Mystery gift from afar It was an unexpected arrival – and as I strolled back from the mailbox I was full of anticipation at the surprise package from my father. Small, the size of a box full of checks, what on earth could this possibly contain – and why? It was between holidays – right after Thanksgiving and enough “before Christmas” not to be a Christmas gift. I smiled with delight. Packages from home and my parents were always fun. And in this case, somewhat mysterious, given the timing. In the house, I carefully cut through the layers of clear packing tape that encased the box. As I lifted the lid off, there was a note labelled in my father’s unmistakable handwriting: Care Package. Like any kid with a new toy, I laid the note aside (the adult kid did this very carefully) and then I just stared at the contents.    I took another look. Jumbled together in the bottom of the box were not quite a dozen crumpled red and silver foil balls, some with narrow wire sticking from...

  Another year, another memory? What memories will you make this year?  Get ready to share them! Vecteezy obtained 12-28-2024 " Martha, w hy do you do so much cooking and baking every holiday? Don't your daughters and daughters-in-law take over that work?" I overheard this question from among a group of ladies at a senior center several years ago. Martha's answer has always stuck with me and brings up an interesting viewpoint. "One of my most cherished memories of my grandmother was that she always made the most wonderful foods for each holiday. Yes, my mother and aunts cooked and baked, too, but Grandma's foods had that special ingredient of love, because of her extra effort. Grandma always cooked for the holidays. " I want my grandchildren to remember me that way , that I always cooked for the holidays." Vecteezy obtained 12-28-2024 Once, when my son was about 25 years old, he told me he remembered that, when he was a kid (5 or 6 years earlier), ...