THIS AND THAT * If you haven’t watched the TV series “Yellowstone,” I highly recommend it. And if you were fortunate enough to find out in time to record all of them, the entire three seasons were shown continuously on the Paramount TV station during the Christmas weekend! * As always, we had an AWESOME Christmas with lots of fun, presents and food! My kiddos put a lot of thought into what they got for me and were so excited when I opened up my presents! * Not going to lie, I love watching all the Christmas Hallmark movies— some over and over again—but once Christmas is over, and I mean that very day, I am done with them! That is until next year! * The bags under my eyes are Prada.

Dear Senator Pat Roberts: This letter began as a sincere, succinct and timely thank you for providing passes to this autumn’s Preview event surrounding the dedication of the new Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Probably most of us think of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as a novelty song. A lot of people even link this old Christmas carol with other nonsensical numbers such as “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” or “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” However, even though “The Twelve Days of Christmas” makes little sense to us now, it was once one of the most important teaching tools of the Catholic church.

* “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” is one of the first country songs that made it on my all-time favorite music list. Country music star Charley Pride had such a melodic voice and now he can sing to all the angels in Heaven. My Mom will be right up front for that concert.

Even though “Silent Night” has been recorded more than any other song in history, the fact that we know it at all is a miracle. Created out of necessity and performed in a tiny village on Christmas Eve by two ordinary Austrians and a tiny choir, this incredibly beautiful and simple carol owes its debut to an organ that wouldn’t play and a priest who wouldn’t hold a Christmas mass without special music.

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn. And there were in the same country Shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Dear Editor: Thanks to the Rooks County Historical Society for the new series honoring veterans. The stories of the Civil War veterans provide details about some of our earliest pioneers.

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” has been sung in churches of all denominations for almost two hundred years and sung in Catholic masses for much longer. It has been translated into more than 150 languages, used in thousands of cantatas and musical productions, and called by some critics “the greatest carol ever written.” It is amazing, therefore, that the song’s author remained unknown until just after World War II.

Dear Editor: I would like to commend the Stockton High School Girls Basketball Team and coach Alexa Rogers. Janey and I watched the games with Russell and Thunder Ridge on live streaming.

* Read this online….“If I yelled ‘Bingo!’ but refused to let you examine my Bingo card, would you still give me the prize money anyway?” * I wish people would brush up on their history because it looks to me like it is repeating itself, and not in any kind of a good way. * My great niece is doing her 25 Days of Christmas Sweaters on her Instagram page! I look forward to this every year! * When we turned our clocks back in October, I should have turned mine back to at least 1987.