ESCANABA — Well, it’s that time of year when people start saying “Well, it’s that time of year” again. It’s that time of year to start our Christmas shopping or for you annoying people to tell the rest of us about how you already had your shopping all done back in July. It’s that time of year to complain about the Christmas stuff being out in the stores before the turkey has even had his day in the spotlight. It’s that time of year to get ready for Whamageddon (Google it if you don’t know) and the wave of Mariah Carey Muzak that is about to be unleashed on us. It’s time to check the battery in the car and put on the snow tires and get ready to start parking in our front yards instead of on the street. Does anyone actually have snow tires anymore? That’s a rhetorical question.

The point is that the seasons, they are a changin’ and, like it or not, there are a few things that come with that transition into a crepuscular world. Thankfully a good number of those things aren’t anywhere near as dark as the days that we have ahead of us.

There are the times with family that many have to look forward to. I’d venture to say that there isn’t another period of year that brings people together twice in a 30 day span like Thanksgiving and Christmas often do. And while you might not enjoy your weird uncle’s company, try and appreciate him anyway. You never know when he, or anyone else, will be gone.

There will be that night when, no matter how much you dislike the snow and cold, you’ll look outside and think “Wow! This is just beautiful” and you’ll smile to yourself.

There will be that hope that somehow manages to find its way into our thoughts and souls as the new year approaches. If things were bad, there is hope they will get better. If things were fabulous then hopefully there’s no reason to think that they should do anything but stay on that path. Embrace that hope and make it work for you.

This is the time of year when we make plans for next summer. It may seem like it’s too far in the future to even think about. It might feel like the days of sunshine at 10 p.m. are a century away, but they’re not. Those days will be here again before you know it. Make plans. Give yourself something to look forward to. My Grandfather always said that having something to look forward to was one of his three secrets to a long life and he made it to just shy of a century. What were the other two secrets you might ask? I guess you’ll have to tune in to a future column of mine to find out. But, in the meantime, make some plans.

I know it can be difficult and sometimes it feels downright impossible, to keep a cheerful outlook in the face of the cold and darkness, but you’re a Yooper dang it. You were built for this. The winter is part of your DNA. You are here to shovel snow and chew bubblegum and you’re all out of bubblegum. You’ll earn a couple of bonus points from me if you know what movie I stole that from, but I digress.

So, what does all this positivity have to do with the Delta County Chamber of Commerce you might ask? Well, aside from generally being the home to great amounts of happiness and optimism, the Chamber is also the entity that brings you the Sleigh the Deals promotion for the holidays. Last year Sleigh the Deals brought a $1,000 stocking stuffer to one individual and this year, with a couple of tweaks to our rules, we’re hoping to spread joy to more happy shoppers.

So that’s it. Keep an eye out for the details of the new Sleigh the Deals promotion to drop in the coming weeks and keep working on that attitude towards the inevitable Winter.

Follow the Delta County Chamber of Commerce on Facebook for information about all our planned activities as well as news from area businesses. As always, your friends at the Chamber wish you the best and hope that the upcoming Holiday Season can be a magical one for you and yours.

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Mark Cowman is with the Delta County Chamber of Commerce