The Best and Worst Dads of Christmas

There are lessons aplenty in Christmas. There are heroes and villains, stories of redemption and forgiveness, good guys and bad guys. As we approach the season of Father’s Day my mind has been resting on the influence of Dads on Christmas. There...

Vacation…or Christmas?

School is out, the coals from the Memorial Day holiday are cool and I’m facing a question from my family I don’t want to answer: what are we doing for summer vacation? In better times summer vacation was automatic. While we have never...

Real Christmas Trees Are a Real Pain

It is spring and we’re growing things. Every year we plant a garden, green up the lawn and compete with this season’s version of trying to out-do the neighbors. We do the same thing with Christmas lights each fall. The neighborhood looks...

Loving Our Valentine’s Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree is still up. The lights outside are down, the Christmas wreath is off the door and the stockings are no longer hung by the chimney with care. But the Christmas tree is still up, doggone it. And we’re not nuts. We’re...

Grinch Remake: Bah Humbug

Maybe it is the cold, dark grey of winter outside my window that spoils my Christmas spirit on a day like this. But reading of plans for a new animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas has me feeling blue. First of all, consider who has...

The Power of the Christmas Card

A story out of Bloomington, Indiana today tells of a one time service man receiving a Christmas card from total strangers while serving in Vietnam. The year was 1966 and the man was then 27 years old. He received the card while stationed outside of...

Yeah, I Listen to Neil Diamond

I read with some interest this opinion piece from a St. Louis publication concerning the Christmas music of Neil Diamond. The piece features a large image of a nondescript middle aged white guy (the writer of the article) — a guy that kind of...

Christmas Blues: A Soft Light Blue for Me

Ah, the post holiday. You hear and read a lot right now about the PCB’s (a.k.a. Post Christmas Blues). I even heard today on the radio that January 14th is the bluest day of the year. They say the “glow” of the holiday season is over. ...