Faith & Religion

This past week I received a text from a friend - “Did you hear the news - Betty White just passed away?” We texted back and forth a few times about the passing of this remarkable comedian/actress who was just weeks shy of her 100th birthday. It seems that almost everybody loved Betty. From her work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show to The Golden Girls, Betty was always a hit. She lived an incredible life, working until the end. She once even remarked, “Why retire from something if you’re loving and enjoying it so much? What would I do with myself?” One of her long-time friends even referred to her as a “national treasure.”

Here we are again - another New Year to usher in and along with it the proverbial New Year’s resolutions! The list, of course, is endless and is usually framed around self-improvement— read more books, be a nicer person, exercise, don’t eat so many jelly donuts, etc. But almost 50% of those who make these resolutions break them within the first month. So, this year I’ve decided to stick to making only one new resolution. I’ve determined this year not just to survive but to thrive! That’s my resolution! Thrive!!

Christmas is over, but I bet many of you still have your trees and decorations up! What is it about this year? It’s been a rough one and I, for one, just hate to see the joy and sheer delight of the season come to an end. This Christmas - more than others - has been a wonderful diversion from all the craziness going on! So - just to hang on for one more week, here are some holiday tidbits to extend your season a bit.

A little over fifty-five years ago - can you believe it, 55?! - Charles Schulz’s animated musical “A Charlie Brown Christmas” aired for the very first time. The special hit our TV’s on Dec. 9, 1965 and our friend Charlie Brown became famous for his pitiful little Christmas tree! The story was actually a commentary on the loss of the true spirit of Christmas and the selection of his forlorn tree was to protest the commercialization of Christmas. The story ends on an amazing note as poor ol’ Charlie Brown asks, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Linus reassures him by famously reciting the Christmas story from Luke 2. Such a terrific Christmas story - both of them!

Gifts! Gifts! Gifts! People sure love getting and giving them year round don’t they?! And it seems at Christmas, it gets ramped up to full speed ahead! So, besides baking every cookie known to man, fully decorating your home - inside & out - sending cards to people you rarely see, and attending all sorts of holiday events - you now find yourself shopping your head off for scores of people. But what to buy?? The million dollar question for sure.