Lifestyle

Whether Santa needs some ideas for you or there’s a gardener you’re stumped shopping for, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert has some holiday gift ideas.

B Dear Aunt B, I have young children. I want to make Christmas special. I want there to be meaning, not just flash. I do like the flash of the holidays, but I want more. I don’t know how to compete with all my children’s friends and their families. How can I have fun and make meaning too? I also want to start traditions, and I don’t have a clue. Any ideas?

“I want to quit my job.” I said these words to my husband through tears one evening. He knew it was coming. I had been unhappy for years. In fact, I hadn’t wanted to return to this particular job after the death of my daughter. 2008 had been a horrifying year, financially and otherwise. It is hard to lose the sorts of things we lost: a child, my health, our home, both of our jobs. Recessions are not for sissies. So, eventually, I had returned to that career. It was as awful as I remembered, but a home to rent and the smell of food on the table was more important than my feelings. Yet, there we sat, in 2010, living in that rented home we could not afford to buy, driving cars purchased more for impressing our neighbors than commuting, and working hours that left us impossibly strained and exhausted. Welcome to America, huh? From the outside, we looked fine. If you got close, however, the strains and cracks and imperfections were showing, like a China pitcher with a chip. Just turn it to the back of the cabinet. Hide it. That conversation netted us more than just a game plan to escape. It led to a chain of events that culminated in owning Fancy, the best truck in the free world.

The majority of people hear Christmas and naturally think of December 24 and 25. For millions of Christians, these two dates mark Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, respectively, which is when Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. In fact, the word Christmas comes from the phrase 'Mass of Christ.' However, there are certain faithful who will not be celebrating Christmas on December 25. These are namely those who belong to Orthodox, Greek Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox churches, among others. These churches primarily trace their origins to Eastern Europe and portions of Asia and Africa, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Greece, Armenia, and Ethiopia. The churches utilize the former Julian calendar for religious observations. This places Christmas on January 7. It also is believed that 12 days after Jesus was born, three magi visited him to shower him with blessings and gifts, an event known as the Epiphany. Some recognize Christmas as occurring on this day, which is January 6. In fact, the 'true' Christmas holiday takes place between Christ's birth and the Epiphany, or the 12 days of Christmas. Candlemas, which comes 40 days after Christmas, also is considered the official end of the Christmas season for some.

Texas Christmas tree production continues to hold strong despite impacts from extreme drought, according to a Texas A&M Forest Service expert.

Millions of people around the world rely on plasma to treat a range of conditions, including rare inherited diseases, severe burns and trauma, liver disorders, and for cancer supportive care.

Jacob Braude tells the story of a man who hadn’t seen an old friend in years. “How is your wife?” the man asked.

I remember that random Sunday in the fall, somewhere in 1987. Dillan was just a baby. It was the first, or maybe the second, year car seats for babies became a thing. He wasn’t walking yet, at any rate. We had been to my in-law's house that day, a lazy, enjoyable family time. It had gotten dark on our way home. We had a dog in the backyard, and I was anxious to see him, feed him. Our bedroom in this tiny first house had a door to the outside you could enter from the carport. That’s the one we used as a daily entrance/exit. I had Dillan on my left hip in order to turn the key with my right hand and use my alternate hip to bump the door open, a classic mom move. The air smelled funny, as I recall. I saw many things all at once, though none of them made sense. The curtains were blowing. I had left a window up. But, the window opening was pitch black. Where was the window screen? Why were my underwear on the floor? Where was the lovely console television we’d purchased from the rent-to-own store? It wasn’t until I heard my husband’s voice that I snapped into reality. “We’ve been robbed. Get back into the car, now. He could still be inside.” One drive to the police station later, I sat at the desk of an officer with a very tired and hungry baby, worrying about my very hungry dog, and still trying to sort out my parallel universe of feelings. Had I walked in on a burglary in process? Or, was there another Dina in a world that existed 15 minutes behind the one I currently occupied who’d met a much different fate?

For tickets, more information, or to book an overnight stay, visit ChristmasatGaylordTexan. com.

The Forney Education Foundation will host its 5th Annual Antlers and Tutus Fun Run on December 9th at 8:00 AM in Gateway at Willett Elementary. This event will include a 1-mile fun run and timed 5K with 5K runners eligible for placement medals of 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the following age groups, both male and female: 9 and under, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+. Registrants will receive a limited edition race shirt, breakfast with Santa, and children running the 1 mile Fun Run will receive a finisher medal. Visit www.forneyisdfoundation. org for more information and to register.

Last fall, the United States saw an early and significant spike in cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, which is the leading cause of hospitalizations in all infants. Now, there are options available to help prevent RSV in babies, including a preventive antibody and an RSV vaccination during pregnancy.

What exactly is luck? Why do some people appear to be luckier than others? Is luck a question of chance, fate, or are there things you can do to improve your luck? Actually, being lucky isn’t just a matter of luck at all.

Dear Connor and Leslie Ann, Congratulations on the day of your wedding. I wish to impart some advice to you two. You should know, however, this is not my advice, necessarily. I have garnered these tidbits from several older married couples whom I interviewed, strictly for the purposes of this column.