The tree looks magnificent. Your kids did a great job decorating the parts you assigned to them; you took pictures this year, because they really outdid themselves. So you’re ready – almost – for the holidays, except for those few tricky gifts that you just can’t seem to figure out. How about books? Easy to
At this season every year, I re-read Charles Dickens’ holiday classic “A Christmas Carol.” So as a devotee, I was hesitant about “Spirited,” Apple-TV’s wild, woolly, wise-cracking new musical based on that beloved book. But actually, I really enjoyed it. And despite a few missteps, I think Dickens would like it too. Starring Will Ferrell,
Ever notice how nostalgia seems to play a vital role in the holiday season? You carefully resurrect old family traditions, dig out grandma’s grease-spattered recipes, bedeck your tree with 50-year-old ornaments, and your teenage kids — normally devoted to trendy new music — happily subject themselves to Sinatra, Burl Ives, Andy Williams and Vince Guaraldi;
Boots are ubiquitous for winter, and while quality snow boots are worth the investment for the harshest weather, a person can’t live on snow boots alone during these colder months. And why should one deprive oneself of a robust boot season when there are so many types of boots out there? You got your rain
It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I wanted to spend the day in the kitchen to help my week along after I got home from church. So much to do and so little time, and I knew it would benefit me to just get a jump start on things. I started by cutting up the
You don’t know whether to run or scream in fear. Or maybe both. When you see whatever it is that scares you to the point that you’re a babbling puddle of mess, well, it’s no longer a fight-or-flight thing – it’s just plain flight. Funny, you’re normally big and brave, fearless to the end, so
Every year, thousands of athletes around the world compete in high adrenaline competitions called lumberjack competitions or timber sports. On a regional level, competitions are organized by the Pennsylvania Professional Lumberjack Organization (PPLO). North Central PA is honored that local athlete Dominic Ruckle took home this year’s Axeman of the Year award for the PPLO.
This past Sunday, the Christian world entered the season of Advent. Advent prepares us for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ in much the same way Lent prepares us to remember His suffering, death, and resurrection. While Advent is associated with Christmas, its greater purpose is to serve as an annual reminder of
We made it to Thanksgiving week! I hope the last few weeks of reading my columns have helped you prepare for this glorious Thanksgiving season. As you gather with family and friends from near and far, remember how much we have to be thankful for. Count your many blessings; name them one by one, count
You do not need a dog. You can tick off the reasons: you don’t have time or money for a dog. There is no room in your house. You don’t have a yard. You already have a dog (or two). You do not need another but — once you’ve read “The Year of the Puppy”
“Till” is the best new movie I’ve seen this year — and unlike many films about race, it does not contain a “white savior.” Focused on the 1955 lynching of a 14-year-old black boy in Mississippi, the galvanizing “Till” scarcely has a single white character — with the notable exception of completely worthless jurors and
No sooner has the hubbub of Halloween settled down then Thanksgiving comes along, and it’s non-stop until New Year’s Day. At least, it feels that way, with it seeming to speed up each year. As we prepare for another Thanksgiving, I, of course, am thinking about what to wear for my family and me. Like
