I love tinsel. The more, the merrier. I want gobs of it drooping from every branch of the Christmas tree. It is sleek and shiny. It shimmers like rain and descends from the tree’s branches, lending a radiant luster to … Continue reading The Rise and Fall of Tinsel
In the photo below you can see the word “gifting.” Gifting is used there as a gerund or the noun form of the verb. But “gift” is not a verb, you say, so how could it possibly form a gerund? … Continue reading Gift This!
I heard a news report the other day about a driver pulling a gun on another driver in a dispute over a parking spot. No doubt it took place at a megamall. I couldn’t help but think of another news … Continue reading A Christmas Truce for 2017
Matthew’s Gospel opens with the famous genealogy of Jesus beginning with Abraham, the father of Isaac, and ending fourteen generations later with Joseph, who is referred to as “the husband of Mary” (Mt 1:1-16a). This is the only time Joseph … Continue reading Joseph, Husband and Mensch
Es ist ein rose entsprungen Haven’t had enough? Go to Robert Brancatelli. Continue reading Mittwoch Matinee
The culture wars are heating up, or at least culture skirmishes. I’m sure Donald Trump has a lot to do with it, but this time it’s over Christmas. The warring factions are the ideological version of Donald Rumsfeld’s leaner tactical … Continue reading Starbuck’s Red Cups
Between Thanksgiving and New Year there are an awful lot of family rituals involving meals, house guests, and long-distance traveling. And I do mean awful. It’s not that the holidays have to be awful, of course, it’s just that they … Continue reading Why We Need Japanese Transvestite Elves
