Happy holly trails to you - fa la la la la

By Julie Carter

It's here. Christmas has arrived and the fun should begin anytime now.

Very soon people will start anticipating that magic day, Jan. 1.

You know the one - where you suddenly are going to get richer, thinner and better looking because you resolved you would.

But before we get to that, let me give you some advice that was passed to me about how to enjoy a party, of which by now, you have attended more than you wanted to with more to come.

Why not give yourself a genuine reason for those soon-to-be-made resolutions.

· Avoid the carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrot sticks, leave immediately and go next door where they are serving rum balls.

· Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. It's not addicting, its seasonal, and you won't see it again for a year. Pay no mind to the 10,000 calories-a-sip.

· If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy is not a stand-alone dish.

· If mashed potatoes are served, ask if they are made with skim or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

· Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free.

· Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when there is nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you will need after circling the buffet table with a 10-pound plate of food and drinking that vat of eggnog.

· Fruitcake? Okay, it has the mandatory celebratory calories but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

· " 'Twas the night before Christmas and all around my hips, were holiday candies sneaking past my lips." This happens all year so don't make it an issue just because it's Christmas.

· If you leave a party or get up from the table and you don't feel terrible, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read the tips and commit them to memory.

Now that you are all done shopping (You are, aren't you?) and this year's gifts are bought with next year's money, you can congratulate yourself for observing this deeply religious holiday in your own way, usually by going to the mall of your choice.

You mailed everything plenty early so the post office had time to lose it in time for Christmas.

Tradition has become so dependable.

And somewhere there are those that still take the time and generation-honored skills to give only homemade gifts.

When I was in that I-made-it-myself mode, I tried to give my children away but they were returned to me immediately.

Erma Bombeck once said, "There is nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."

But I think it would be sadder yet, to not wake up at all.

We are all children in some way and Christmas can be the very day we get to act like it. Try not to waste it.

One more Fa-la-la-la and you are out-of-here, making tracks into 2007.

Happy holly-laden trails to you and yours.

© Julie Carter 2006


New Hope

by Larry Gabriel

It is almost a new year. The new year will bring many new ideas, dreams, projects and change to South Dakota. They always do.

We have all heard the expression, "some things never change", but I have never seen a thing that did not change.

Technology changes so fast it is difficult to keep up at times. The weather, the road conditions, soil moisture, crop conditions, crop outlooks, what crops we plant, what kind of cattle we raise, the state of the economy, and a host of things that impact our lives change all the time.

Even people change. Have you noticed a more positive attitude in many of our rural communities? I have. Many communities which once accepted gradual population decline as an unchangeable trend are turning that around.

More of our rural communities will do so during this new year. Unimagined progress and improvement will be made in many aspects of rural life. New business will begin. New ideas will be explored. New people will arrive.

Not everyone believes that. There are always some doubters and naysayers in every crowd. But they are few. I don't enjoy listening to them. I listen politely with my ears, but I try not to take to heart what they say. I take to heart the voices of progress, improvement and optimism.

I believe things will improve, because optimism (like all attitudes) is contagious. Many have it. Many more will get it.

Also, I believe the leaders of our state and your community will succeed where others have failed, when they have a passion for what they are doing. When the people of a community care deeply about its future and spread their optimism, anything is possible.

There is a third reason to be optimistic about the new year. We are surrounded in South Dakota by a great natural abundance of fertile land, clean air and pure water. When you add the strong belief and work ethics of our people to those natural resources, only the imagination limits what we can achieve.

I am always positive about the start of a new year, just as I am about the start of a new day. The quiet of early morning is my favorite time to contemplate the blessings I have and the opportunities that will come with the new day.

I view the arrival of a new year in much the same way. My hope for you is that you will too.

Together we can meet any challenge, overcome any obstacle, pass any test, build any dream and best of all enjoy every minute of it, because we care about what we are doing.

May your new year be filled with hope and faith that better things are just around the corner.

Happy New Year to all!

Mr. Gabriel is the South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture


Happy Birthday to Jenna Rose DuBois who is 6 years old today!