Christmas Memories: A Season of Simple Joys

January 23, 2025

Every generation thinks they grew up in the best era, but I’ll argue that the 1960s and 1970s were truly the golden years—especially around the holidays, Christmas in particular. Life was simpler back then, with fewer distractions vying for our attention, which made the Christmas season feel monumental and eagerly anticipated. For us kids, the excitement started the moment the Sears and Roebuck toy catalog arrived in the mail. My brother Ritchie and I would spend hours poring over its pages, carefully circling the toys we dreamed of finding under the Christmas tree. Our wish list included everything from a mad scientist chemistry set, to Barbie, G.I. Joe, Slinky, and the iconic Etch A Sketch. Everyone wanted the game Operation, and judging by how often our patient’s nose lit up with failure, it’s safe to say most of us weren’t destined to become surgeons! And, of course, no sleepover was complete without a round of Twister or dreaming of our future boyfriends while playing The Dating Game. Learn More

There's No Place like Home for the Holidays

January 23, 2025

Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays, ‘cause no matter how far away you roam. When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze, for the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home. How often we mindlessly sing familiar Christmas carols without thinking about the messages within them. This was often the case for me, until it wasn’t. Several years ago, 34 to be exact, on November 6th, I welcomed two adorable little boys into the world, twins. One was healthy and strong, the other not so much. My boys had twin-twin transfusion syndrome while in utero which caused an unequal sharing of blood. This led to a variety of problems for one of the twins, including low birthweight. He was born just over three pounds, nearly half his brother’s weight. Learn More

Presidential Footprints in Mifflin County

January 23, 2025

Well, we have survived this election cycle! Our mailboxes are no longer stuffed with political advertisements, my incoming texts have dropped by 90 percent, and the television commercials have returned to the usual fare of laundry soap, insurance ads, and medications. No matter which side of the aisle you are on, I'm sure you too are glad it’s over. I hope your candidates won, but even if they didn’t, we still live in one of the greatest places on earth. Now, as we move forward, I hope we can stitch our communities back together using the needle and thread of our shared values. While we’re on the topic of politics, let’s take a look at some of the notable U.S. presidents and candidates who made stops in Mifflin County over the years. These stories are adapted from an article by our well-known local historian and former educator, Forest K. Fisher, who has done so much to preserve our area’s unique history. Learn More