Tell the Person Who Can Fix It

If you live in a place like Florida for example, this word probably doesn’t mean much to you – winter, cold, or furnace. See, during the summer you don’t give your furnace a thought, but in the winter up north it makes life bearable. That’s why...

Coming Home for Christmas

It was a Kleenex moment that Christmas season, for sure. Like the first Christmas, there was a newborn baby involved, but no manger. How about a Jumbotron screen at an Anaheim Ducks hockey game, of all places? Sergeant First Class Robert Vandenberg had been gone for...

The Christmas Invitation

It was the biggest night of the year in a little town called Cornwall. It was the night of the annual Christmas pageant. Since there are no nearby malls or cities to compete with, the pageant is pretty much packed out every year. It’s an especially big deal for...

The Open Door at the Manger

It was Christmas Eve, and the Hutchcraft family was acting out the Christmas story. Our daughter was Mary, with a towel draped over her head. Our oldest son was Joseph, bathrobe and all. Our then two-year-old son was the closest we could come to a baby, so he was in...

Strange Words For a Christmas Mom

Visiting people who are in the hospital – I’m guessing that’s not your favorite thing to do. A lot of times it’s hard to know what to say to the person; especially if their condition is serious. But there are some visits where it’s easy...

How Christmas Rightsizes the World

One of the amusing sides of Christmas is people shopping in departments they never otherwise shop in – generally clueless. Let me give you an example that I can relate to – men shopping in the ladies clothing department. Oh, we’re a mess. Now, if you...