A LITTLE EARLY

Christmas decorations seem to go up earlier and earlier. Lots of houses in my neighborhood put them up a week or two ago, well before the American Thanksgiving holiday this Thursday. I understand that it's part of the show for Garden Glow but it's a bit much for us. 

This is not a sentimental household. Some of us are religious, some not, but all of us are appalled by the seasonal materialism and commercialism. We have a family discussion about what good cause to support. We recommend Nicholas Kristof's approach: https://tinyurl.com/tke8kvkc.               

Please Don't Forget

A billboard along a crummy stretch of I 44, asking people to make Christmas donations to the Salvation Army. They do a lot of social good.

Mrs. C and I agree with the idea. Sure, it's nice to give a gift to someone you care about at this time of year, but we are more and more turned off by the season's coarse materialism. We're getting a few things for our children, their spouses and particularly for Madeleine but it's nothing fancy. However, we are not buying anything for ourselves. We've got enough stuff, too much. We have each other, a relationship that's lasted more than 40 years and keeps getting better. That's plenty.

If anyone wanted to give us something, we ask that they make a contribution to the education expenses of Januka Basnet, a wonderful young woman in Kathmandu we have helped support for a number of years. We've met her a couple of times - here's a picture of her and my wife taken five years ago. She has now graduated from the equivalent of 10th grade and passed the all-important Leaving School Exam, which I think is something like the A Levels in the UK. Now she's starting Nepalese college. If you would like to help, too, click here.