Trapped in paradise

Christmas looked a little different this year for me. I traded in the snow-covered fields of southwestern Ontario, the holiday lights on my quiet street and the hustle and bustle of last-minute Christmas shopping for the sandy beaches of paradise, also known as Mazatlán, Mexico.

Tchotchkes

What is that word in the headline? Did he sneeze when he started writing this column? No, dear reader, I didn’t sneeze. The word is ‘tchotchke,’ a term my wife’s family uses for trinkets or knick-knacks. My wife’s grandpa, affectionately known by all in the family as ‘Papa,’ has a collection of tch

Humanity, conscience and ownership

Friends, About this time last year, my keys went missing from my office. It was a hectic day at The Village, as the community was getting set to close down for the holidays. But for people in crisis or struggling, those painfully human aspects of life, holiday shutdowns can make for dark days.

Bravo to the heroes of the storm

If you have decided to delete “Let It Snow” and “Dreaming of a White Christmas” from your list of favourite holiday tunes, you probably spent Christmas at home, trying not to think about the plans for the first family gathering since COVID – or rather, the celebration that should have been, had Moth