Christmas Letter 2023

Dear Friends,

I really can’t believe that I’ve been sending a Christmas Letter for 32 years now. Each letter tries to summarize the year and find some spiritual lesson that ties into Christmas. Sometimes, I have an idea of what that will be as I sit down to write; often – like now – I have no idea and pray to God that He guides my thoughts. We’ll see how this goes.

Most of you know, ever since I moved back to my hometown in 2011, I have been renovating something – in addition to a marketing day job. (Actually, I was renovating in Nashville prior to that also with two houses, but I digress). I’ve been working on a downtown, nearly-5,000-sq.-ft. structure that was built prior to 1900, for…oh…about four years. But I will actually finish that project tomorrow, which is hard to believe after being there every night and weekend for years.

I bought the building to save it, not knowing what I would actually do with it. My path was led to design it for a coffee shop, restaurant with bar and event space experience. Most of this year was trying to find the right tenant who would take on that challenge - taking the risk of a restaurant business and taking a risk on a small town and region.

Front of building when I purchased it.

side of building before restoration and after portion of wall was torn down.

Tearing down the back wall; this entire section would be rebuilt include new roof and new foundation (and so much more).

I did presentations to companies in Nashville and Chicago, with both companies making the journey to Carterville to see the space. I researched coffee shops and restaurants within three hours who might want another location and invited them to a VIP event, which also included local folks who might help the effort. And I prayed.

In last year’s Christmas letter, I wrote, “Let’s all pray that it all works out, because I am going by faith and I savor the day to see the space as a community gathering space, a downtown anchor and a regional draw that will make us proud. God willing, as they say.”

God was willing. Today and the past few days, I’ve enjoyed seeing people “gather” at this beautifully restored space that was once an eyesore. Thanks to two guys who were right in front of me (basically) and who God must have convinced that taking on a restaurant business in this space was the right thing for them, plus some amazing tradesmen that stuck with me for four years, we now have Montgomery’s Place in Carterville, Illinois – a coffee shop, restaurant and bar offering and named after the original business that was in this historic building. The food is amazing and the marketing/design work makes me proud – both so perfect for the space.

current photos of the “131” space.

SELZ ROYAL BLUE SHOE AD RESTORED, NEW WINDOWS, “NEW” ANTIQUE DOORS, BACK EVENT SPACE COMPLETED, PLUS A SIDEWALK PROVIDED.

Recently, I wrote a Facebook post that some of my close friends commented, “There’s your Christmas letter.” You can read the post here, but basically it was about having a meeting at Montgomery’s Place and a young couple briefly interrupted the meeting in order to meet me. They were originally from Southern Illinois, had lived in St. Louis and decided to move back to the area. They chose Carterville because of the downtown revitalization, said my building reminded them of Lafayette Square in St. Louis. They said they were considering renovating a downtown building and would I be willing to meet with them sometime about this. At the time, this encounter was a moment that I personally needed.

So often, we put our focus in our careers or people or sports or whatever, and all too often, these things can fall short of our expectations or our potential. I was reminded in that moment that God always has a plan for us, and for whatever reason, I know that more than ten years ago, He led my path back to my hometown and gave me a passion for preserving historic structures and downtown revitalization. And knowing that passion may inspire others to do the same, was personally gratifying.

I would say to all of us as we celebrate God’s greatest gift – the birth of His son, Jesus, who saves us from sin and provides eternal life for those who accept and seek Him – what are we doing to make a real difference in our communities and what is our passion? Our lives are short – time goes so fast – and it can be so easy to try to keep up with society of career titles, material things, certain achievements, whatever; or to feel like community change and doing God’s will always has to be in a box of a certain charity or church mission. Sometimes it is simply sticking with a four-year renovation project with this mission of a community gathering space.

I will say that my passion has been narrow focused on getting this building completed. With the time that I’ve spent focused on renovating this space, I’ve missed some family time, lost connections with life-long friends, have not taken enough time for my spiritual or physical health needs. I hope to make up for some of that time now – more antique trips with Mom, more roads traveled to friends, more time to exercise (God, give me the desire!) and to seek God and His will daily. I swear, my only immediate renovation project will be to organize my garage and closets.

What is your passion? What change do you plan to make in 2024? Through the hustle and bustle of online shopping and cooking, let’s challenge ourselves to pause and determine what “renovation’ we will make in our lives for 2024.

I didn’t find a great transition in this year’s letter to relate this to Mary and Joseph and the overall Christmas Story. After 32 years, sometimes it’s tough to do that. Perhaps for all of us, it is simply to be mindful to continue to seek the star, the miracle of His birth, and guidance that Jesus brought to all of us so many years ago.

In years past, this letter would be mailed in a card to about 100 folks and I would invite those who returned “home” (Carterville), to meet at a local food place for breakfast. Now, I simply post online and this year, I will tell friends who would like to gather that you’ll find me doing some minor touch-up painting in the back space of Montgomery’s Place tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 23) morning if you want to have coffee/breakfast/lunch and visit. All our welcome and I hope you enter the antique doors several times throughout 2024.

Merry Christmas,

Jennifer