St. Nick First Appeared 202 Years Ago …

On this day in 1823 the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas was first published in the Troy Sentinel. It has also been called "Twas the Night Before Christmas" because of the first line in the poem. When first published, the writer remained anonymous. Authorship has been attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed to have … Continue reading St. Nick First Appeared 202 Years Ago … →

Holiday Rodents Make Their Debut…

It was on this day in 1958 that Alvin, Simon and Theodore hit #1 with The Chipmunk Song. It became the first Christmas song to hit #1 in America. It remained #1 for four weeks. Christmas had been over for a month and most folks had taken down the lights and decorations, and that song … Continue reading Holiday Rodents Make Their Debut… →

A Right Jolly Old Elf

As I mentioned in a past blog, the family didn't get family holiday photos this year. Our schedules and budget did not allow for that. So when my coworker said her husband was playing Santa and that her friend was a photographer, I had to take advantage of this. As the kids and I parked … Continue reading A Right Jolly Old Elf →

Work Hijinx From Twinkles

When my wife decided that we were going to do the Elf on the Shelf thing, I wondered just how difficult it would be. When you see those funny videos of a mom or dad shooting up in bed at 5am saying "The Elf!" and then running to move it, that is not a joke. … Continue reading Work Hijinx From Twinkles →

“Fert! Honk! Laaaa Yaaaa Laaa!” (Happy Birthday, Charlie)

To this day, my best friend Jeff and I will leave each other voice mail messages with a variety of wacky noises and such. For years, we've been channeling our inner "Charlie Callas." That has gotten us both in trouble on occasion (especially with substitute teachers). Charlie Callas was one of a kind. The thing … Continue reading “Fert! Honk! Laaaa Yaaaa Laaa!” (Happy Birthday, Charlie) →

Holiday Life Lessons From Ebenezer

It was on this day in 1843 that Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol was first published. The first run of 6000 copies was sold out by that Christmas Eve. I have read A Christmas Carol every year since 1982. It got me to thinking about the life lessons one can glean from the story. … Continue reading Holiday Life Lessons From Ebenezer →

An Unexpected and Moving Gift

I have been a sleep technologist since 2013. In all those years, I have never been so moved by a patient's kind gesture - until yesterday. I walked into the tech room and found a tall green gift bag on the counter, It had a sticky note on it that read, "Keith - from your … Continue reading An Unexpected and Moving Gift →

Pics with St. Nick

Due to a schedule conflict this year, we were unable to get family pictures for Christmas. Some coworkers and I were talking about Christmas pictures when one of them told me that her husband was playing Santa. A friend of hers has a photography studio and she was doing pictures with Santa for only $25. … Continue reading Pics with St. Nick →

Tune Tuesday – Jingle Bell Blues

Happy 76th birthday to ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons! Billy was born outside of Houston, Texas. Music was a part of his life right from the start. His father was an orchestra leader and concert pianist. When he was five, his mom took him to see Elvis Presley. Two years later, his dad took him to … Continue reading Tune Tuesday – Jingle Bell Blues →

Movie Music Monday – The Glenn Miller Story

I have featured this film before, but for a different reason. The last time was the anniversary of Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo Choo becoming the first gold record. Today is for a much sadder anniversary. It was on this day in 1944 that Glenn Miller's plane disappeared somewhere over the English Channel. The incident remains … Continue reading Movie Music Monday – The Glenn Miller Story →