1. Do you have any family traditions?

Not really. Do we do certain things and eat certain foods? Absolutely. I wouldn’t say they are set in stone. As we aged and our children aged, the traditions were tweaked. We always took them to a light show in our area. Over the years, it has grown into somewhat of an extravaganza with a price tag to match.

Now, my “children” are full-grown adults, yet they still inquire about going to the light show. Of course, we oblige and now include pets and significant others because the price has jacked up to 50 bucks a carload, and you better believe my car will be loaded.

2. With December on its way, have you ever been carol singing?

When I was a kid, doing kid things in the 70s, a group of friends decided to go caroling one night when we were bored. We had a grand plan to go door to door singing the classics like Jingle Bells, and like the good Catholic kids we were, donate the fruit from our labor to the church.

We hit the jackpot when we knocked on the door where a Christmas house party was in full swing. A tipsy dad answered, we sang, and he yelled for more tipsy parents to join him like we were the Tabernacle Choir on the front step, and the cash started flowing.

Well, all I’m going to say is once that fruit started pouring in, all thoughts of being good Catholics went right out the door. Hey, we were kids and suddenly rich.

3. Do you decorate your home for the Christmas holidays?

I sure do. This will be our first Christmas in our new home, so I need to make some adjustments. Over the weekend, I decorated the outside, and my creative juice flowed like a river. I was able to upcycle some pieces from the past and put a new twist on them, which worked out very well.

4. Do you enjoy the Christmas rush for preparations and shopping?

I do not like the rush or pressure of going shopping. Christmas should not be filled with unnecessary anxiety.