Yes, the colossus of the holiday season, Christmas Day, is just around the corner. My packages are wrapped, the batteries have been freshened for all of my indoor and outdoor lights (I’m up to 96 “AA” ones and 24 “AAA” – maybe going the battery route wasn’t the wisest of moves after all), and I’m ready for all of the merriment that the next few weeks will bring. Until this past Tuesday, when after avoiding it for the last three…
Nothing makes me feel more like a little kid again than seeing all of the lights and decorations that light up the homes and businesses during the holiday season. Admit it, there are some places you’ll purposely drive past beginning in December just to see their annual display of festive décor. No doubt your family has their own annual favorites. For instance, in my family, everyone wants to go past the “electrician’s house” on St. Paul Road, drive through Byron…
Thanksgiving has come and gone, so now – yes – you’re allowed to go “whole hog” on your Christmas holiday celebrations. Listen to the 24 x 7 Christmas songs on the radio, get your fill of schlocky movies on “The Hallmark Channel”, and decorate your home (inside and out) to your heart’s content. This brings up the age-old question on timing. When, exactly, is one supposed to decorate for the holidays? Just like people, there are a lot of answers…
Well, Halloween has come and gone, so now we can all get amped up for the Christmas holiday season, right? Christmas songs have already started playing on the radio, Walt Disney World has their holiday decorations up, Mariah Carey announced that she is ready for the Christmas season (as if anyone cared), and retailers are touting their holiday deals. Hang on – how about we pump the brakes on all the “holly-jolly” there for a minute. Aren’t we forgetting something? …
Ahhhh, fall. Being out and about, I love the sights and sounds of autumn. The crunching leaves, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg, a hearty casserole, the Christmas shopping. Wait – what? The Christmas shopping? No doubt you’ve already seen some Christmas displays up at your local box stores or favorite department stores. Every year, retailers just can’t seem to get this stuff out fast enough. They’ve got Halloween decorations out in July, Thanksgiving never gets any love whatsoever, and…
Ahhhh, December. The merriment and joy of the holiday season is all around us – and after a full day of lugging down box after box of Christmas decorations from my attic, my house is finally adorned in its annual holiday splendor. There’s nothing better than sitting in my living room in the evenings, the room aglow with just the lights of the tree (and elsewhere in the room) providing all of the illumination. It’s cold outside, my fireplace is…
While this holiday weekend is being mark by cookouts, yard sales, graduations, and serves as the “unofficial” kick-off of a mask-less summer (if you’ve been vaccinated), it’s good to stop and take a moment or two to understand and think about what the Memorial Day holiday is all about. Unlike Armed Forces Day (May 15th) or Veteran’s Day (November 11th), Memorial Day is reserved to remember those men and women who served their country and are no longer with us. …
Only two weeks left, folks, and all over the four-state region, it really is starting to look and feel like the holidays have arrived. There’s even snow in the forecast for this week (poo-poo to you winter haters – I say bring on the holiday fluff!) Ever since I was a wee lad, one of my favorite holiday traditions was to drive (or ride) around and look at all of the houses that really went out of their way to…
Another Memorial Day weekend is upon us. Generally regarded as the unofficial “kick-off” to summer, this year’s festivities have been hampered by restrictions surrounding the global coronavirus pandemic. All over the country, weekend and summer plans are changing, vacations are being cancelled, and people are learning to celebrate the summer holidays in their own back yard. “I don’t understand why I have to sacrifice my vacation when I’m not sick,” – it’s a common response you’ll overhear from some overzealous…
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I too can get into the Christmas spirit. It begins with the annual decorating of the inside and outside of the house, which if you have kids, you quickly realize is one of the many highly anticipated events of the holiday season. Mine have been bugging me to trudge up into the attic and drag out the Christmas boxes ever since the turkey platter went cold on November 23rd. We were out of…