Every December, we’re reminded of what the season is supposed to feel like: hope, giving, joy, a little bit of magic. And just as often, we’re tempted to think those things exist somewhere else. Somewhere bigger. Somewhere brighter.
But if you slow down this time of year, you don’t have to look far.
You’ll find joy in a young baker who followed her passion and watched her community show up in return, one cookie box at a time. You’ll find it in familiar faces stopping in, sharing smiles, and leaving with something sweet made right here at home.
You’ll find giving in the quiet work of a community foundation, where generosity turns into opportunity and kindness planted years ago continues to bear fruit for the future.
You’ll find magic in the arts, in murals, music, classes and performances, often experienced without realizing how many hands worked behind the scenes to make creativity visible and accessible for all ages.
And you’ll find hope in a place that carries its name with intention. In a cemetery cared for not out of obligation, but out of respect, honoring those who came before us and reminding us that memory, too, is a form of love.
These stories aren’t extraordinary because they’re grand. They’re extraordinary because they’re close to home.
This Christmas edition of the True Dakotan weaves together four local stories that reflect the season’s most meaningful themes…not through spectacle, but through people. Neighbors. Volunteers. Creators. Caretakers. Hope, giving, joy and magic are not abstract ideas here. They live in kitchens, community rooms, art spaces and quiet corners of town.
And this time of year, that may be the greatest gift of all.
The Christmas greetings you’ll find throughout this edition are another way the season shows up close to home.
For half a century, Christmas in the True Dakotan has looked a little different than most.
Founded in 1975, the True Dakotan has long carried the tradition of local businesses, organizations and individuals placing Christmas greetings, a simple but meaningful way to pause, reflect and say thank you to the community they serve. While the landscape of local business has changed over the past 50 years, that tradition has remained.
Those greetings are more than holiday messages. They are expressions of gratitude, from neighbors to neighbors. They serve as an acknowledgment that local businesses are built not just on transactions, but on relationships.
This special Christmas edition weaves together stories of hope, giving, joy and magic found right here at home: in kitchens and classrooms, in community rooms and quiet places, in art and generosity. The Christmas greetings throughout these pages are part of that same story.
They reflect appreciation. They reflect connection. And they reflect the shared belief that community matters.
As you turn the pages, we encourage you to take time with both the stories and the greetings. More than 40 area businesses, organizations and individuals have chosen to share their thanks and Christmas wishes in this issue. These serve as a reminder that the spirit of the season is not something we observe from a distance, but something we participate in together.