Loneliness at Christmas: A Season for Compassion & Connection
January 24, 2025
Christmas, as I contemplated writing about this topic, I wondered: what is there to say that has not already been said? I, along with countless others, have written on this subject many times. I had to pause to reflect on what fresh words I could offer about this much-anticipated holiday season. The lens I have chosen to compose through is not necessarily a rose-colored one, but an honest and important one. While many of us look forward to this season filled with family, friends, and hustle and bustle, what about those who do not? What about those who are alone or lonely? Yes, there is indeed a difference. One can find themselves alone and relish the solitude, but not feel lonely, just as one can experience loneliness while surrounded by others. During a low time in my life, I experienced this as I found myself in a room filled with holiday revelers who had no idea how much I was hurting inside. I spent the evening smiling and chatting with those in the room, but no one cut through my facade to see just how isolated and alone I was feeling. This experience reminded me of the story of the birth of Christ. Can you imagine how alone this unwed mother must have felt when she discovered she was carrying the Christ child? Who would believe her? I am sure she even doubted that her betrothed, Joseph, would believe her. In fact, upon learning the news of her pregnancy, his first reaction was to divorce Mary. Thankfully, an angel came to Joseph and explained that this child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that Mary had not been unfaithful to him. Learn More
Making Spirits Bright: Our Community's Christmas Magic
January 24, 2025
Making Spirits Bright: Our Community’s Christmas Magic Like so many things in life, creating a special hometown Christmas holiday requires hard work, sacrifice, and determination. Much of this effort is carried out by unsung local heroes who do it simply because they love their community and cherish the Christmas season. They don’t seek recognition or accolades—the joy they feel seeing others enjoy this magical time of year is thanks enough. But I believe they deserve more. For starters, there wouldn’t be a holiday tree in downtown Lewistown without the dedication of one local business owner’s wife. Every year, she takes it upon herself to secure the town’s tree, coordinating with Lewistown Borough and others to ensure it is placed and lit just in time for the downtown festivities. Then there are the streets of downtown Lewistown. This year, a local group, Deck the Downtown, decided to elevate the holiday atmosphere. They recently spent one of their precious days off work gathering and arranging garlands, lights, and snowflakes along Market Street—all just because they wanted to spread a little extra cheer. In their words, “We have big dreams of making our quaint little town come alive for the holiday season,” and they have done just that. Learn More
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
