people feel and act is a losing proposition.

Instead, I will look harder at the inequities in the systems that we have created and try changing those. That endeavor takes a village, and that’s where you come in. Our village of League members can do a lot—together.

So please look at our “Save the Dates” section and update your calendars. Consider your talents and interests, look at the committees listed in this newsletter (see the Grapevine section), contact one of the chairpersons, and arrange to sit in on a meeting. We have work to do, along with lots of celebrating! Our Program Planning session is going to give us a chance to decide our local priorities. In other words, what challenges will we take up during the New Year? How are we going to make a difference in the lives of the communities we serve? How will we make sure democracy works for everyone? Our Immigration, Social Justice, and Natural Resources Committees have definite ideas about what can be done. Add your thoughts, voice, and energy to your favorite cause. Let’s do something!

And, of course, this being the holiday season, we can’t forget to celebrate our work. Register for our Holiday Celebration on December 8 and watch your email for the invitation to our League Birthday Celebration on February 4. We must remember to have fun as we travel the long and winding road.

Standing in solidarity with Ukraine and Iranian protesters,

—Martha Y. Zavala