What Would Jimmy Do?

Well, here it is less than a week until Santa arrives… I usually don’t do these things, but I think it’s my duty to alert any of you faithful believers that today’s blog may contain information that Santa Clause may not be real.

I read an article a few days ago about a study that concluded that children stop believing in Santa Claus by about the age of six, but play along to keep their parents happy. Many of the kids in the study said they found out that Santa wasn’t real from older siblings and friends, which has always been the case, but recently a lot found out on social media. One of the conclusions of the study was that the Internet and technology available to children contributed to the early dis-belief and that the information was exposed to the youngsters “too young, too soon.”

Well, of course this study got me to thinking…. Generally, lying to kids is a bad thing. But then, there’s this Santa Clause thing. I think most people, especially parents, think believing in Santa is a normal, and healthy, part of a child’s development. Now let’s be honest, the idea of a man who flies around the world in a sleigh, drawn by reindeers and goes into people’s homes through their chimneys and delivers presents — all in one night is… highly improbable. But if you’re 3, 4, 5 or 6 years old, it seems perfectly logical.

Kids believe, and that’s what’s so great about kids, they believe — in not only Santa, but the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, imaginary friends and all sorts of fairy-tale creatures. Kids use their imagination all the time, even if they know some of the things they create are fiction. When Emily was little (maybe two or three) she said she was going to have a picnic with her imaginary parents. I asked if her imaginary parents were nicer than her real parents… her response (after looking at me like I was stupid) was, they’re imaginary! So obviously little ones are perfectly capable of keeping real and imaginary separated.

But as kids get older, the Santa story, like a lot of good things, eventually comes to an end. Kids stop believing in Santa at different ages. As the study pointed out, often their friends break the news or they discover it on social media. But kids also figure it out for themselves — when they notice that the story doesn’t quite add up. Questioning what’s real and what’s not is normal. Most parents have a good sense of when their children are ready to accept the truth. I remember that being harder for me than it was for our kids when the Santa story ended in our house. St. Nicholas was a real person and he became famous for giving gifts and money to the poor — it’s those values that’s important anyway. So when the little ones stop believing, parents can (and probably should) tell them about the real St. Nicholas and impress upon them that the spirit of Christmas is real….

For most of us, especially parents, a lot of Christmas is about children, magic and imagination. And when you’re young, lots of that revolves around a fat guy in a red suit. When we have kids, we should hang on to that chubby guy for as long as we can, because when he’s gone, so is some of the imagination and magic.
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Anyone that periodically checks this blog knows that its been a while since it was updated — around Thanksgiving, I think. Lot of reasons, none of which are especially exciting… just haven’t had the few minutes it takes to write anything.

Anyhow, we’re rapidly approaching Christmas and I noticed that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was on TV a couple of nights ago. I didn’t watch it (I have seen it a few times over the years) but it got me to thinking about reindeer. A few years ago we took a family trip to Alaska. And while it was great entertainment, it turned out that it was also very educational. We were fortunate to see a lot of reindeer in Alaska and were able to get up close and personal in some of the “camps” we visited. Something that I learned that I probably should have known is that reindeer and caribou are different names for the same species. Reindeer usually refers to the domesticated variety of the species that are herded by humans and do things like pull sleds. These animals are typically smaller and have shorter legs than the “wild” version of the species. In fact, in Siberia, caribou are referred to as “wild” reindeer.

Even though Rudolph and Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen and that crew are apparently able to fly, we didn’t notice any flying in Alaska, but we did learn that they can run as fas as 48 miles an hour…
Is that fast enough to get Santa around the world on Christmas Eve? I’m not one to judge, I just believe….

Everyone knows that Santa’s reindeers live at the North Pole… and their relatives reside in the cold of Alaska, Canada, Russia, etc. — where they graze on tundra plants. Of course those lucky enough to be chosen by Santa get to share in the cookies and milk around Christmas time. Reindeers are covered with hollow hairs that trap in air and keep them well-insulated from the cold. Plus, their circulatory systems keep the cooler blood in the reindeers legs from drawing heat from the warm blood in their core body.

The only time anyone has heard or been awakened by Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve is when they’ve heard their hoofs on the roof. That’s because reindeer are very quite — especially around Christmas time. Female reindeer tend to communicate mainly in the first months after the birth of their offspring in the summer and males vocalize exclusively during the autumn mating season.

Now here’s something that I didn’t know, or never even thought about before our Alaska trip. Ready for this? All the reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh are girls. How do I know? One of the things we learned in Alaska is that male reindeer shed their antlers at the end of the mating season in early December. But females keep their (thinner) antlers throughout the winter. So if all the pictures I’ve seen are to be believed, it’s an all girl team pulling Santa and his sleigh full of toys through the sky on Christmas Eve.

As usual, there’s really no point to this — if it bothers anyone that a girl reindeer is named Rudolph, just think about it… If Johnny Cash can have a boy named Sue, why can’t Santa have a girl reindeer named Rudolph?
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Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving — we did. All our kids and grandkids were here and there were no meltdowns and everyone seemed to have a good time.

So today is the day after Thanksgiving, also known a Black Friday. I’m not sure if it’s still true, but until very recently Black Friday was the biggest shopping day of the year and generally considered the official start of the holiday buying season. I said until recently… lately I’ve been hearing about “Black Friday” sales since about mid September. The stores used to open on Friday morning, but retailers pushed their opening times into Thanksgiving night and even earlier.

I saw on TV this morning that there have already been a couple of deaths and lots of injuries from people arguing over Black Friday “deals” and being crushed by crowds of shoppers. I have to wonder if we (obviously I’m talking about “other” people here) have become so greedy and uncaring that we just step over the bodies of dead or injured people as we rush to get the cheap xbox, computer, TV, or whatever. How pathetic is that?

I have never gone shopping on Black Friday — I like a good bargain as well as anyone, but to be honest I hate the crowds of people. The last thing I want is to be stuck in a mob of people fighting over trinkets. And  besides that, I’ve noticed that liquor stores never seem to have Black Friday sales. Only in America do people trample others for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have….
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Well, here it is time for my almost, sometimes annual Thanksgiving Day blog. Our house is usually unpredictable around the holidays — you never know who, or how many, may be here. Over the years, we’ve had friends from various places around the world as well as local friends and, of course, relatives. This year seems to be the relative year. We’re fortunate enough to have all our kids, grandkids and Chassie’s mom, Roberta. Couldn’t ask for a better group.

I’ve had Thanksgiving in a lot of places, under a lot of trying circumstances and even since being married, Thanksgiving has often been a challenge. I think myself and Claire have only been apart on one Thanksgiving… I remember not having turkey that day but Claire did manage to have a turkey even though there was no power because of a typhoon. (That whole episode is maybe a subject for another blog.)

We always have turkey at Thanksgiving — we have other things, but I don’t ever remember having Thanksgiving at our house without turkey. It seems that turkey has become almost synonymous with Thanksgiving, but after doing my usual extensive research on the subject, it appears that turkey probably wasn’t on the menu for the three-day feast between the pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe, that is generally considered to be the first Thanksgiving…. the meats mentioned were duck, venison and seafood — no turkey. However, in the Thanksgivings that followed, turkeys became popular because it was a readily available meal that could feed a large group of people. Turkeys were also more expendable than other choices — cows and hens were too useful to be eaten because they provided milk and eggs. Turkeys, on the other hand, were usually kept around farms to eat bugs and worms and plumped up enough by harvest time to make a good choice for a feast.

So we should all be thankful all the time, but today is a good day to reflect on things that we should be especially thankful for — my list, in no particular order and far, far from complete….
Our children — and grandchildren
Family and friends
Health
Wine
Cheese
Freedom — despite politics and the entire election process we’ve just gone through, I’m thankful to be an American and living in the U.S.
Today — because it’s another opportunity to do better and another chance to see what a great experience life really is….
So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone — don’t blink because it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….
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We had a “mini” celebration for Locke’s birthday this weekend. Dave and Chassie decided against a big party this year, and we missed seeing him on his real birthday, because Claire had a cold. So — we when out for lunch/brunch to celebrate a little late.

Locke seemed to be in a really good mood and exercised favorite word (“no”) quite a bit — but it was always “no” with a big smile.

So congratulations Locke — you’ve successfully harassed your parents for another year. They’re probably thinking here come the “terrible twos” but I have a feeling it’s going to be the “terrific twos!”
In the last year since your first birthday, your age and experience has doubled — and so has your cuteness. Happy 2nd birthday, Locke!!!
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Well, it’s over. No matter how you voted, WE have a new President-elect.
I agree with one of the campaign slogans, “stronger together.” Our challenge (every one of us) is to get together. We need to address the issues, not as Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, conservatives, liberals, blacks, whites, or any other color, but as AMERICANS.
Every four years we get a chance for a new start — another chance to “get it right.”
So come January, we look forward to that new beginning — but it is not enough to begin well; we must also end well.
God Bless America…
— 30 —

Well, it’s finally here — Election Day. You’ve survived over a year of election “talk” and you’re probably as fed up with it all as most of us, but it’s time for you to vote. And vote you must!
Vote for whoever you choose, but vote. Voting is not only a right, it’s a duty. You shouldn’t need a reason to vote, but here’s some in case you think you shouldn’t….

– It’s not just the President on the ballot. Local officials often make decisions that more directly affect you than those at the national level
– Voting is a right generations of Americans fought and struggled to win — and people in other countries are still fighting for.
– Vote so you can complain — if you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain
– If you don’t vote, someone else will — do you really want someone else deciding what’s best for you?
– Sounds trite, but every vote counts.
– And don’t forget — if you vote, you get a free sticker!
Vote with your head, or with your heart, but vote….
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Our granddaughter, Emily, has been “fashion” conscious just about since she was born. She couldn’t have been more than six months old when she began to pick out her own diaper. When we kept her, she would throw a fit if Claire picked up a Cookie Monster diaper and she wanted a Mickey Mouse one. To this day she pretty much picks out her own clothes every day.

She has definite ideas and knows what she likes. I’m sure her mom and probably her teachers cringe some days when her wardrobe is especially outlandish. I’m not one to give advice, and this isn’t advice, just an opinion — but I think letting her make her own choices is good. Within the boundaries of cost and age-appropriateness, I think Emily should be able to dress as she pleases.

The fact is, when raising kids, a lot of the messages we give to them involve “don’t,” “no,” or “stop.” There’s going to be enough of these messages in Emily’s life — I think saying yes to fashion choices is nice.
There’s going to be a lot of years of disagreements and arguments now that Emily is school age. Some arguments are worth having, and other issues are worth letting slide. Choose your battles — this is probably never truer than when we become parents. Anyone who is one knows you have to choose your battles a lot — on issues you can’t even imagine. If the issue or confrontation involves safety, it’s non-negotiable — the rest is just another lesson in patience….
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I’ve been asked several times lately (we have really in-depth, stimulating conversations after golf) if there was something I never did but wish I had or if I’d like to change things I’ve done, or regret things… anyhow you get the idea.

There have been times that I might have listed my regrets and “should haves.” But I don’t wish that I had or hadn’t done any of the things I did because that’s what makes me who I am. I’ve certainly made plenty of bad mistakes and wrong decisions, but that’s called experience. If I hadn’t done those things I wouldn’t have learned from them.

I like my life right now — it’s not perfect, but it never will be. That’s not what life is all about. So no regrets for me — only gratitude for what those lessons taught me.

Well, ok, I suppose I do have one regret… I wish I’d bought 100 shares of Apple stock instead of all those iPhones, iPads, etc.
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You may remember a few days ago I mentioned that we had a special bottle of wine for the World Series. When we received it, I said, “if the Indians win the World Series, we’re gonna open this bottle. If the Indians lose the World Series, we’re gonna open this bottle.”

Well, the bottle is open (and empty, I might add.) I won’t dwell on the World Series except to say that I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I watched every minute of all seven games… It would have been nice to have another championship in Cleveland, but neither team has anything to be ashamed of…

And I hope I get another bottle of that wine for next year — I’m pretty sure the World Series will be played in Cleveland again.
I did a little bit of extensive research and learned that from 1969 until 1989, the Indians finished in last place or second-to-last place in 16 of those 21 seasons. In the other five seasons, they finished third-to-last. But — from 1994 until today, they’ve mad the playoffs nine times and came within an out of winning the World Series twice. Even though I liked the old stadium, the suffering doesn’t seem quite as bad in the new one.

So the curse or streak has ended for the Cubs — the new owner is now the Indians — that one ends in 2017.
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