Columnists

Yes, Virginia, there was an editorial about the credibility of Santa Claus, appearing more than 100 years ago in The New York Sun. It was written by Francis Pharcellus Church, an assistant to the paper’s editor.

The other day I was admiring, er … critically assessing my Christmas tree and its many ornaments. Ever notice a trend in ornaments? Back in the ’50s there were bubble lights and fragile but brightly colored glass retro ornaments – although in the ’50s you wouldn’t exactly refer to them as “retro.” But we can trace the trends of the decades just by looking at our Christmas trees.

Q: My friend told me that her labradoodle, Frank, has been diagnosed with “reverse sneezing.” I have never heard a dog sneeze. Is this really sneezing? What causes this?

Traditions of Christmas can be hard to change. New traditions may face some resistance. I have been caught between the old and new before. With the easygoing nature of my family, anything new or different has been completely embraced as part of the celebration.

Our society is notably multi-ethnic, and along with that characteristic is the corollary of being very diverse in religion. Any sizeable workplace can have employees practicing a dozen different religions. This leads many Christians to downplay their own faith in an effort to avoid offending coworkers.

As I finish this column on the Monday after the Connecticut school shooting tragedy, I just dropped my daughter off at her school with more nervousness and trepidation than ever before. Like most people, I am filled with the sadness and sickness that comes with this horror.  And, like most parents, I am terrified by a thought too horrible to completely manifest, but one that we have all had in the last few days.  

Jack London State Historic Park was created in 1959 when a small portion – about 40 acres – of Jack London’s 1,400-acre Beauty Ranch was acquired by the state, partly through a gift from London’s nephew and an heir to the London estate.

With Christmas just a few days away and New Year’s just around the corner, many folks are feeling overwhelmed from overindulging, overspending and just flat out overdoing. Taking a lesson from the Christmas cactus, perhaps we can gain a little perspective and take some of the edge off.

With the holidays fast approaching, my thoughts turn to family gatherings, gift-giving and sparkling wine - not necessarily in that order. Since the topic of family gatherings would far exceed the limited word count of this column, I will focus on gift ideas for the wine lover on your list and sparkling wines that can be essential to getting through family gatherings.