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Rounding Third: A smaller, imperfect Christmas

Planning for Christmas perfection should be simple by now. I’ve been doing this holiday countdown for so many decades that I should have the decorating, baking and meal prep perfected. Fuggedabouddit. I’m lost as usual. I have no one but myself to blame. Isn’t our American Christmas supposed to be a feast for the senses? Somewhere along the line I must have read too many magazines with pictures of holiday perfection. Isn’t that the magazine’s goal – to create that desire? Years ago, that idea worked on me. I bought in. Yup, my holiday home should be visually festive ...

View from Hickory Heights: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Most of you are familiar with the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. People have tried to calculate what it would cost to give these gifts today, but have had little success since some of them are no longer possible to give. Years ago, I heard a radio announcer talk about the origin of this song. I contacted them and asked for their information. They sent it along with a note. It is said to be an urban legend. Now I have a book that I purchased with information about Christmas songs. In that book it talks about the origin. I am so glad I happened upon this. In ...

Rounding Third: The annual Christmas tree challenge

Our Christmas tree finally went up last Sunday. This year, a large flock of early-bird decorators decided to trot out Christmas w-a-a-a-y before Advent. During an evening drive a few weeks before Thanksgiving, I saw lit trees in many living rooms, bright windows, and outdoor lights on the bushes and trees. I suspect many of these lights were put up as their orange Halloween bulbs came down. I don’t really mind people rushing the season so much. It’s just the guilt I feel when our house is bare and the world around me is already festive. One of these years, I would like my ...

Trump’s win is already making the U.S. safer

Certain network shows, including “The View” passionately supported Kamala Harris. After Donald Trump’s decisive victory, their hosts experienced “meltdowns.” “What’s wrong with Americans?” was a general, whining question. A majority of Americans simply disapproved of the following: the crippling of American energy independence; excess federal spending; steep inflation; an invasion by millions through an intentionally weakened border;’sanctuary cities’ failing to protect citizens from migrant crimes; “unfreezing” Iranian assets which enabled Iran to ...

View from Hickory Heights: Nativity sets

First, let me say we did not have a nativity scene in our home when I was growing up. The only thing I had was a small plastic version to hang on the tree. When I was teaching Sunday school, I bought those ornaments for my students. I still have the one that was left over. I always purchased more than I needed because there could be a visitor on that Sunday before Christmas. My mother found the figures for the Nativity in a small gift shop inside of the bakery on Central Avenue in Dunkirk. It was a beautifully carved wooden set. She purchased it for her new home. She remarried the year ...

Shedding through the holidays

Walter, my son’s wonderful white Labrador retriever, always accompanies Bart when he comes for the holidays. We traveled to my daughter’s house in Lexington, Mass. for Thanksgiving, arriving one day after Bart and Walter. By then, Walter had molted his first layer of fur throughout the house – his annual autumn shed. Walking over the hardwood floors, just the movement of foot traffic caused his coarse white hairs to gather into furry whorls that ran along the baseboards. The first time I used the powder room, I noticed a clump of white dog hair attached to my shoe. Labradors have ...