Eggnogian logic all part of Christmas tradition

It’s nearly Christmas.

Once again, our lights are up and working and, I’m happy to report, no major mishaps or near electrocutions occurred during the process.

One thing that helped is that I’ve retired the ladder that reached the peak of our roof and I no longer try to string lights to the height of the Smith Tower. I’ll leave that to our younger neighbors nearby. They’ll learn.

I can also report that the shopping’s done and presents are under the tree. What helped is the fact that I’m retired and one benefit of that is the ability to wander the stores at 10 a.m. on a mid-week morning. For example, I visited one small chocolate store in a local mall and was the only customer there during my entire stay. The samples offered were tasty, plentiful and wonderfully calorie filled.

Once again, we bought a natural Christmas tree because we both like the evergreen scent that fills the house. The daily waterings the tree requires are a small price to pay for the enjoyment we get from that.

We hung all of the decorations we’ve purchased over the past 42 years and have found that — according to my wife — there’s still room for more. This is, to my thinking, a matter for debate since I have trouble finding any visible branches where ornaments aren’t bumping into each other. To prove her point my wife immediately went out and purchased a 2013 Christmas commemorative ornament that has a place for a picture in its center. Said picture, this year, will be a Christmas photo of our dog, “Monty.”

Don’t ask. You’re either a dog person or you’re not.

Every day, when I’m out and about, I find myself listening to the radio and hoping that they’ll play an old Christmas song that I’ve always enjoyed. The title is “Old Toy Trains” and it’s sung by Roger Miller. It’s a short song that tells of the attraction that exists between little boys and electric trains.

It’s not one of the Christmas “standards” like “White Christmas” or “Jingle Bells” and this pretty well ensures that it doesn’t get the air time that it should. The good thing is that I can, and do, bring it up on YouTube. There’s something about that song that pulls at me.

On the food front (AKA — “The Battle of the Bulge”). I recently came across an interesting theory about eating during the holidays. Apparently, drinking large quantities of very cold eggnog with any holiday meal cancels the food’s calorie count.

The author of this theory explained that, once eggnog has been consumed, it takes energy to heat it to your normal body temperature. That energy (in the form of calories burned to warm the eggnog) has to come from somewhere and that somewhere would be the deviled eggs, artichoke dip, peanut brittle, turkey, yams, mashed potatoes, gravy and pecan pie you’ve likely been eating. Thus, everything cancels out.

Some would argue that there’s a discrepancy somewhere in there, but I’m not going to spend a lot of time looking for it. There are better things to do over the next week or so, and they all involve having a good time with friends and family while hovering somewhere near either the kitchen or the dinner table. How can that be wrong once every year or so?

We’re lucky. Our now-grown kids who are away have been calling frequently and our newly engaged (and still local) son will be bringing his fiancé to visit on Christmas Eve and for part of Christmas Day.

Still, being apart from the others weighs on us and the words “missing them” doesn’t seem to adequately describe the feeling. I believe that those of you in similar situations know what we mean.

All in all, though, the true theme of Christmas is very simple.

Let others know that you care.

It’s the only gift worth giving or receiving.

Merry Christmas to each and all of you.

Larry Simoneaux lives in Edmonds. Send comments to: larrysim@comcast.net

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, July 9

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

A Volunteers of America Western Washington crisis counselor talks with somebody on the phone Thursday, July 28, 2022, in at the VOA Behavioral Health Crisis Call Center in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Dire results will follow end of LGBTQ+ crisis line

The Trump administration will end funding for a 988 line that serves youths in the LGBTQ+ community.

Welch: A plan to supply drugs to addicts is a dangerous dance

A state panel’s plan to create a ‘safer supply’ of drugs is the wrong path to addiction recovery.

Douthat: Conservatives sacrificed own goals to pay for tax cuts

Along with its cuts to Medicaid, long-held GOP priorities were ignored in the Big Beautiful Bill.

Comment: Supreme Court porn ruling a naked change to speech rights

The majority ignored a 20-year-old ruling that overturned an age-verification law similar to the Texas law.

Comment: With Voice of America silenced, who’s next?

The Trump administration saw VOA as ‘radical left’ media. It’s the mark of authoritarian governments.

Comment: Michelle Obama is quitting politics. Or is she?

She may be stepping back from campaigns and speeches, but her new podcast is in itself a political act.

toon
Editorial: Using discourse to get to common ground

A Building Bridges panel discussion heard from lawmakers and students on disagreeing agreeably.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, June 27, 2025. The sweeping measure Senate Republican leaders hope to push through has many unpopular elements that they despise. But they face a political reckoning on taxes and the scorn of the president if they fail to pass it. (Kent Nishimura/The New York Times)
Editorial: GOP should heed all-caps message on tax policy bill

Trading cuts to Medicaid and more for tax cuts for the wealthy may have consequences for Republicans.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, July 8

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Comment: Students can thrive if we lock up their phones

There’s plenty of research proving the value of phone bans. The biggest hurdle has been parents.

Dowd: A lesson from amicable Founding Foes Adams and Jefferson

A new exhibit on the two founders has advice as we near the nation’s 250th birthday in the age of Trump.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.