Sunday Soundtrack: New Year’s Edition

So it’s not Sunday. That’s fine. None of us can remember what day it is at the tail end of the year anyhow. Since it is a fresh new year, this tune reflects what I’ve decided my word for the year will be: intention The past few years have been bumpy, what with children leaving for college, growing older, school drama (listen to teachers, folks), and the rocky political...
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Sunday Soundtrack: The Christmas Scoop

My children will be the first to tell you that I draw a hard line when it comes to the Christmas season. I have been known to stop dead in the aisle at Target and shriek if I spot Christmas items on display before the trick-or-treaters have come by, and we always wait until after the turkey coma and football before even thinking about Saint Nick or red and green home decor. But since I have a...
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Valentine’s Fun

This is an adorable French animation called Cupidon. Poor Cupid has one job…...
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Fear Not

Anyone who grew up when I did learned to love the Charlie Brown Christmas special. We talk about Charlie Brown trees at the lot, those poor things that are more stick than needles. We know all the words to “Christmas Time Is Here.” We know exactly how awful pink aluminum Christmas trees are, no matter what today’s fashionable magazines tell us is “on trend.” But the...
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First Footings

New Year’s Day is a big deal in the Scottish culture. Trust me, you haven’t partied until you’ve done it with people in kilts and bagpipes. “Auld Lang Syne” was written by Robert Burns, remember? Hogmanay, as the celebration is called, has a number of traditions, but one of the most fun is the First Footing. According to Scottish tradition, the first person to cross the threshold of your home in...
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