It’s kind of amazing how much my holiday traditions have changed over the years. There are always reasons for the changes, and I like the new traditions, but sometimes I get nostalgic for the old traditions. For example, when we were kids, my family always decorated the tree on Christmas Eve. That fell away when…
A little while ago, my brother pointed something out to me. He has two nieces and one nephew, but no way to refer to them as a collective. When talking about his brothers’ kids, he always has to say, “Nieces and nephew.” I had never thought of it until he mentioned it, but he’s right….
Charles Dickens wrote a piece called “A Christmas Tree” as a magazine article. In it, he describes a gathering of people admiring a Christmas tree. Then he goes on to describe all the memories that get triggered by the sight. He remembers childhood toys, food, and ghost stories among other things. Until this year, the…
