Over the weekend, there were three tree lighting events – one in DeWitt and one each in the villages of Manlius and Minoa. I attended all three. What’s fun about going to so many community events is seeing the ways residents come together to share in the holiday festivities each year.

In DeWitt, children danced to the tunes of the Jitterbugs, participated in a coloring contest, then moved outside into the cold night air to countdown the seconds before the holiday tree was lit. Applause ensued and immediately after, sirens sounded for Santa Claus, who was secured, with seatbelt buckled, on top of a ladder engine...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: tree, lightings, holiday, christmas, season, minoa, manlius, dewitt, village, town

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We live in an age of electronic gadgets, and I won’t even begin to pretend I know what half of them are, but kids certainly do. They can name the latest and greatest stuff, where I need a paper and pen in hand to remember exactly what it is I’m looking for when shopping, especially for my 6-year-old nephew. On his wish list? Various items from “Star Wars: Clone Wars,” his current obsession. I’m glad to know the expression on his face will be one of complete awe when he unwraps his “Star Wars: Clone Wars” DS. According to my sister, he doesn’t yet know it exists. One up for Aunt Tami!
As for the rest of my family, our wish lists also contain “things,” but more importantly, through the years, those items have waned in importance...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: wish, list, christmas

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News stations name the holidays the worst time of the year to travel, and having just been through it, I would have to agree. Two days before my flight was scheduled to leave for Kansas, I had an epiphany. Why don’t I drive down with my boyfriend, who is preparing to go tomorrow, and I won’t have to deal with delayed flights, canceled flights or being stranded at O’Hare on Christmas Eve?

He loved the idea, so all I had to do was call the airline and do a quick fix with my ticket – cancel the first leg, but still keep the return. Not so easy. After several phone calls and being offered awful alternatives (rebook as a one-way for another $700), an agent finally heard our plea and helped us out...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: holiday, travel, accident

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