A while ago ChicagoNow bloggers were challenged to write a post about what they believe in, possibly in the style of Crash Davis's "I believe..." speech from Bull Durham or maybe the "This I believe" segments on NPR. I thought that was a great prompt, but I believe I was too busy that week. Besides, … Continue reading I believe in butter: A baker’s manifesto
Listing Beyond Forty
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, My distinguished colleague painted a harsh picture of my client as a Christmas villain worse than Scrooge and the Grinch combined, a lunatic who would kill someone for giving her a Christmas present she didn't like. What my colleague failed to mention was the nature of that unwanted Christmas present. The gift (if … Continue reading Elf on the Shelf as a justification for murder?
A lot of Christmas music is playful or religious, but there are also some really sad Christmas songs. Some are bittersweet. "I'll be home for Christmas" tends to make me cry, but other Christmas songs are downright depressing. Nat King Cole sang "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot." That song includes the not-so-festive lyric … Continue reading The saddest Christmas song ever
A few years ago I helped set up for the Care for Real toy drive distribution day. This involved sorting donations by age and placing them on the appropriate tables. The age range with the most gifts was 0-3. Those toys were piled onto a row of tables with many more waiting in back for replenishing throughout … Continue reading Older kids often overlooked in toy drive donations
What is the perfect Christmas gift for the person who doesn't need anything? There are certainly people in need for whom new things are a luxury, but many of us have plenty of stuff, in some cases more stuff than we can keep organized already. The idealistic solution for those who really want more stuff would be … Continue reading 8 Christmas gifts for people who don’t need more stuff
Kim Z. Dale 