Don’t Worry, Santa is a Licensed Pilot

Did you know that in 1927, Mr. Claus went to Washington and received his pilot license.  The United States government didn’t begin issuing pilot licenses until 1927.  The Air Commerce Act was passed in 1926 requiring everyone that was piloting aircraft to become licensed, and Santa dutifully applied for and received his.  You can find... Continue Reading →

Christmas in a Civil War Hospital Ward

Washington’s Armory Square Hospital (Library of Congress) Christmas comes around faithfully year after year, but it doesn’t always find us well. Sometimes life circumstances find us hurting, grieving, and otherwise having a hard time and not able to celebrate the holidays the way we might like. Last Blogmas, I wrote a little about dealing with... Continue Reading →

The Christmas Dinner Truce of World War II

The Christmas season of 1944 along the German-Belgian border seems an unlikely setting for an uplifting Christmas story, but that year nothing short of a small miracle happened there.  The Battle of the Bulge, Germany’s last effort offensive campaign was raging.  It was to be the bloodiest battle for American forces during WWII with 19,000... Continue Reading →

The Posts of Christmas Past

Once more, I have decided to undertake the blogging challenge of The 12 Days of Blogmas.  For the next 12 days, we will explore a wide variety of stories and topics about the holiday season with the goal to edify, educate, or maybe just entertain ourselves. No two individuals would define the holiday season and... Continue Reading →

Thomas Edison’s Creepy Dolls

Happy Fall!  It is officially my favorite time of year and finally starting to cool off a little around here.  It’s the kind of weather that invites curling up with a good book and warm cup of tea.  And this time of year, it can be fun to read something a little spooky.  I’ve always... Continue Reading →

An Envelope Full of Obituaries

Several weeks ago, my Uncle Ron came by our house one evening and brought me a box of old photos, post cards, and letters that had been my grandfather’s.  Ron’s wife, my Aunt Barbara, passed away in 2014 and had held on to these things after her parents (my grandparents) passed away.  Ron has recently... Continue Reading →

A Holiday Created By Grateful Children

Happy Father’s Day!  As is true of many things when you try to trace their origins, there is some conflicting history about the roots of this holiday. The two prominent stories about the beginnings of Father’s Day in the United States happened around the same time on opposite sides of the nation.  And both are... Continue Reading →

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