It is fitting that we celebrate this joyous holiday season as the calendar comes to a close.  It gives us a chance to reflect on the many blessings we’ve enjoyed over the past year.  The greatest gift nearly all of us experience is the comfort, support, and love of our families.  Our moms and dads, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and especially our children, give us so much joy, and the holidays give us a glorious chance to share new memories with them that will last a lifetime.
 

      2009 has been a year filled with many challenges.  Nearly every Texan has someone in their family, their neighborhood, or their place of worship who has lost a job and is looking for work.  And while the economy began to show some growth in the third quarter, it seems likely that high unemployment and economic uncertainty will continue through most of 2010.  During times of hardship like these, we are reminded once again that “no man or woman is an island” and our lives are connected to one another.  
      

      We must also be willing to lend a helping hand to strangers.  For those of us who have been given much, much is expected.  The birth of Jesus over 2,000 years ago is a beacon to all of God’s children to “love one another, even as I have loved you” and “by this, all men will know that you are My disciples.” (John 13:34-35)  
 

      There are many excellent Texas charities worthy of a thoughtful donation, including the Houston-based Collaborative for Children, which is working to help local families rebuild from Hurricane Ike.  The Boys & Girls Club, which has scores of branches across our state, is a first-class organization that is inspiring young men and women to achieve their full potential.  The USO is also an indispensable organization that provides vital assistance to Texas’ heroes and their families.  Every day, almost 150 troops arrive at DFW Airport, and the USO is there to welcome them home.  They are always looking for volunteers, especially during this time of year.
 

     As we wake up on Christmas morning, unwrap the presents beneath our tree, and take pictures of the special moments that will last a lifetime, we should also pause to remember our brave men and women in uniform and their families.  It is their sacrifice that keeps us safe and free.  It is their patriotism that gives us the opportunity to enjoy the holiday season in peace.  While we carry on our traditions, they stand vigilant thousands of miles away from their loved ones.  And since they are serving in active warzones, fighting terrorists and jihadists, there is the always the danger that at any moment they may be forced to make the greatest sacrifice of all.  
 

      As 2009 draws to a close, and a new year beckons before us, we should look forward to unexpected opportunities while also bracing for unique challenges.  It is essential, however, that we approach the unknown with a spirit of optimism, hope, and resilience.  As President Reagan once said, “No weapon in the arsenal of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.”  That was true in President Reagan’s time, and it is just as true today.
 

      I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas, New Year, and holiday season.  This is a time for people of all faiths in this great nation to come together as one. As long as God affords me the privilege, I pledge to keep working for Texas and America, advocating the ideas and principles that have made our state and country great for two centuries.  And I will never forget: “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son…not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

Kay Bailey Hutchison is the senior U.S. Senator from Texas and is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.