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Traditions with a Personal Spin
I love having weird Christmas trees.
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The Dark Side of Festivals
How hard is it to clean up after yourself?
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A Cranberry Colored Misunderstanding
What says Thanksgiving to you?
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On Being a Contrarian
Nothing makes me thirstier than being told there’s no water available. If a book has been banned, it goes to the top of my reading list. When someone tells me that this is no place for a lady, I suddenly feel as though I weigh 1000 pounds. (We shall not be moved!) If I’m asked,…
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Off Limits
There’s nothing on earth that makes me want to do something more than being told I cannot do that thing. Not that I’m going to disobey The Law writ large. I won’t even shout “fire” in a crowded movie theater. Laws are generally put into place for the protection of society. But some arbitrary rules…
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Grieving through the Holidays
If you’ve lost someone you love, the holidays can be a particularly painful time. All those memories. All those traditions. All those people, still alive, who insist that you to carry on all those traditions. How can you be expected to decorate a tree when every ornament reminds you of the person you’ve lost? And…
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My Halloween Tradition
It’s that day again. Time for me to turn out all the lights at the front of the house, refuse to come to the door, and pray earnestly that no one vandalizes my car. This has been my time-honored tradition for my entire adult life. Happy Halloween. For starters, I don’t like kids. I avoid…
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Shaking the Milk
I had a great conversation with my niece the other day. We were talking about traditions. Every Christmas she and her brother always go to see the Nutcracker because my late sister, their mother, always took them. I think that’s wonderful. Personal traditions are very important and give life extra meaning. She asked me about…
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Family Norms
One spring break in college I went home with a friend. Half Catholic Italian, half Jewish, hers was a noisy, welcoming household. Neighbors would come and go without knocking on their door, and help themselves to whatever happened to be cooking on the stove. The house was full of light and crackled with energy. And…