Swoosh. Swoosh. Molly twists around which causes her wings to flap. It’s the Wednesday before the church’s Christmas play on Sunday. She had insisted on wearing her angel wings and halo for rehearsal.
She can’t help but smile as they lay her baby brother into the empty manger. “Mav’rick is so much better than an old doll.” For years they had used one for baby Jesus. Since Mav’rick is three months old, he’s just the right size.
“You’re so right Molly,” the choir director Mr. Holbert agrees. “Our Christmas program this year will be unlike all the others.”

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

The Christmas traditions we are all familiar with: Holly, mistletoe, Christmas trees, all were imported to the US from Europe, the United Kingdom in particular. There are other traditions still celebrated in the United Kingdom that never caught on here, some of which go beyond Christmas Day.

In 1980 the Union County Homemakers Club voted through their County Council to purchase State required Children’s Car seats for the needy. (In 1977 the State of Tennessee was the first state to require child car seats.)

Ask almost anybody if they like Spam, and they will turn up their nose. Too bad. Spam is a good pork product. It got a bad rap during WWl!. Spam was probably on the menu far too often and probably prepared only one way-plain out of the can. If you receive commodity foods at a food bank, Spam or Treet (same thing) will be given under its generic name of luncheon meat. There are several ways to fix it. I will offer you a couple. These recipe work with cooked ham, too.

A well-rounded exercise program is one of the keys to maintaining good health and a sound musculoskeletal system. Ideally, you should strive for a combination of movements and activities that involve stretching to help with flexibility, weights or resistance work that improves the strength of bones and muscles, and vigorous aerobic activity that strengthens the heart and lungs and helps with weight control. Remember, though, before starting any exercise program, you should consult with your medical doctor.

I’m going to show my age here. Back in the 80s, Tim’s sister had an Atari video game system. One of her favorite games was “Freeway.” The aim was to get a chicken safely across a busy road to the other side. Each time I played; the poor little chick got squashed. Well, Tim and I felt like that chicken one evening a few years ago.

Bill Manning lives in Maynardville. His brother, Van, lives in Maryville. Van was just honored by the Quilts of Valor at the Seymour Heights Christian Church. The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans who have been touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. So far in 2024, 35,333 people have received a Quilt of Valor. Over 408,000 total quilts have been awarded since the beginning of the project in 2003.

Giving gifts at Christmas is an old and venerable tradition. It's more personal than the modern process of wading through crowds of people to select a gift from thousands of products in the store aisles. A gift made specifically for someone is special and reflects the fact that you spent time and talent just for them. Since everyone enjoys nature, here are some gifts you can give that come from outside.

The Inspirations Quartet once recorded a gospel song that in part had these lyrics:

If all the wealth was put at your disposal
to build a home that you have longed to own,
you wouldn’t be moved in it
until you’d want to make
some changes in your very own new home.

Did you ever slide down into a desk during class? I most certainly did. Whether it was called an English or Language Arts class, I tried to hide from the teacher. Why? Because they had asked for volunteers to diagram a sentence on the board. Surprised? Generally, people think writers are experts in grammar. I’m sure most are, but this one isn’t. Even though I have been writing stories most of my life, I am not a grammar girl.