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Shift change

Now that I have your attention, I will start by saying what a privilege it has been to lead the Daily Freeman-Journal throughout the past three or so years. (I picture Doug Getter up in heaven rolling his eyes; you may remember that was his response when I took over this position for what I loosely described as a couple of months.) Well, it’s time for a shift change. I write this on my final day as editor of this historic newspaper. As you read this, Kolleen Taylor is assuming leadership under the title community editor. We have a new publisher too; Grant Gibbons, who has been ...

The pain of license plates

In the mail a few weeks ago I received an annual notice from the Dallas County Treasurer. It was time to renew our automobile license tags. We own two cars so the total amount due smacked this frugal Dutchman right between the eyes. Being a pragmatic guy and understanding that taxes and death are two of life’s certainties, I submitted payment. I had nearly forgotten the pain when a couple of weeks later, the mailman brought us the renewal stickers AND brand-new license plates for one of our cars. The old plates were nearly 10 years old and dated back to when we moved to Dallas ...

Share the Christmas spirit and spend your dollars locally

With only a week before Christmas, it’s time for the final purchases. Special gifts, special dinners, holiday parties….all these pieces make the season more stressful than anyone ever intended. Christmas is still a holy day in our calendar, but for many it is full of challenges. For many it’s heart breaking and stressful. For others, we have a chance to provide comfort and joy. I believe in the spirit of Christmas, a season of love, peace and joy with all my heart. But I still enjoy the decorating, the gifting, and the gathering of families and friends. I like that Christmas ...

Christmas traditions

Late in her life my paternal grandmother abandoned the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree in her home. An itinerant evangelist told her the tradition had pagan origins and therefore it was wrong for Christians to have a Christmas tree in their homes. My grandmother, a devout Christian, scrapped the tradition. While I loved my grandmother, I disagreed with her reasoning. As Christianity spread across the world, converts often adapted old pagan practices to their new faith. The practice of ringing bells at Christmas, for instance, can be traced back to pagan mid-winter ...

The much-preferred mail

In recent days the mailman has been bringing something besides bills, requests for contributions by charities and politicians and ads for hearing aids, cremation services and extended car warranties. Yes, the mailbox is now seeing Christmas cards. With the advent of email and the increasing cost of postage the volume of Christmas cards being mailed each year is diminishing. It all began in England in the 1840s. Historical records indicate the first commercial Christmas card was designed and created by a pair of Englishmen. New printing technologies made the creation of Christmas ...

Healing the heart with the Blue Christmas Service

If the “wonder of the Christmas magic” seems missing, you are not alone. This weekend, the Webster City Ministerial Association is co-hosting the Blue Christmas service with Foster’s Funeral and Cremation Center and Boman’s Funeral Home. It’s a service I have attended and recommend it for anyone feeling the losses of family and loved ones, anywhere, anytime. The Elvis Presley song “It’ll be a Blue Christmas Without You,” tells a bit of the story, but it is not enough to handle loss, especially during the holidays. As we all try to deal with our sadness, the ...