I had an especially dear friend who went into a blue funk in Christmas season. She once threatened to spell out “Bah, Humbug!” in twinkle lights on her lawn.
Of course, she was a super achiever who wanted Christmas to be perfect for her family. This entailed endless baking and decorating and shopping and cleaning and she was the mother of sons who preferred outdoor sports to kitchen activity.
It wasn’t just her own family Christmas. Lorna was a born decorator, so come Dec. 1, friends would invite her to lunch or dinner, confront her with mounds of evergreen and holiday stuff, then with an apologetic cough, ask for a suggestion of what to do with it all. Hours later, covered with pine needles and sticky pine sap, she’d wolf down her lunch and go home to find her own house needed TLC.
She wanted Christmas to be perfect for everyone. Maybe we became special friends because I never asked her to put up my tree or decorate my front door.
I went with her many times looking for the perfect gift for someone on her list. One year a business associate of her husband had moved into a new house with a fireplace. Nothing would do but a pair of andirons for the fireplace and before Santa slid down the chimney. We visited every antique store in the Wabash Valley before the perfect pair was found. No wonder she was pooped by Christmas.
Lately, I toy with the idea of “Bah, Humbug” lights myself. I’ve given myself a break from dozens of Christmas cookies, and once the boys grew up, my Best Friend and I quit heading for the woods to cut the perfect tree to hold family ornaments and shelter a heap of presents. I still do the gift wrap, not my favorite thing, but it’s nice to slip a tree out of a box and plug it in. It has simplified things a lot.
Maybe I caught a germ from Lorna? I’d still like to make a perfect Christmas for my nearest and dearest, but slipping an orange and a candy bar into a sock doesn’t cut it these days. I got confused when the grandchildren began fingering something called a “game boy.” Now everything seems electronic. I have no idea what an iPod is, but they seem to have all the gadgets anyway. It’s an electronic world today and I got lost in the buggy whip department.
I’ll try to do too much. I always do. I’ll try not to do to much. I always do that, too. But, for now, I’ve put twinkle lights on hold.
Liz Ciancone is a retired Tribune-Star reporter. Send e-mail to opinion@tribstar.com
Liz Ciancone
LIZ CIANCONE: How much 'twinkle' do we need for holidays?
- Liz Ciancone
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LIZ CIANCONE: Smell of fresh air gave way to dryers
Remember when clean clothes smelled like fresh air and sunshine rather than fabric softener and dryer sheets?
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LIZ CIANCONE: Courts see a different appearance than cops
Have you ever noticed the transformation between the arrest of an accused lawbreaker and the first appearance in court?
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LIZ CIANCONE: We always want more than we need
Washington seems more preoccupied with the unemployment rate than they are about the constant stalemate. Still with thousands out of work and the unemployment rate hovering somewhere between 7 percent and 9 percent, it does deserve more than a passing nod.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Old age is in email of the beholder
My Best Friend isn’t much for writing letters, so email has opened a new world for him. He can dash off a few words to a high school friend or his college roommate — now living in Florida and Washington State,
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LIZ CIANCONE: A memory test from the oldtime radio days
For some reason, I seem to be the go-to source for all sorts of obscure information out at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Friskey no doubt was in favor of gun control
I once owned a gun. Actually, it was Dad’s gun and I was allowed to use it. He bought an air gun which shot BB’s to protect our home — in a way.
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LIZ CIANCONE: A robin stops to welcome the spring
I saw a robin the other morning. It was not the first robin of spring, of course. A few of the more daring robins had opted to spend the winter and, although they looked pretty sorry about it on a few occasions, it was a fairly mild winter.
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LIZ CIANCONE: The mystery of the small animal mascot
I hope you won’t think I’m picking on small animals, but I’ve been thinking about Easter and the Easter bunny.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Rising up to defend the poor groundhog
I read in the newspaper the other morning that Punxsatawney Phil is being hauled into court and charged with falsely predicting an early spring. I am volunteering my services as counsel for the defense.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Keeping eye out for signs of spring
The problem with expecting a groundhog to predict the arrival of spring is that there are groundhogs scattered all over the country. The Pennsylvania groundhog may not see the same kind of weather as the groundhog out here in Dobbs Park. In this way, false hopes are roused and the groundhog loses credibility as a meteorologist.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Not every other name smells sweet as a rose
It was either Romeo or Juliet who said, “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
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LIZ CIANCONE: Innocence appreciated when you’re growing up
I grew up rather stupid. I didn’t realize it at the time. Neither did my teachers who seemed to think I had “promise.”
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LIZ CIANCONE: Years along rivers make them feel like home
I’ve been following plans for celebrating “The Year of the River” with interest. Rivers have played such a role in my life that I’ve celebrated a good many rivers. The Wabash River is merely the most recent example.
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LIZ CIANCONE: There are always cat stories to be told
I was asked the other day why I write about dogs I have known, but never about cats. “What’s the matter?” they asked, “Don’t you like cats?”
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LIZ CIANCONE: Sharing the family history
My Grandmother lived with us. Ed and I were eager audiences for her family stories about the Cooks. Mom also shared her memories of growing up with three brothers.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Do we want our privacy or not?
We Americans are a strange bunch. We insist upon our right to privacy, yet we neglect few opportunities to parade our personal business in public.
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LIZ CIANCONE: The low humor of Mickey Mantis
I’m told that a pun is the lowest form of humor. I guess that typecasts me! I love them, but then, I like any type of word play.
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LIZ CIANCONE: For now, justice is served in Bball Hall
News this past week brought justice of a sort. The folks who decide these things have declined to pick anyone to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Well, what would you do with only 1 sock?
Let me ask you something.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Movie memories don’t include many of the lengthy variety
There has been lots of reporting lately about how long movies are becoming.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Resist that big ‘let down’ on the day after Christmas
Today is the big day. That makes tomorrow a sort of let down — rather like “What have you done for me lately?”
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LIZ CIANCONE: No thanks to getting mags delivered via the Internet
I am a creature of habit. I like to know what I’m doing and I need to know how to do it. That’s why I am annoyed when corporate America seems determined to drag me, kicking and screaming into the age of Internet.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Everyone has a favorite holiday
I suppose everyone has a favorite holiday. My guess is that, for most of us, that holiday is Christmas. It's a holiday with a miracle no matter how old we get.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Christmas season puts time back into focus
It’s a funny thing about time. It can speed along so that you cannot believe that your kids can possibly be old enough to have good sense, or it can drag its heels while you wait for that first grandchild or while you are saving up for something really special.
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LIZ CIANCONE: The bottom line is what drives ‘Black Friday’ sales
Why is it called "Black Friday"?
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LIZ CIANCONE: Have we lost the meaning of holiday?
I’ve been considering a lost-and-found ad to see if anyone knows what’s happened to Thanksgiving.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Magic is always there with live theater
I’m a pushover for live theater. But movies? Not so much. For me it’s like the difference between canned peas and those picked fresh from the garden. Movies even COME in cans.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Maybe the Cubs will win it all next year
I was relieved to have the World Series ending before the snow flies. Heck, it didn’t even last into November this year.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Holiday decorating better when personal, simple
I fear that I am becoming an old poop!
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LIZ CIANCONE: Surprises from mail worth the extra penny
I understand that the cost of pursuing my hobby will be going up by a penny come the year 2013.
- More Liz Ciancone Headlines
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LIZ CIANCONE: Smell of fresh air gave way to dryers
Raw: French Soldier Stabbed in Throat Near Paris
Today in History May 26
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Raw: Train Derails After Overpass Collapse
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
ShowBiz Minute: Pickler, Franklin, Potter
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Raw: Rescues From San Antonio Flooding
ShowBiz Minute: Shelton, King, Lopez
Britain Braces for Possible Copycat Attacks
Raw: Pakistan Election Results Protested
Mayor: Person Killed in San Antonio Flooding
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Obama Visits Oklahoma, Consoles Tornado Victims
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
Hagel Urges Cadets to End Scourge of Sex Assault
Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell
ShowBiz Minute: Manzarek, Keith, Bieber
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Jersey Shore Continues Celebrating Post-Sandy Memorial Day Weekend
Ocean City May See Even More Visitors Than Usual This Weekend
National Park Service issues Lake Michigan warning
Report: Visitors at 9/11 Memorial being pressured to make donations
New Rutgers AD was accused of abuse in prior job
More rain worsens San Antonio flooding
Boston Marathoners at IMS
Fleet Week cancelled for first time in 30 years
Wild Adventures Memorial Day Offer
Support for Anthony Weiner mayoral run still lukewarm
Bethpage Air Show goes on at Jones Beach
Jaco Report: Climate Change And Severe Storms
Jersey Shore Businesses Hoping To Get Summer Season Off To Positive Start
Boardwalk Blues On Coney Island Because Of Saturday's Dreary Conditions
Remembering The True Meaning Of Memorial Day
National Organization of Women (NOW) biennial general meeting
NJ Man Claims Share Of $198M Mega Millions Jackpot
Jersey Shore: Stronger Than The Storm
Sudanese-Minnesotan Juggles College, Hollywood
Massive Flooding in San Antonio Area; Rescue Efforts Underway
