And carrot cake, too!

And carrot cake, too!

I remember, years ago, on Christmas Eve, listening to a staticky radio update on the jolly old elf’s progress from the North Pole. I was transfixed until the next update. It was, of course, a central, and magical, part of this special season. A decorated tree in the...
Merry Christmas, one and all!

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Christmas Day. From the terrifying duration of contractions in a dark barn on a cold night for a young teenage girl and her even more terrified fiancé-cum-midwife, to the birthing of a little boy, the early hours of this day crept forward. In the meantime, terror came...
The Best Gift!

The Best Gift!

Disclaimer: Should I sound here like Dickens’ Scrooge, let me say, I truly love all things Christmas: the decorating, the shopping, the gifting, the singing, the eating, the get togethers, and more. PD The story of Christmas has all but been eclipsed in our...
The unwrapped gift

The unwrapped gift

Better than all the gifts under the tree, better than the new car with the huge red bow atop, sitting in the driveway on Christmas morning (who does that, anyway?). Better than the very best news possible, we are the recipients of the supreme gift, the assurance that...
An ending, or fresh beginning?

An ending, or fresh beginning?

I was the kid who loved the start of the school year. New everything – books, supplies, teachers, subjects (some of which were enjoyed while others were . . .) By high school, the sense of community with other students was a great shaping factor of my life. There was...