Tony Elder

On the day of a big rivalry football game last weekend, I found myself on the opposite side from much of my family. So when the team many of my children and grandchildren was supporting jumped out into the lead, I was included in a group text that showed a screenshot of the score. I simply commented, “It ain’t over yet.” At halftime, when the gap had widened even further, one of my daughters posted another screenshot with the comment, “I’m just going to let that score speak for itself.” However, in the second half, the other team came back eventually to win. I responded to my daughter afterwards, “It’s the final score that counts.”

On the day of a big rivalry football game last weekend, I found myself on the opposite side from much of my family. So when the team many of my children and grandchildren was supporting jumped out into the lead, I was included in a group text that showed a screenshot of the score. I simply commented, “It ain't over yet.” At halftime, when the gap had widened even further, one of my daughters posted another screenshot with the comment, “I'm just going to let that score speak for itself.” However, in the second half, the other team came back eventually to win. I responded to my daughter afterwards, “It's the final score that counts.”

When my youngest grandson had his first encounter with Santa Claus recently, he seemed totally unfazed by the event. He had a rather calm and unimpressed look on his face as Santa held him for a photo op with his brothers. Of course, that isn't always the case when it comes to children's reactions to meeting St. Nick. Some kids express uncertainty and curiosity about this strange-looking bearded gentlemen in the red suit. I have seen others with a wide-eyed look of awe and wonder on their faces as they encounter the jolly old elf. Some are thrilled to be in his presence with their countenances beaming with the joy of adoration. However, many of us have also witnessed children who were terrified of Santa, bursting out in tears and wanting to get away from this scary guy. It is hard to predict how any particular youngster will react to this experience.

When my youngest grandson had his first encounter with Santa Claus recently, he seemed totally unfazed by the event. He had a rather calm and unimpressed look on his face as Santa held him for a photo op with his brothers. Of course, that isn’t always the case when it comes to children’s reactions to meeting St. Nick. Some kids express uncertainty and curiosity about this strange-looking bearded gentlemen in the red suit. I have seen others with a wide-eyed look of awe and wonder on their faces as they encounter the jolly old elf. Some are thrilled to be in his presence with their countenances beaming with the joy of adoration. However, many of us have also witnessed children who were terrified of Santa, bursting out in tears and wanting to get away from this scary guy. It is hard to predict how any particular youngster will react to this experience.

When my youngest grandson had his first encounter with Santa Claus recently, he seemed totally unfazed by the event. He had a rather calm and unimpressed look on his face as Santa held him for a photo op with his brothers. Of course, that isn't always the case when it comes to children's reactions to meeting St. Nick. Some kids express uncertainty and curiosity about this strange-looking bearded gentlemen in the red suit. I have seen others with a wide-eyed look of awe and wonder on their faces as they encounter the jolly old elf. Some are thrilled to be in his presence with their countenances beaming with the joy of adoration. However, many of us have also witnessed children who were terrified of Santa, bursting out in tears and wanting to get away from this scary guy. It is hard to predict how any particular youngster will react to this experience.

When my youngest grandson had his first encounter with Santa Claus recently, he seemed totally unfaz fe cz uif fwfou.

One recent evening we celebrated an early Christmas with some of our family packed into our living room. It was an active couple of hours with presents being opened, decorations being enjoyed, younger grandchildren playing with new toys, older grandsons wrestling with each other, several of us engaged in a game of Uno, and numerous noisy conversations. It was great.

One recent evening we celebrated an early Christmas with some of our family packed into our living room. It was an active couple of hours with presents being opened, decorations being enjoyed, younger grandchildren playing with new toys, older grandsons wrestling with each other, several of us engaged in a game of Uno, and numerous noisy conversations. It was great.

One recent evening we celebrated an early Christmas with some of our family packed into our living room. It was an active couple of hours with presents being opened, decorations being enjoyed, younger grandchildren playing with new toys, older grandsons wrestling with each other, several of us engaged in a game of Uno, and numerous noisy conversations. It was great.