Columns

My mother used to say she dreaded the day she returned to school after Christmas vacation. The standing assignment in that small country school was to write about their holiday and the gifts they received.

There is so much to appreciate during the Christmas season. And, like many of you, I’m certain, much of that appreciation revolves around the memories of Christmas mornings. Each Christmas which I’m blessed to experience I always think back on one of my earliest Christmas mornings, the one when Santa was indeed in the house.

Some people hold true to the time-honored tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. Typical topics include exercise, diet and financial health. Getting our legal affairs in order is a resolution worthy of serious consideration.

COLUMBUS — The General Assembly’s marathon Dec. 14-15 session, which ended close to dawn, may or may not be one for the record books for the greatest volume of hot air ever exhaled in a confined space.

As Christmas approaches, many Americans are unfortunately feeling major stress about the holidays, and some may even be in an Ebenezer Scrooge “Bah! Humbug!” mood as inflation is putting a tight clasp on many people’s budgets.

A month ago, COP 27 (the 2022 U.N. Climate Change Conference) had its last session. What did it accomplish? A fund was set up for rich countries to pay for climate-related disasters in poorer nations. But the basic answer to the question of what COP 27 accomplished, now as in previous years, is still this: not much.

Every day, 2.4 million people tune in to watch Dr. Phil give mental health advice. Described as the top mental health show on TV, it is widely trusted by many Americans because Dr. Phil examines some of our society’s difficult issues.

Elon Musk promised to increase transparency at Twitter. And now he’s done it by releasing internal documents surrounding the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story in the days leading up to the 2020 election. Despite the media’s attempts to largely ignore the facts, it can officially be said that Twitter’s actions had a major effect on the presidential election.

Moving is hard enough, but right now Ohio makes it even more difficult for licensed professionals. Senate Bill 131 is a game changer.

On a December eve, very recently, I stood outside in the cold darkness dressed in my pajamas - and not for the first time, for I frequently go out in my PJs, much to the consternation of neighbors, shopkeepers and, not least of all, the police.