Stories for Dads and Moms who Need a Laugh

Today is New Year's Eve. It's the day we say goodbye to 2023 and ring in a new year. It's the one night our children are allowed to stay up late, only to have them conk out on the floor or the couch while the rest of us wish everyone a Happy New Year. Celebrating with Friends There have been different ways of celebrating the New Year. The earliest celebrations I can remember is when friends and neighbors came to the house to celebrate. My siblings and I couldn't understand why we had to go to bed while the adults got to stay up late. I wanted to know what happened when the clock struck twelve. How exactly did the new year arrive and what was the big deal? No one bothered to explain to us kids what happened or how it happened. All I knew was that we went to bed one year and woke up in a completely different year. As time went on, a new though short-lived tradition occurred. My best friends and their parents would come over to celebrate New Year's Eve. No one was sta...

2023 It's been a fun and interesting year for me and my family. Wife, the children, and me did a lot of things. We went to a lot of places, and we were able to share some new experiences. There were also new things I got to do and learn by myself. With my family or by myself, destinations and activities provided memories and plenty of stories. Being a Foster Parent We decided to end our tenure as foster parents this year. It was a memorable and interesting six-year run that none of us will forget. Fostering duties meant additional parent-teacher conferences and doctor's visits. Monthly visits with social workers allowed us to address numerous issues and share stories. Some were funny, some weren't so funny. We will be sure to remember some children better than others as each placement came with unique challenges and experiences. One of the most memorable experiences Wife and I had was adopting two children who were placed with us. Living without Electricity A fire in the f...

There has been a lot of debate about “Die Hard”, and whether it is a Christmas movie. I personally think it is. The point of this post, however, is not to give my explanations why. Instead, I would like to highlight some other movies that could be debated just as fervently regarding their status as a Christmas movie. Batman Returns This installment of an earlier franchise depiction features Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader. This movie pits Batman against Catwoman, the Penguin, and a double-crossing industrialist. Throughout the movie, Bruce Wayne dates Selina Kyle while trying to keep Gotham City safe from this chapter's offering of villains as Batman. As the movie progresses, Wayne and Kyle find out who the other really is, complicating their relationship. Lethal Weapon I’m not sure I’ve heard arguments as intense as “Diehard”, and I surprised there hasn’t been the same debate. Everyone knows the story of the franchise’s maiden voyage. A veteran cop is partnered with a loose c...

Based on "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house. Kitty was purring. She'd just killed a mouse. My glasses were cleaned and laid out with care in hopes that bourbon and beer would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of more screens danced in their heads. Wife on her side of the bed. Me on mine. Wondering how long 'til a child climbs in. When down in the kitchen there was such a clatter. I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Turned on the light. Blind from the flash. Hand over face to see who it is. The moon outside shone on the snow gave a luster of midday to objects below. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but all of my kids assembled in good cheer. They poured out some eggnog, so lively and quick. I shooed them to bed. Here comes St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came. And I shooed and ...

Decorating the Christmas tree is an essential part of preparing for the most wonderful time of the year. In addition to the tree, there are plenty of other decorations to be put up around the house, and for some families, outside the house, to get into the Christmas Spirit. There have been plenty of decorations growing up that I remember more than others. There have been decorations to remind the family that Christmas was drawing close. Most of these were on the tree, but there were other decorations in my house as well as houses of relatives that have stood out over the years for me. Past Christmas Decorations Growing up, I remember a neighbor's house that was all decked out for the season. Lights on the bushes and two gigantic candles flanking the front steps of their home. Our house was on a one way street, so we always went by that house on our way home. When I was older, my room gave me a nice view of houses on the street behind us that had lights outside their homes on bushes...

Over the years, my family and I have exchanged Christmas gifts. Some gifts, and some Christmases, have stood out when it comes to the gift-giving tradition.   Christmas means a lot of different things to different people. Like a lot of people, I was excited when I was a child because Christmas meant I would wake up in the morning and there would be presents in the living room for me. All it cost me was a couple cookies, a glass of milk, and one measly carrot to be shared by eight reindeer. Not a bad deal. Electronics make Great Christmas Gifts I got my first Red Sox jacket for Christmas. As I got older, I was able to go out on my own and pick presents out for others. It was a nice feeling for me to be able to give someone a gift that I myself bought and paid for. Giving was nice. I'm not going to lie. Receiving may not be as holy, but it gives you a nice feeling as well. My brother and I were excited when we got Nintendo for Christmas. My brother had to be stopped before he could h...

There are three short weeks until Christmas. In that amount of time, like millions of other families, my family needs to get out Christmas cards, shop for various get-togethers, figure out the kids' Christmas lists, and send packages to family who live far away. Children Waiting for Santa Claus Things get different as you get older. As a little child, going to bed was the easy part. It was falling asleep that was hard. You wanted to fall asleep so it would be Christmas Morning faster, but you were too excited to fall asleep. My brother and I would give each other that uneasy look when one of us had to use the bathroom. Should we chance it? We did, and then ran back into our room and under the covers. Eyes closed like we had been in bed the whole time. My sister's bedroom was downstairs. She would sleep upstairs with us on Christmas Eve to be safe. You can't be too careful when Santa Claus is visiting. My brother and I had bedrooms downstairs when we were older, and we fell ...