“Daddy, can we celebrate Hanukkah?” It was a simple question, to which I had no answer. On the one hand, of course not. We are not Jewish. Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, and Christians (and American “nones”) celebrate Christmas. That’s just how it is. On the other hand though, why not? The first thing I thought […]
Category Archives: Holidays
The Divided Kingdom – Brexit, Trump, & the United Methodist Church
Yesterday our cousins over in England voted to cut themselves off from their neighbors and leave the European Union in what is now know as the Brexit. This decades-long exercise in cooperation and tolerance has come to an end for the people of England, formerly of the United Kingdom. I say formerly of the United […]
Banned From the Kids’ Table
I was contacted recently by a site called Mothering in the Middle, wondering if I would be interested in being a regular contributor to their blog about “midlife” parenting. Their site deals specifically with older parents, or rather with people who became parents closer to middle age than middle school. When you get pregnant at 35 […]
23 Christmas Carol/Pop Song Mash-Ups No One Will Ever Do
As the holiday season approaches and overwhelms us, it is important to make our way through the haze of it all and focus on what really matters. And music can be a beacon to guide us through, because it is everywhere, and because it summons memories of holidays past. But music can also be used […]
I Don’t Have to Post on Holidays, Right?
Look, it’s not that I don’t want to write something. I love writing. But I’m super busy, and we’re about to get in the car and drive for many hours to visit mt sister-in-law, and the kids are not dressed because they are watching “Bo on the Go” and dancing around with their bananas, and […]
How I Killed Magic: The Polar Express
Every year in Vermont (and possibly other places too), The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation puts together a ridiculously awesome holiday experience known as “The Polar Express.” The event is based on the now-classic children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, and not really based on the creepy and weird, but for some reason now also classic, […]
Prosperous Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday. Happy New Year’s. Happy Valentine’s Day. Merry Christmas. Hmmmmm. Why does Christmas get a special greeting? You know, in England they just say Happy Christmas. You can tell this from watching Harry Potter movies. So why did we choose “merry?” Why not just leave it at “happy?” Well, because merry just […]
Today Should Not Be Thursday
I just wanted to take a quick minute to inform you all of the absurdity of today being a weekday. Thursday, of all days! That makes no sense! Yesterday my wife had the day off, we went to a parade, visited with friends and family, and attended a barbecue in the evening. If that doesn’t […]