Monthly Archives: December 2015

About an hour north of my farm, folks celebrate Christmas all year long.

You would, too, if you lived in a place called Santa.

Yep, nestled in the hills and forests of the Idaho Panhandle sits a tiny town named Santa.

But Santa, Idaho, isn’t the only town that rustles up the holiday spirit year-round. How about

• Santa Claus, Arizona, Georgia, and Indiana
• Snow, Idaho
• North Pole, Alaska
• Silver Bell, Arizona
• Eggnog, Utah
• Christmas Valley, Oregon
• Holly, Washington
• Christmas, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and Mississippi
• Shepherd, Montana
• Elf, North Carolina
• Mistletoe, Arkansas and Kentucky
• Bethlehem (this one’s in 18 states)

Also, nearly all of Santa’s reindeer have towns named after them. (Not to mention the 36 locations with “Reindeer” in their names.)

• Rudolph Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin
• Dasher (Creek), Georgia
• Dancer (Flats), Texas
• Prancer (WAIT, where’s Prancer? He must have been out on a mission when they handed out towns!)
• Vixen, Louisiana
• Comet, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia
• Cupid, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma
• Donner, California, Florida, and Louisiana
• Blitzen, Oregon

You’ll find all these and many more in William D. Crump’s The Christmas Encyclopedia.

Packed with everything Christmas and now in its third edition, the encyclopedia includes Christmas carols and hymns; customs; historical events; popular symbols; plants; celebrations; Christmas movies, plays, books, and TV; and more. A perfect early present for anyone who loves everything Christmas.

We talked, once upon a time, about emotional acres …

“Every single one of us at birth is given an emotional acre all our own,” wrote Anne Lamott in her book, Bird by Bird. “You get one, your awful Uncle Phil gets one, I get one, Tricia Nixon gets one, everyone gets one. And as long as you don’t hurt anyone, you really get to do with your acre as you please.”

Photo by Eptalon via Wikipedia

I was reminded of this marvelous metaphor today when I stumbled upon a book called The Emotional Calendar: Understanding Seasonal Influences and Milestones to Become Happier, More Fulfilled, and in Control of Your Life by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. John R. Sharpe.

Are you as intrigued by the title as I was?

As it turns out, we all have an emotional calendar to go with our emotional acre (feeling pretty fancy about now, right?).

Even before clicking the button to order the book, I started thinking—well, scheduling, sort of. I mean, I love “normal” calendars, so this twist piqued my penchant for planning. The blurb I read inspired me to ask myself a pointed question …

What does the coming season hold for me in terms of emotional landmarks?

I found myself ticking off events in my own mental autobiography. Is that why I feel such a deep sense of family connection this time of year?

Dr. Sharp contends, and I agree, that the roadmaps of our lives have profound effects on us, season after season, year after year.

“Take a look at what you are experiencing now, as well as at what’s just ahead. How do you expect your fall to be?” he asks in a recent Psychology Today blog post. “Consider each of the two possibilities—that this season is in fact looking very predictable based on your past experiences, and conversely that this season is looking really quite surprisingly different. Ultimately, you will grant yourself the opportunity to make changes for the better, if you so desire. One big lesson from understanding The Emotional Calendar is that we are in fact able to make strategic changes in our outlook and adjust/regulate our involvement with the seasons in order to lead a happier, more fulfilled, and in control life.”

John Carlin, Schneeszene in Utica via Wikimedia Commons

So, that’s what I’m up to today. As I let my mind drift backward, I’m jotting bits and pieces of winters past, remembering what has happened, how I’ve felt. It looks like I’m beginning to construct my own emotional calendar, and it’s stirring memories.

I hope you’ll carve some quiet time out of your day, today or sometime this week, and try it for yourself.

Hear ye, old-fashioned fans of the printed page …

This is the best news I’ve heard all day:

Print publications are alive and well.

That’s right—books are still being bound, and magazines (marvelous magazines!) will still manifest in your mailboxes.

Photo by werner22brigitte via Pixabay

The New York Times tells us it’s true.

(Happy dance with me, won’t you?)

Rest assured, I’m not simply rejoicing from the standpoint of an author and editor, but as a reader as well. Remember how I love that old book smell?

Photo by condesign via Pixabay

Even better is the news that the persistence of print publication is proving profitable for small book sellers who feared imminent extinction in the digital age.

Photo by FDV via Wikipedia

“Independent bookstores, which were battered by the recession and competition from Amazon, are showing strong signs of resurgence,” writes Alexandra Alter of the New York Times. “The American Booksellers Association counted 1,712 member stores in 2,227 locations in 2015, up from 1,410 in 1,660 locations five years ago.”

Yes, the next generation may yet know the pleasure of turning a page.

Photo by Pezibear via Pixabay

So, let’s smile on that awhile.