Short stories and photos shared with humor and love
My second favorite Christmas tree has hit a rough patch. A handful of messages alerted me to its struggles. “Have you seen the tree in City Park?” my friend Jeannie texted. “Looks like the wind got the better of it. We will have to go down there and string up lights.” Naturally, I popped downtown [...]
It takes me a long time to hang my Christmas ornaments because each one tells a story. There’s the garlic ornament that connects me to my dad’s hometown in Colver, Pennsylvania. My friend Nick made me that ornament and I think about him each time I hang it. Nick’s a retired coal miner who sends [...]
My second favorite Christmas tree stands tall and strong in the middle of City Park. My favorite is my own. But that second favorite tree? That's our community's, and every year during the holiday season it offers us every good thing about the season. The lights on that tree stand for hope and beauty in [...]
It dawned on me as I tramped through the woods on a brisk Sunday afternoon, that some of the most beautiful Christmas trees don't need any decorations at all. In fact, one I spotted as I rounded a corner near a pond, looked even more stunning than the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Wearing a regal white [...]
My Dad loved Christmas. Every year, he hung a giant wreath from our balcony, strung lights on the bushes outside, hauled a giant, fresh tree into the house and supervised the ornament placement. He did his own Christmas shopping as well, mostly on Christmas Eve day, although one year he spent weeks building and painting [...]