En route, passengers enjoy a reading of Chris Van Allsburg’s “The Polar Express” and meet the characters like the Hobo from the movie.

The conductor for the “Polar Express” train ride on Cape Cod makes his rounds to spread holiday cheer to excited passengers. For more information about the ride, visit www.capecodpolarexpressride.com. Submitted  

EAST WAREHAM — Participants of all ages can climb aboard the official Warner Brothers licensed train ride of “The Polar Express” brought to you by the Cape Cod Central Railroad through Dec. 30. During the round-trip adventure to the North Pole passengers can suit up in their favorite pajamas and ride train ride from either Hyannis or Buzzards Bay.

The ride is based on the classic holiday book and movie that features the story of a young boy whose Christmas Eve journey aboard a mysterious train reignites his belief in Santa Claus. With music from the motion picture playing in the background, the adventure begins with the conductor stamping each passenger’s golden ticket while Chefs serve hot chocolate and cookies.

En route, passengers enjoy a reading of Chris Van Allsburg’s “The Polar Express” and meet the characters like the Hobo from the movie. Upon “arrival” at the North Pole, Santa and his Elves board the train, greet the children and present each with the first gift of Christmas, a silver sleigh bell which, according to legend, you can hear jingling only if you believe in the magic of Christmas. On the return journey, guests enjoy a Christmas carol sing-along led by the Elves.

Tickets can be purchased online at CapeCodPolarExpressRide.com or toll free by phone at (1-888) 797-RAIL.

Tickets range from $29 to $59 for adults, $24 to $49 for children 2 through 12. Children 2 and under are free in coach seating if riding on an adult’s lap and $10 as a lap child when riding in first class.

The First Class $59 tickets each come with a keepsake “Polar Express” mug available only on the train. The ride is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes roundtrip. Both Hyannis and Buzzards Bay will feature an official “Polar Express” gift shop. Parking is available for $5 per car.

He will focus on a congregation that is welcoming and promotes justice and equality.

Rev. Jason Seymour is the new minister at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield. Republican photo by DON TREEGER  

The main focus of the new pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield will be ensuring that the congregation remains a vibrant, active and welcoming community.

“Unitarian Universalists believe deeply in the transformative power of religious community,” said the Rev. Jason A. H. Seymour, 34. “We are a congregation that privileges religious curiosity and ethical living above any single doctrine or set of beliefs.”

After a two-year search, the society celebrated Seymour’s arrival in September. He will be ordained and installed as the congregation's minister during a ceremony on Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. at the meetinghouse, 245 Porter Lake Drive, Springfield.

I will be installed as the congregation's minister during the same ceremony. I was cleared by my denomination to become ordained last year, while serving a congregation in Appleton, Wisconsin," Seymour said,"but I delayed the ceremony until I arrived here."

"Ordination in the Unitarian Universalist tradition recognizes the call and training of a minister," he added, "and also the particular relationship from which a minister is called. Since I knew I would not be serving the Appleton congregation at length, I decided to delay my ordination ceremony until such a time as I was called into a long-term ministerial relationship. Therefore, my ordination ceremony will occur here in December."

Another primary focus of his ministry will be social justice.

Theodore Parker, who was a Massachusetts minister and abolitionist in the early 19th century, believed that justice was the natural state of relations between human beings, Seymour said.

“We go astray of our nature when we forget that fact. We perpetuate injustice when we allow ourselves to believe the stories in our society that elevate the value of any one person or group of people above any another,” Seymour said.

“We uphold that we are all children of one great love; we are members of one another. Therefore, this inward sense of justice that Parker described -- this sense of truly knowing oneself as equal to everyone else -- calls us then to engage with the world in ways that promote equality and dignity for all.”

Seymour looks forward to continuing to build and organize his congregation’s efforts for justice and to building partnerships with area clergy and community groups.

Currently, the Unitarian Universalist congregation includes about 200 adult members and 50 children. The main worship service is on Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

“Overall, I think people know us as a congregation of active and caring people,” Seymour said, noting that their spiritual home is a mid-century building tucked into the south side of Forest Park.

“We have large glass windows on both sides of our sanctuary that look out to the forest; seeing the seasons change around us is an important part of our worship experience,” he said.

The congregation draws from throughout the Springfield area.

“This is important because it means that we can have the kind of powerful conversations that occur across lines of difference,” Seymour said.

Basic principles Unitarian Universalist congregations hold in common include the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; and the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all, Seymour said

The main challenge Seymour faces is the challenge facing clergy in most religious traditions: people turning away from organized religion, he said.

“Mainline denominations continue to show a decline in membership, and technology has changed forever how people relate to one another and understand communities,” he said.

“Religion has also been so thoroughly caricatured and weaponized in popular culture that I think many compassionate, reasonable people may have given up on organized religion completely.”

He said he regularly talks with people who are healing from a previous religious experience.

“I think people today feel more judged by organized religion than anything else," Seymour said.

"Religion is how we re-bind ourselves, as a matter of practice, to the values that give our life meaning.”

He sees the validity in religions that hold on to the importance of living intentionally and of celebrating together the gift of life.

“My response to the challenge of old religion passing away is to imagine a fresher form of religion, one that is open and free and affirming,” he said.

“I want a religion that can help me to be a better person without asking me to stop thinking or to compromise my values. I want a religion that will instill in me and my kids a deep appreciation of diversity and equality. I want a religion that will encourage my spiritual growth on my own terms, a religion that calls me to be a better version of myself, not somebody else.

"I want a religion based in love, not judgment. I want a religion that was true back then, but one that still makes sense today, a religion that appeals to both my head and my heart. I ask these things of my religion not because they are easy, but because they challenge me to keep growing and to keep learning throughout my lifetime. This is why I, like many others, have found a spiritual home in Unitarian Universalism.”

Raised in the Unitarian Universalist tradition in New Jersey, Seymour attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn., double-majoring in business and music. After a short but successful career in public relations in Washington, D.C., he enrolled at Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2006, graduating in 2009 with a master of divinity degree with an emphasis in social ethics.

During seminary, he was active in several organizations working to address poverty, and he completed a unit of hospital chaplaincy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
He served as Hallman Ministerial Intern at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, Minn., and as assistant minister at Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Appleton, Wis.

Seymour is married to Jennifer Seymour, an area yoga instructor. They have one son, Jonathan, 2, and are expecting another child in April.

His interests include hiking, camping and baseball. He has played trombone since he was 10, and he performed most recently with King Changó, a Spanish-language ska/reggae band based in New York City.

For more information about the Unitarian Universalist Association, go to www.uua.org.

Participants will learn what the Catholic Church teaches about the Second Coming of Christ and the End Times.

The sign outside Our Lady of Sacred Heart Church on Boston Road advertises a talk about predictions based on a certain interpretations of the Mayan calendar about the end of the world on Dec. 20, and a parish workshop on Dec. 23. Republican staff photo by MARK M. MURRAY  

SPRINGFIELD—Whether or not the world will end -- according to the ancient Mayan calendar-- on Dec. 21 at 6:11 a.m. Eastern Time, the Rev. William A. Pomerleau has things planned for the following week.

“I don’t know (when the world will end). I cannot predict it,” said the pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church and St. Jude Mission in Springfield. “But I’m not living my life as if there is going to be a cataclysmic ending of the world.”

Nonetheless, he believes in being prepared.

On Dec. 20, in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, 405 Boston Road, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Pomerleau, an amateur historian, and the Rev. James Nolte, who serves as parochial vicar in Pomerleau’s two churches, will speak on the history of apocalyptic predictions in Christianity.

The Rev. Sean O'Mannion, whose mother has Mexican ancestry that traces back to the Mayans, will address the issue in Spanish during the event. He is parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth Parish in Northampton.

Participants will learn what the Church teaches about the Second Coming of Christ and the End Times and how the prophesies in the Advent Season scripture readings should influence their spiritual lives.

The Rev. William Pomerleau will give a talk about end-of-the-world predictions at Dec. 20 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish on Boston Road in Springfield. Republican photo by MARK M. MURRAY  

The evening will include Confessions and Mass to prepare for Christmas -- or the Apocalypse!—Pomerleau added.

He said the Catholic Church teaches as Jesus did that “yours is not to predict the hour or the time” when He will return at the end of the world.

“Christians believe there will be a final judgment and a Second Coming of Christ, and we should live our lives accordingly.”

In fact, that is a message of the Advent season.

Advent, Pomerleau explained, is a time to prepare for the celebration of the birth—the incarnation--of Jesus more than 2,000 years ago, for His Second Coming and for His coming “into our lives every day.”

“There is something to be said for preparedness,” the pastor said, recalling recent natural catastrophes.

“Humans tend to muddle through and react after the fact. That creates problems.”

Asked what he is preparing for in the Advent season that precedes Christmas, he said he is preparing to celebrate Christmas well, and he hopes that by looking back to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, he will be holier, kinder, more compassionate toward others and stronger.

Advent, he said, gets buried in the commercialism of preparing for Christmas celebrations, and the extended Christmas season—which begins on Christmas—is hardly celebrated in today’s culture. “Christmas is more than going to the mall to get the latest iPod,” he added.

People are intrigued with predictions of the end of the world and the notion that End Times are here, but what’s important is to be prepared at any time, Pomerleau said, though “we can have a bit of fun with the Mayan calendar (prediction)” and with millennialism.

But he’s not planning for a literal end to the world on Dec. 21; that could come at any time.

Families can access the High School Choice ballot on the School Department's website, sps.springfield.ma.us; ballots also can be completed at students' schools or the Parent Information Center at 22 Mulberry St.

During this time, parents and guardians of children enrolled in Grade 8 at a city school can access an online ballot and request, by ranking in order, the public high schools they want their children to attend.  

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield Public Schools is in the midst of conducting its annual High School Choice balloting.

The process runs through Dec. 21.

During this time, parents and guardians of children currently enrolled in Grade 8 at a city school can access an online ballot and request, by ranking in order, the public high schools they want their children to attend.

"We have found that the vast majority of students who participate in the High School Choice process get assigned to their first choice school, barring certain eligibility or programmatic constraints," said Lourdes Soto, student assignment administrator.

Families can access the High School Choice ballot on the School Department's website, sps.springfield.ma.us. If Internet is not available, ballots can also be completed at students' schools or the Parent Information Center at 22 Mulberry St.

"These locations will have staff available to assist parents with the balloting process. This is a very important decision and we want to support families in the best possible way," said Patricia A. Spradley, chief of parent and community engagement.

Bonnie LaPorte, office manager of the parent information center, said: "Grade 8 students who are not currently attending (a public) school will need to register at the Parent Information Center and then will be able to complete an online ballot."

Registrations can be done at the information center weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For more information about the High School Choice process, call (413) 787-7276 or go online to sps.springfield.ma.us

In Puerto Rico, Nov. 19 is a national holiday in remembrance of the day when Christopher Columbus landed on shores of the island in 1493.

High School of Commerce students dance plena, a Puerto Rican folkloric rhythm, as the school hosts a cultural awareness presentation to commemorate the discovery of Puerto Rico. From left to right, Reyna Moran, Carol Mateo, Lia Diaz and Zullyram Vargas. Submitted photo  

SPRINGFIELD - Dressed in traditional Puerto Rican attire, High School of Commerce students Zullyram Vargas and Lia Diaz danced proudly to loud, rhythmic conga beats.

They waved their bright red skirts dancing plena, a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico, as the High School of Commerce held a cultural awareness presentation recently commemorating the discovery of the island.

Diaz was grateful for the opportunity to celebrate diversity.

"Events like this celebrate our roots, and our culture; this makes me feel proud of who I am," she said.

The presentation is an annual festivity organized by the faculty and staff of the English Language Learners Academy at the high school.

Students showcased their talents, shared information and learned new things about the history of Puerto Rico.

Martin De Leon, a student at the English Language Learners Academy, took the microphone as a troubadour, lyrical poets whose roots trace back to 11th century Spain, France and Italy.

"I inherited this art form from my family, the Sanabrias, who are well-known troubadours in Puerto Rico. It's a poetic form of singing, filled with emotion," he said.

In Puerto Rico, Nov. 19 is a national holiday in remembrance of the day when Christopher Columbus landed on shores of the island in 1493.

Internships offer high school credit to seniors who give time and gain experience in various workplaces, ranging from construction and education to health care settings.

Linda Bean, physician's assistant at AEIOU Occupational and Urgent Healthcare in Amherst, mentored Gateway Regional High School student Krista Garriepy. Submitted photo  

HUNTINGTON - Ten Gateway Regional High School seniors are out of the classroom - with eight leaving school early - to complete school-to-career internships throughout Western Massachusetts.

Internships offer high-school credit to seniors who give time and gain experience in various workplaces, ranging from construction to health care settings, and even the Northwest district attorney's office.

Krista Garriepy landed an internship at the AEIOU Occupational and Urgent Healthcare facility in Amherst, under the supervision of physician's assistant Linda Bean.

Garriepy is the first high-school student to do an internship with AEIOU. She shadows Bean, and has learned to listen for heart and lung sounds, and assist with treating abscesses and lacerations.

"Krista is an unusual student," said Bean. "She shows tremendous interest and focus. She is fearless, not at all intimidated in this setting."

Bean added that doing an internship provided a good opportunity for students to see if this is really what they want to do, before investing in their college education.

Garriepy's favorite task thus far has been assisting with suturing, which may seem unusual until one realizes that Garriepy has already garnered hours of medical experience as a certified first responder, certified outdoor emergency care technician and member of the National Ski Patrol. She is also certified in CPR and AED, and plans to take a Basic EMT course next spring in order to become credentialed when she turns 18 next summer.

Garriepy, whose career goal is to become a physician's assistant, has found the internship valuable. "Absolutely. I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Garriepy said.

For senior Ciara Fay, interning in the kitchen of Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton has enabled her to visit all of the different floors and wards of the hospital.

"I always knew that I wanted to work in a hospital, but have narrowed my focus to the emergency room or critical care areas," Fay reported. She said that her high school classes in forensics and chemistry provided a good foundation for her future studies in nursing, and she will take a course in anatomy and physiology next semester.

"My internship involves preparing all of the food trays," she reported. "I deliver snacks and trays to late arrivals directly to patients. I've found that I like going to the (emergency room) best; it is always fast paced and always different." Fay works six hours a week at the hospital.

Senior Stephanie Griffin is a dual enrollment student this year, taking academic courses at Holyoke Community College and completing an internship at the Northwestern district attorney's office in Northampton. Assistant district attorney Linda Pisano has served as Stephanie's mentor. Pisano heads up the Children's Advocacy Center and typically takes one intern at a time in the unit.

"It is very rare that we take on a high school student as an intern," Pisano said. "But Stephanie came to us with a unique perspective." Griffin, the daughter of a State Police lieutenant, plans to go to college to become a medical examiner.

Pisano said that Griffin's internship duties include meeting with witnesses, assisting staff in preparing children for testimony, and attending cases in Hampshire Superior Court.

"She's great. We had our reservations about a 17-year-old in this role," Pisano said. "She's come in and taken everything with absolute grace."

Other interns and sites this semester include Aliisa Cooper, Brooke Fairman, Madison Graham, Savannah Talbot and Alissa Williams at Littleville Elementary School; Justin Seney at Seney Contracting; and Jade Tarris in Gateway's communications office.

Diners enjoy suce fare as prime rib roasting in the fire, mulled wine and chowder they can help stir.

Fireplace Feast guests enjoy a post-dinner chat with coffee. Photo by Sarah Platanitis  

Foodies and families alike can have a true New England dining experience and roll up their sleeves to help prepare a traditional colonial menu at a Salem Cross Inn Fireplace Feast in West Brookfield.

“It’s fun to see people be part of what we have to offer instead of just putting food in front of guests at a table,” said Martha Salem-Leasca.

“They don’t have to help out but where else can you learn how to know when prime rib is done roasting in a fireplace or help make chowder in a caldron?”

Fireplace Feast-goers can marvel at the beef resplendently revolving on the mechanical roasting jack. Not only does the jack date back to the 1700s, it’s the only one known to be operating in a public place in the United States.

Later, guests are presented with ample portions in their doneness of choice, medium-rare and well-done, with sides of butternut squash, herb-roasted potatoes and spinach pie.

Prime Rib roasts on the circa 1700s roasting jack during a Fireplace Feast at Salem Cross Inn. Photo by Sarah Platanitis  

After the lengthy spit is carried away by a team of two, Bo Salem, Salem-Leasca’s brother, stokes up the fire to ready it for the hefty cast-iron pot for the seafood chowder.

“Making the chowder in fireplace is highlight.

It’s a great time for photos because guests help us add ingredient by ingredient and stir it. It’s quick from start to finish, takes about 20 minutes, is lots of fun and incredibly delicious,” said Salem-Leasca.

The recipe is old, from a time before soup-lovers who wanted chowder so thick their spoons would stand up on their own.

This recipe features heavy cream, a splash of roux, handfuls of flavorful quahog and large, whole pieces of fish that flake apart into delectable pieces.

Bo Salem pours heavy cream into the iron caldron that holds the seafood chowder. Photo by Sarah Platanitis  

“I thought it would be really interesting to actually have a unique dining experience like people used to have. It’s the reason why I wanted to come and participate with friends for enjoyable time,” said Bob Marshall, an Enfield resident celebrating hisrecent birthday with three pals, while taking a horse-drawn wagon rides on a section of the Salem Cross Inn’s scenic 600-acres of land.

Stove-heated mulling cider, with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, anise and lemon juice, warms the hearts returning from the brisk outdoor trips.

Mulled wine, with a touch of sugar, pairs well with cheese and crackers and a demonstration re-introduces the long-forgotten mulling rod to the Feast audience, creating tremendous steam and aahs of amazement.

John Gee, bartender at Salem Cross Inn, warms spiced, hot cider with a mulling rod. Photo by Sarah Platanitis  

“I love Sundays when families come to the Fireplace Feasts because it’s such a warm, welcoming day. Saturdays tend to be more friends and colleagues ready to relax and have a great time. During the Christmas season we usually do Friday nights, too,” said Salem-Leasca.

“No matter what, they all love our apple pie with big dollop of fresh whipped cream. What’s better than Apple pie? Nothing. That’s New England. That’s love.”

An late 18th century antique apple peeler and corer makes the deep-dish dessert for which the Salem Cross Inn is famous. The apples come from several local orchards in Warren and Brookfield. It’s usually Ida Reds, sometimes Cortlands and maybe Granny Smith if it’s a sweet year.

Whatever the mix, 26 apples feeds 40 people and there can be up to 150 guests at the height of the Fireplace Feast season.

Last year, the family business celebrated its 50th anniversary. Salem-Leasca remembered how her father, Henry Salem, his brother, Dick, and many family members worked together to restore the old property that today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“We are a true restoration,” said Salem-Leasca, who today helps runs the Inn along with her sisters, Nancy and Heather, and brother Bo.

“When they first came in, they took away years of modernization, trends like wallpaper, plaster and paint, and got beneath all of that to find these incredibly beautiful and wide hand-planed boards with handmade nails. They were going to fix it up for my uncle to live but though it was too good and decided to try a restaurant instead.”

The restaurant that opened in 1961 was highlighted on Food Network's "The Best Of" and chosen as a "Hidden Jewel" by Boston's Phantom Gourmet. Not only can guests fall in love with the food, they can fall in love with the place as well.

Moist muffins and sweet, gooey pecan rolls are made from scratch and shareable across the long tables in the Inn’s gorgeous, period decorated barn.

All vegetables and fruits are local and in-season. Butternut squash, a beloved autumn menu choice, has a secret ingredient known only to the chef.

“People come from all over the world come because they really like to come to us to be here at Christmas time and think of us as the quintessential new England place to spend the holidays,” said Salem-Leasca, noting that a special Fireplace Feast with champagne toast and sleigh rides will take place on New Year’s Eve.

Vegetarian, chicken, fish and gluten-free options are available. To make reservations or to purchase gift certificates for a Fireplace Feast holiday experience at Salem Cross Inn, call 508-867-2345 or visit their website.

A family run restaurant since opening in 1961, Salem Cross Inn is home of “The Best Apple Pie in New England” contest. Martha Salem-Leasca shared her favorite recipe for their award-winning Honey Apple Pie.

The pie is made using the freshest ingredients available, apples from local orchards! Guests who visit the Fireplace Feast can help peel apples with an antique apple peeler and corer and learn some of the secrets to rolling out the perfect pie crust.

The Best Apple Pie in New England: Honey Apple Pie

Crust

5 cups flour

1 ¾ cups shortening

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1 egg (beaten)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Water

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening until consistency of small peas.

In a measuring cup, put in beaten egg, vinegar and enough water to make 1 cup of liquid.

Add gradually to dry ingredients. Press to make a ball, then, divide into 4 equal parts.

Yields four crusts for two pies. Dough may be frozen for later use if only making one pie.

Filling

6-8 Rome apples peeled and sliced

1/3 cup honey

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon. salt

3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix honey, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and melted butter in large bowl. Add sliced apples and toss until well coated.

Roll out the bottom pie crust, place into a buttered, 10” pie pan and fill with apple mixture. Roll out top crust, place over apples, flute the edges together and vent the top.

Place in the center of a 350° oven for approximately 1 hour.

Even if you don’t believe in the Bible as a literal text, many of the stories are still fascinating and can capture children’s imaginations.

A selection of holiday children's books at Broadside Books in Northampton. Republican photo by MICHAEL S. GORDON  

By MARI-JANE WILLIAMS

The Washington Post

Answering awkward questions is an inevitable part of parenting: Where did I come from? Why doesn’t Santa ever die? Why is that lady so big?

Often, though, the toughest questions are about God and religion. For parents who are not religious, the holidays highlight those queries and at times make us second-guess our choices.

It’s one thing to be ambivalent about religion yourself, but as parents, we want to make sure we expose our children to as many different views as possible.

“It’s easy when you’re childless to sort of float and do what you think is right for you,” said Dale McGowan, author of “Parenting Beyond Belief.”

As you have kids, all those questions come to the fore. A number of friends of mine were entirely nonreligious, but once they had kids, they felt that they ought to be going to church.”

Other parents have the added stress of trying to navigate a holiday of another faith, because Christmas is so pervasive this time of year.

“It’s hard,” said Esther Lederman, the associate rabbi at Temple Micah in Washington. “If you’re a Jewish parent, you’re trying to make your child not feel bad that Santa isn’t coming to your house.”

We spoke with McGowan and other experts about how to expose children to the religious traditions of the holidays without compromising your beliefs.

Here are some of their suggestions:

Be honest about your doubts, and ask them what they think. The questions don’t need to cause anxiety for parents, McGowan said. Just be honest with your child and tell him that many people celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus, but you don’t. Then give him a chance to talk about what makes the most sense to him.

“They need to know that most of the people around them see the world through a religious lens,” said McGowan, who lives in Atlanta.

“Every time I make a statement about what I think is true, I let them know that others think differently and that they get to make up their own minds. It’s not necessary to put blinders on them and not let them see the religious aspect of the holidays. That would be strange.”

Take your children to religious services during the holidays. Andrew Park, the self-described “faith-free dad” who wrote “Between a Church and a Hard Place” (Avery, $26), says he and his wife take their children to services at different churches on Christmas Eve to expose them to a variety of faiths and customs.

“Christmas Eve is an opportunity to experience what religion means to people other than their parents,” said Park, who lives in Chapel Hill, N.C. “The greater the variety of the experiences, the better. It gives them context and understanding about religion. That’s powerful. Whether they become believers in a faith or not, having that understanding helps them become citizens of the world.”

Read biblical stories. Even if you don’t believe in the Bible as a literal text, many of the stories are still fascinating and can capture children’s imaginations. Read the story of Christmas and talk about it in the context of history or ancient mythology.

“There’s something about the Christian story that is very engaging to a kid,” Park said.

He also noted that his two children, ages 8 and 10, are starting to make connections between the practice of modern religion and the way it was practiced in ancient societies, how it’s portrayed in fantasy literature, and the role it has played in history.

Make it secular. Nothing says you have to observe Christmas or Hanukkah as religious holidays, McGowan said.

If you are ambivalent about religion, you can make the holidays a celebration of family and generosity. Or focus on the celebration of light, or Santa and cookies.

“What some parents find is they pop back into the church and it really doesn’t satisfy what they’re looking for, so they look for secular ways to fulfill those needs,” McGowan said.

“They are looking for ways to have important landmarks in their lives or rites of passage, and there are lots of equivalents that are entirely humanistic: naming ceremonies for babies, coming of age ceremonies around age 13.”

James Stewart stars as a small-town nobody, on the brink of suicide, who believes his life is worthless despite a loving wife (Donna Reed) and family.

James Stewart and Donna Reed start in the classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," screening Dec. 21 through 23 at Amherst Cinema. Submitted  

AMHERST - In what has become a holiday tradition at Amherst Cinema, the classic "It's a Wonderful Life" will be shown in matinee screenings at the cinema on Dec. 21, 22 and 23 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are regular admission and are available at the cinema box office or online at www.amherstcinema.org

James Stewart stars as a small-town nobody, on the brink of suicide, who believes his life is worthless despite a loving wife (Donna Reed) and family.

Guardian angel Henry Travers shows him how wrong he is by letting Stewart see what would have happened had he never been born.

This is director Frank Capra's classic bittersweet comedy/drama about George Bailey (Stewart), the eternally-in-debt guiding force of a bank in a typical American small town.
It's Christmas Eve, 1946, and Bailey, who has long considered himself a failure, faces financial ruin and arrest.

As the film opens, two celestial voices discuss Bailey's dilemma and decide to send down eternally bumbling angel Clarence Oddbody (Travers), who after 200 years has yet to earn his wings.

"The sappy, happy ending makes me cry every time," said Carol Johnson, the cinema's executive director. "And like many people, I must have seen the film 15 times!"

The purpose of the Clearstory Collective is to recover the lost intimacy and unqualified commitment that was fostered amongst Jesus's followers, and in the process, to be part of a movement that continues to change the course of history.

The Rev. Christopher Carlisle, shown here in front of St. John's Episcopal Church in Northampton, has helped knit together communities within the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts in a technology-based ministry called Clearstory Collective. Republican photo by JOHN SUCHOCKI  

A new ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts is described as "an eclectic expression of church that is as cutting edge as the moment and as ancient as first-century Palestine."

The ministry, Clearstory Collective, says it seeks to reach out to college students and other young adults, homeless and otherwise marginalized people of faith who have become disaffected by the institutional church and who seek informal and often spontaneous faith communities. It is doing so through technology.

However, the collective is conceived to be more than email communication. Containing blogs, descriptions of the various communities comprised of photographs, video clips and radio interviews as well as key people and community contacts, the churched and unchurched alike can become and remain connected to these communities and their members.

Participation in the various communities varies.

For example, at the Northampton street community, Cathedral in the Night, numbers about 40 to 70 on any given Sunday night throughout the year.

The Midnight Breakfast at Smith College in Northampton and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley each semester during finals week draws about 500 in each location.

The servant leadership classes number between about eight and 15, while scores of people, young and old, are involved in the Gideon's Garden farm project as the community harvests crops, provides fresh produce for the hungry and stocks food pantries in the Berkshires.

"In all these communities, involvement is not about 'filling the pews' but filling the need," said the Rev. Christopher A.E. Carlisle, who, as director of ministry to higher education for the diocese, is responsible for Episcopal ministry on college and university campuses.

"As Jesus testified, this happens whenever two or three are gathered together in his name."

In the spirit of the first century "Jesus Movement," the ministry is described as a loose confederation of communities.

"Rather than being embodied by institutional structures, these communities strive to incarnate the life and spirit of Jesus in the world - in the streets, in bars, in cafes, on farms - wherever two or three are gathered together by the unqualified love of the Christ," Carlisle said.

Rather than attempting to contain what he call "this miraculous abundance," the collective strives to minimize institutional control and maximize the spiritual.

"From outdoor communities, to pub churches, to farms, to educational experiences about money, the collective is an eclectic expression of church that is as cutting edge as the moment, and as ancient as first century Palestine," he said.

He added it is the time for such ministry.

"Unencumbered by institutional structures that don't work anymore, ministers of the Gospel have been given the gift of unprecedented freedom to live into the radical possibilities of God," he said, adding,

"How can we lament a return to the excitement and passion of that first century Palestine experience?" Carlisle was the Episcopal chaplain to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst for 25 years.

From contemplative worship to poetry readings, from art exhibits to an undergraduate course titled, "Belief," to the God and science project from which he wrote "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Intelligent Design," he said he has long been aware that the church needs to change if it is to remain relevant.

As Carlisle was struggling to figure out how he could move from being a single-campus chaplain in a free-standing building to being the director of higher education ministry for his diocese throughout Western Massachusetts, he decided to use technology.

"It was then I realized that a network comprised of intentionally small, authentic, passionate communities of faith mapped onto my own long-standing vision for the church as a counter-conventional body that subverted the existing order for the sake of divine justice and human fulfillment," he said.

The purpose of collective is to recover the lost intimacy and unqualified commitment that was fostered amongst Jesus's followers, and in the process, to be part of a movement that continues to change the course of history.

Carlisle earned an undergraduate degree from New York's Columbia University in political science and economics, a master's in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and a master of divinity degree from Yale Divinity School in New Haven.

He was an associate rector at St. Andrew Episcopal Church in Longmeadow before serving as Episcopal chaplain to the University of Massachusetts.

"Insofar as we, as Christians, have been disestablished from a once-established 'religious' culture into the secular world, we are living in such a circumstance," he said.

"What is intriguing about this time however, is that the fracturing between communities and people that necessarily took place when the Jews were physically scattered from Jerusalem and the Temple, can be mitigated by electronic forms of relationship - specifically, the Internet."

Other communities include Taize at Smith College; Church Without Walls, Springfield; The Empty Bell on-line community; and Beyond Belief at Smith College.

"There are spare few settings in our deeply segregated American culture that bring people together across the often gaping demographic divides Clearstory Collective is one of these," Carlisle said.

"If there is a single commonality however, it is the spirit of those who want an alternative experience of 'church' - many of whom are young people."

The collective is not ecumenical in the sense of separate denominations working with one another, Carlisle noted, but is post-denominational, that is, people come together from all denominational and non-denominational walks of life to be a unified people of God.

"I find the fruits of this Clearstory Collective initiative abundant, everywhere, and long from being fully realized. Exploring one's faith out in the world - on the street, in living rooms, on farms, in pubs - offers an exciting adventure that I believe many people long for in their lives."

The main challenge to the ministry is dissimilar to that which confronts those who aspire to maintain the traditional institutional church.

"Recent attempts to stem the decline in church attendance has often been to convince people to do something they really don't want to do: to go to church on Sunday morning," Carlisle said.

"While for many, the Sunday morning experience will continue to be the preferred expression of 'church'-- and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that -- for most in the coming decade, I suspect it will not."

Thus, he said the greatest challenge of all may be for the church to find the courage to "leave old institutional forms that no longer work on our demographic landscape and to boldly re-imagine new forms of community in the spontaneous and ancient Judaic spirit of Jesus."

For more information email christopheraecarlisle@gmail.com.

The book has already earned praise from Irish Ambassador Michael Collins who said he "particularly lvoed the sense of recognition and belonging" that he "felt in turning the pages."

The release party for The Republican's "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts, on Dec. 9 at the Elms College, in Chicopee, attracted close to 100 people. Republican photos by DAVID MOLNAR  

The party to launch “The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts,” the first in The Republican’s series of hardcovers on different ethnic groups in the area, attracted close to 100 people on Dec. 9 to Alumnae Library at Elms College in Chicopee.

A number of the contributors to the book were present to sign copies along with area authors of other books, and the afternoon event featured Irish music by Tim Donoghue on the concertina and a light buffet that included baked potatoes.

The book was done in collaboration with the Irish Cultural Center at Elms.
“It was fun to see all of our Irish friends attending and connecting to their friends. Everyone was so pleased with the book and proud of their own contributions. Many people could point to a picture of a relative in the book while others liked knowing this is a story about Western Massachusetts and what the people of Ireland contributed to this area,” said Sister of St. Joseph of Springfield Judith Kappenman, director of the center and the book’s co-editor.

Articles in the book include ones on the settlement of Irish immigrants in Holyoke (“Ireland Parish”) by Thomas Moriarty, professor emeritus of history at Elms, the impact of women religious by Kappenman, and profiles on such individuals as Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr., son of Irish immigrants, and the Irish born James Cahillane, who was elected mayor of Northampton in 1954.

Other chapters highlight police officers and firefighters of Irish descendent, music and dance, and Gaelic football.

Anne-Gerard Flynn, right, lifestyle editor at The Republican, and co-editor of its newly release book, “The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts,” signs a copy for Sharon Baldarelli, of Agawam. Republican photo by DAVID MOLNAR  

There are sections on the Sons of Erin of Westfield, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the John Boyle O’Reilly Club and the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade. There is also an article on the success of the island’s peace process.

The book has already earned praise from Irish Ambassador Michael Collins who was given a copy by Neal.

“This is a wonderful book that tells the shared story of the Irish in Western Massachusetts, but which is really of the story of the Irish emigrant everywhere,” Collins said. “Faith, family, community and culture are all evoked through the words and pictures so creatively chosen by the co-editors. I particularly loved the sense of recognition and belonging that I felt in turning the pages, and certainly it evoked for me a mixture of pride and affection for the generations of Irish who came to America and have contributed in so many ways to make the U.S. what it is today but who have always maintained their love and support for Ireland.”

The book is available for $42.45 from The Republican.

The book can also be purchased the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, The Cottage in Holyoke, Broadside Bookshop in Northampton, the Irish Cultural Center at Elms College in Chicopee, and at Barnes & Noble in Holyoke, Hadley and Enfield, Conn.

It is also available online at amazon.com (type in “Irish Legacy (Springfield Heritage) and at www.pedimentbooks.com/store/product/springfield-heritage-the-irish-legacy/ (type "Irish Legacy" pediment on the web to pull up site easily).

An interview by Real to Reel reporter Carolee McGrath on WWLP-22 on Dec. 9 at the book launch with some of the book's contributors can be viewed at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU9gmFGeOWw&feature=em-share_video_user

LEEF awarded 16grants, totaling $50,664, this year across the Longmeadow school district.

Longmeadow Superintendent of Schools Marie Doyle, center holding check, and LEEF grant award recipients gather in the high school library following the award ceremony. Sixteen grants, totaling $50,664, were awarded this year across the school district. Photo by Cory White  

LONGMEADOW - The Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation, known as LEEF, recently presented its annual grant awards at a ceremony held in the Longmeadow High School library.

Sixteen new grants, totalling $50,664, were awarded. The total number of grants LEEF has awarded since its inception in 2002 is 252. The total amount of money it has given away is $871,000.

In addressing the recipients, Joseph Aberdale, a member of the foundation's board of directors stated, "Today is a very special day for us at LEEF. It is the culmination of a year's work with an opportunity for us to show our gratitude to you, and to present you with these grant awards. You have accepted our challenge, risen to the occasion, and submitted a variety of creative and wonderful ideas and lessons."

Two past grant recipients explained how the awards have helped them and their students become better educated.

Daniel Albert, music teacher at both Glenbrook and Williams middle schools, used his grant award money to institute Band Day.

One day each year, experts from the Community Music School of Springfield, as well as Michael Mucci, the head of the Longmeadow High School Orchestra, work with the students to improve their musicianship.

Justin Dion, left, and Evan Robinson, right, co-chairs of the Longmeadow Educational Excellence Foundation, present a ceremonial check representing the total amount of grant awards made by LEEF across the school district, to Superintendent Marie Doyle, center. Photo by Cory White  

Albert said the grant has improved the band program overall. By providing master classes by grade and instrument, the initiative has made his students better players. By giving them an opportunity to work with Maestro Mucci, Band Day has also made his students better ensemble players. And by bringing together the two middle schools, Band Day has fostered a camaraderie among musicians that spills over into the high school years.

Middle school science teacher, Heather Wagner, talked about the benefits of one of her grants - Seismograph in the Classroom.

The seismograph records all earthquakes of a magnitude of five and greater worldwide. Each time there is an earthquake somewhere in the world, the students record that data on a map, creating a their own picture of the earth's tectonic plates.

She described how after the recent earthquakes in our area, students were lined up at her classroom door the next morning excited about what they had felt and whether the data had been recorded. She said even her fellow teachers stop by from time to time to see what new information has been recorded.

"I am very thankful to LEEF," Wagner said. "It's been an amazing experience for me and for the students."

Longmeadow Public Schools superintendent Marie Doyle echoed that sentiment. "We need to prepare students for their future, not ours," she said. "And how do we do that? Through innovation. That's what LEEF grants are all about."

She went on to say that thanks to Longmeadow's innovative teachers and generous donors, LEEF is making a huge difference in the lives of the town's children.

Here is a list of this year's grant recipients:

• Wolf Swamp Road School, Janet Aronson, Math Enrichment, Nancy Moriarty, Grade 5;

• Blueberry Hill School, Sara Brennan, Using iPads for Reading Intervention

• Glenbrook Middle School, Tim Symington, Standard CPR/AED/FirstAid Training for Educators;

• Longmeadow High School, Blueberry Hill School, Wolf Swamp Road School and Williams Middle School, Beth Renola, International Dyslexia Conference;

• Wolf Swamp Road School, Krishna Longanecker, Providing High Interest Non-Fiction Reading to Low Level Readers;

• Center School, Correna Roberts, Cell Microscopes;

• Williams Middle School, Kathleen Lawson, Drama and Talent Show Support;

• Wolf Swamp Road School,Christopher Pratt, Outdoor Classroom;

• Glenbrook Middle School, Caitlin Dugre, Winter Cross Country Ski Program;

• Glenbrook Middle School and Williams Middle School, Daniel Albert, Band Day;

• Wolf Swamp Road School, Rebecca Powell, Engineering is Elementary;

• Center School, Donna Hutton, 21st Century Community Space;

• Blueberry Hill School, Ann Linehan Lexia Reading,Beth Renola;

• Williams Middle School, Chris Collins, iPad Cart;

• Wolf Swamp Road School, Krishna Longanecker Ebooks: Expanding the School Library; and

• Blueberry Hill School Beth Renola Literacy and Math Recipe Plan.

"The ongoing focus (of the Prelude Preschool of the Arts at the Community Music School) is to learn about all the cultures represented in our beautiful city," says Margo Whitt, director.

Cianna Rodriguez is enchanted by the music during a recent performance at the Community Music School in Springfield. Photo by Staasi Heropoulos  

SPRINGFIELD - Little voices carried big tunes and powerful messages at the Community Music School recently.

With thumbs up and bright smiles they sang "Up with Peace;" thumbs turned down and smiles became frowns when they sang "Down with War." The children were singing in Spanish and English along with multi-cultural performers Sol y Canto, a husband-and-wife team from Boston.

"The ongoing focus is to learn about all the cultures represented in our beautiful city. It helps children to learn about the world around them," said Margo Whitt, director of the Prelude Preschool of the Arts at the Community Music School.

The arts are a critical piece of the curriculum at this preschool. The school presents a full academic program, augmented by immersion in music, dance, food, culture, and art from many areas of the world. "When they leave here they'll be better people and part of a society that makes our world better," said Whitt.

Sol y Canto is an award-winning, world-class performance group from Boston. It's rarely possible for non-profit organizations such as the Community Music School to afford such elite performers unless they have public or corporate assistance. The school was able to bring Sol y Canto to its students because of a grant from the LEGO Children's Fund.

"We are very grateful to the LEGO Children's Fund for providing this opportunity for us. We're able to offer a free concert of the highest level of performers where we bring together children to experience the beauty of music and performance in an environment that respects all kinds of kids," said Eileen McCaffery, interim executive director of the school.

"Without the LEGO grant this would not be possible," she said. "We wouldn't have been able to provide artists of this high caliber on our own. We need to have the kind of support LEGO has given us."

Sol y Canto appeared in the beautifully lit, stunning limestone lobby of a former bank built in the 1930s. The high-ceilinged space is now a historic site featuring the Robyn Newhouse Hall as its crown jewel. The cavernous performance center allows Community Music School to invite children from outside the school to join in the fun and magic of music.

For this concert, the school opened its doors to some 60 children from the Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start.

"We wanted to share this beautiful space and musical experience in an environment that respects all kinds of kids coming from all kinds of neighborhoods," McCaffery said.

Janis Santos directs the Head Start program, and while she was delighted to accept the invitation to visit the music school, she's not very pleased with local and state politicians who ax the arts first when it comes to cutting public school budgets.

"Unfortunately, when you look at budget cuts, sometimes it's going toward the arts and music, and I think that's sad. I strongly support the arts for all children. I'd like to see more music in the public school curriculum," Santos said.

"Once you bring music into the school, it's like magic."

Email story ideas to Staasi.Heropoulos@gmail.com

A sample of our numbers for the 2011-2012 fiscal year: the library served 640,239 visitors, delivering 575,222 items to 75,842 library cardholders.

Brandon Lopez, 8, of Springfield, picks out books at the Pine Point Branch of the Springfield City Library in June. The Republican file photo | Dave Roback  

By JANET STUPAK

SPRINGFIELD — As I review what I've written for the Springfield City Library's annual report, made up of events and programs presented during the last fiscal year, I can't help but think of it as the library cookbook.

We measure and mix carefully to serve to the city of Springfield a varied menu of library services, programs, and events. We love to cook up new ideas in order to present a slice of heaven to each and every library visitor.

Here are highlights of some of our offerings made in addition to traditional library fare:

July Treats:

Start with a variety of free computer classes, and try to include health-science workshops led by Baystate Health librarian Margot Malachowski because she adds depth and variety.

Janet Stupak is community relations coordinator for Springfield Public Library.  

Add one very sweet children's reading program that combines Apple the Akita with WGBY's "Martha Speaks," next mix in some popcorn, juice and free family films at the Forest Park branch library.

Top those with a measure of pride, inspiration and awe (plus fresh lemonade) by offering an uplifting concert in the rotunda by the Army National Guard's North Winds Quintet.

Funding for July Treats was provided by the Friends of the Springfield Library, the Muriel Schwartz Fund, WGBY and MassMutual.

August Parties & More:

Turn up the heat for August! A variety of lively, laugh-out-loud entertainment celebrating the end of the summer reading club for all ages binds the month together very nicely.

Magic and puppet shows, ice-cream parties, and reading celebrations for all ages are mixed with Latin-inspired Zumba making for a truly sizzling combination. Our experience found that little ones, teens and adults were enthralled.

Don't forget to include a Civil War encampment at the Mason Square branch by the Peter Brace Brigade if you want to really please the crowd! Their own historical recipes added an honest dash of the past, which is hard to find these days.

The cover of the Springfield City Library's annual report was designed to resemble a cookbook. Submitted photo  

Do check out our new eReaders soon; and we also recommend LittleFest at the Central Library, Quadrangle, and Springfield Museums. We collaborated on a successful blend of literacy, spirited entertainment, and storytelling activities for families.

September Harvest:

Sow success with urban gardening agricultural workshops led by farmer/food educator Peter Merzbacher, of New Growth Gardens, and the recently-established "seed library" at our Pine Point branch.

Healthy Environment Healthy Springfield Care Project, an environmental justice coalition of community, city and public health organizations, dedicated to education, community building and problem solving in the city provided funding for these hands-on classes.

Now spread more than a dozen writers around the Central Library Rotunda for our biannual author fair at which sales were brisk, questions answered, and visitors learned about many writing methods to try - a sure cure for writer's block.

For anime and manga lovers we served a two-day helping of excitement at Chibiconn VII. Favorite ingredients are an anime film festival, trivia, costume and skit contests. Teens ate it up! Free Foundation Center classes fill early because they are so good.

October Offerings:

It's a smorgasbord, beginning with the Fall Fest open house at our cozy East Springfield branch, with a haunted house diorama contest, tasty refreshments, games and crafts for children, and a seasonal baked-goods contest, including decorated cupcakes.

A new addition, computer classes for preschoolers, is popular and fun, as are Lego club for little builders and traditional fall storytimes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, offered at many branches. With a blend of healthy stress reduction and exercise, laughter yoga, with Robert Rivest had the recipe for relaxation.

Combine teens with zombie day at the Central Library and you'll turn a few heads and create a fun fuss.

Springfield Parent Academy and library staff stirred up creative juices for many children and parents in the Central Library Community Room with an "Art for All" program. The results went home with the participants, destined for many a refrigerator.

November's Menu:

Using leftovers and recycling knitted clothing is a technique endorsed by librarian Doris Madsen. She offers "upcycling" workshops and they are popular programs, indeed. Turning a wool sweater into a hat or scarf will keep you busy and warm.

Avoid the risk of identity theft, led by IT professional Lance Tolliver, was offered at the library at no cost to the public. Timely and packed with information on phishing, hacking, smishing, skimming and scams, the presentation was perfect.

Teens completing college applications found the right recipe from the library and Sabrina Walsh, associate director of admission at Smith College, with her "Writing it Right Presentation" at the Sixteen Acres branch.

Visitors of all ages stopped in to our branches to create seasonal cards to be delivered with meals going to the homebound receiving Meals on Wheels. Food for the body served with sweet thoughts for the heart. Thanks to all who helped spread holiday cheer.

Designed for December:

From the Dec. 1 until Dec. 31, 2011, we were on a roll. Our annual mitten tree helped make the season warmer for many in need as library visitors weighed the branches down with their generous donations.

Popular local authors Crystal Senter Brown and Keshawn Dodds shared their knowledge at a "So You Want to Publish" workshop at our Mason Square branch, boiling down the facts for new writers to carry out. The creative mind of another area author, Dean Nimmer ("Art from Intuition"), brought an abstract art workshop to the crowded Sixteen Acres branch. Packed with colorful materials and ideas, fun was had by all.

Seasonal programs for kids and families, like decorating sugar cookies and building mini gingerbread houses, are some of our best offerings. Stirring and slicing, sugaring and spicing . . . and then, eating.

Special thanks to the Phoenix House poets for sharing their personal thoughts in spoken word and free verse.

January Moments:

Started the yearlong party on Jan. 15 by serving cake (with a slice of history) marking the centennial of our awe-inspiring Central Library building. Author Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican, brought a lot to the table with his newly published book, "Springfield 375: A Photo Retrospective of Greater Springfield." Historical tours led by librarian Ed Lonergan were very well received, as newcomers and frequent visitors learned about the architecture and background of the library.

We continue providing story times for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, as well as Saturday story times, "families read," impromptu, themed and even pajama story times for sleepyheads. Drop in scavenger hunts in many of our branches turn the library spaces into sleuthing places.

Free computer classes at the Central Library are offered on a regular basis and are a sure way to learn how to sift through your list of questions about the Internet, Microsoft programs and even "how do I handle a mouse?"

A "Considering College" program, with Springfield Technical Community College's Louisa Davis-Freeman, was an important workshop for parents and teens. Springfield kids - you can do it!

Fresh for February:

Valentines for veterans is another meaningful program that blends craft with warm thoughts. We are amazed at the caring way children and adults can create meaningful messages using simply colored paper, crayons and glue.

The Mason Square branch hosted local tennis historian Arthur Carrington presenting "Black Tennis: A History of Pioneers, Tennis Clubs, and National Champions." We learned that Forest Park had a role in the American Tennis Association, the oldest African American sports organization. This program was very well received.

Community conversations on gardening, voting, community and consumer issues, plus small business workshops led by Ray Milano, of the Small Business Association, and Frank Dunne, of FranNet, added depth to our adult programming schedule.
Fear Factor Food Edition was a blend of tasty and icky. Teens ate it up.

March Mix:

We packed March with a fresh and tasteful variety of programs and events focusing on women's history. Another successful author fair was held in the Central Library rotunda. Talented artist Greg Maichack led an exceptional pastel workshop highlighting the art of Georgia O'Keeffe.

A full menu of poetry workshops led by vibrant author and teaching artist Maria Luisa Arroyo was encouraging for both veteran and novice poets. Collage artist extraordinaire Mischa Epstein was the debut artist opening Pine Point's brand-new Art Gallery Space, with her "In Their Honor: Images of Women's History exhibit."

Under the sparkling dome at our Indian Orchard branch was the perfect spot for the Springfield Storytellers to mesmerize the crowd with women's tales and stories. Serious topics were covered by Dr. Donald Murphy in his "America and the Middle East" lecture series, including March's "American Women Now and Then." Baystate's Margot Malachowski led a computer workshop focusing on women's health and where to find reliable health and medical help online.

April Style:

National Library Week was celebrated April 9 through 15 with events at all 10 branches. Visitors flocked in for a blend of musical and educational entertainment, themed parties and puppet performances!

Robert Rivest led laughter yoga; Suzanne LaRocque taught a very helpful digital camera workshop; the Eric Bascom Trio spread their jazzy beat; the Flow Circus performers turned frowns into laughter; Lionheart Puppets had their audience rapt; Dean Nimmer showed us how easy it is to make abstract art; teens really relished the Hunger Games festival; and nutritionist Michele LaRock actually cooked, giving a talk and demonstrating healthy cooking. East Forest Park's prince and princess party was the cream of the crop - little girls in twinkling tiaras and tulle.

Our Mason Square branch marked the one-year anniversary of its reopening with tea and sandwiches hosted by their branch advisory committee; literacy and book activities; storytelling for families, with master storyteller Onawumi Jean Moss; plus "So You Want to Get Published" with Keshawn Dodds and Crystal Senter Brown.

May Magic:

The Brightwood storytime graduation is one of the library's best events of the entire year. The little graduates and their proud families, carrying beautiful flowers and colorful balloons, pack the library's community room. Wearing paper mortarboards with yarn tassels, the excited graduates wait a little impatiently for their name to be called to receive their "diploma." Who is prouder, the parents or library staff? Fresh hopes for the future stand ready to stir it up.

Dixieland Stomp, made up of banjo, clarinet and horns, brought their beat to the Central Library rotunda for a lively centennial concert. Their sounds sure got the audience tapping their feet.

The remodeling of the Forest Park Branch children's room began during May, made possible through the generosity of the Barker Foundation and Troy and Pat Murray. After being on the back burner for a number of years, the renovation began by removing all books, materials, furniture, carpet and even walls.

The "migration to Evergreen" also began in May, handled with complete attention to detail by library staff, with many blips and burps, and perhaps, Alka-Seltzer for some. It was a huge project.

June Cooks:

Summer Reading Club is tops on our June list, because if children read just six books over summer vacation, they will likely avoid summer reading loss. We had fun parties, creative crafts, and raffles with cool prizes.

Kids and teens painted glow-in-the-dark T-shirts and created glow-in-the-dark bracelets; decorated superhero cookies; and made dreamcatchers, spiral fireflies and owl masks. Pajama Storytimes for the little ones and "Stories to Scare Your Socks Off" for teens, nocturnal animal scavenger hunts, and drop in crafts add a dose of fun.

The New England Winds, of the U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty, brought their dynamic style of music to our June centennial concert in the rotunda. They were powerful and perfect for our venue.

By popular demand, area pastel artist Greg Maichack led an art workshop at East Forest Park. Again it was a full class of happy engaged participants, proving that the library is indeed a place to create.

A sample of our numbers for the 2011-2012 fiscal year: the library served 640,239 visitors, delivering 575,222 items to 75,842 library cardholders. We had circulation of 575,222 items and 17,466,944 website hits. There were 79,766 databases searches; 130 public computers saw 94,738 sessions, averaging 1,821 users during a typical week, with 22,464 Wi-Fi uses. Combined attendance at children and teen programs was 26,951; adult program attendance was 10,902. Attendance from area non-profit groups using our community rooms was 6,489.

The Springfield City Library system comprises a Central Library and nine branch libraries spread throughout the city. The library director is Molly Fogarty; the assistant director is John Ramsay.

There are 77 staff members, 55 full-time and 22 part-time. The members of the Springfield Library Commission are Stephen N. Cary, chairman, and Krysta Fyntrilakis, Timothy Moriarty and Vera O'Connor, secretary. The commission meets monthly in the Central Library Community Room.

The Springfield City Library column appears monthly in Neighborhoods Plus. For information about the library and its programs, call Janet Stupak, community relations coordinator, at (413) 263-6828, ext. 422, or visit www.springfieldlibrary.org

They are available free to parents, educators, youth counselors, or others who work with children and youth.

Five of the 10 titles in the Massachusetts Medical Society’s series of parent education brochures on youth violence, part of the MMS’s Campaign Against Violence. They are available free via download from the MMS website at www.massmed.org/violence. Submitted  

Physicians of the Massachusetts Medical Society have produced a series of 10 brochures - including one on "Protecting Your Child From Gun Injury" - to help parents identify and deal with a range of topics on youth violence, including bullying, dating and street violence, violence in the media, and child sexual abuse.

They are available free to parents, educators, youth counselors, or others who work with children and youth.

Originated by Dr. Robert D. Sege, and developed by the society's Committee on Violence Intervention and Prevention, the current publications are updated versions of a previous series and contain information from a variety of sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and Massachusetts Citizens for Children.

They are written by experts in the field of youth violence.

"Violence or abuse affecting children occurs in far too many places - in the home, at school, on the street, online, in relationships - and has enormous effects on physical and mental health," said Dr. Elliot Pittel, chairman of the Society's Committee on Violence Intervention and Prevention and a psychiatrist at The Home for Little Wanderers in Boston, "and we see the results all too often in headlines and news reports. Physicians can play a major role in addressing the needs of hurt and injured children by screening for violence as an essential part of every visit to the doctor."

In a release distributed early last week, Sege, who is director of the division of family and child advocacy at Boston Medical Center and professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, the aim "is to reach beyond the physician's office, to educate parents and those who care for children with expert, practical information, first to prevent violence, and then, when and if it does occur, to intervene appropriately.

"Parents and their children's health care providers must be allies in trying to keep children safe," Sege said.

The series includes 10 titles: "Protecting Your Child From Sexual Abuse," "When Children Witness Violence in the Home," "Bullying Prevention: When Your Child is the Victim, the Bully, or the Bystander," "Street Violence: Your Child Has Been Hurt, What You Can Do," "Dating Violence: What Parents Need To Know," "Protecting Your Child From Gun Injury," "Pulling the Plug on Media Violence," "Some Myths and Facts About Violence," "Time-Out! A Break From Negative Behavior," and " Raise Your Child With Praise: Tips for Parents of 2-5 year-olds."

The brochures may be downloaded free at www.massmed.org/violence. Printed copies may be ordered individually or in sets from the Medical Society by writing to dph@mms.org or calling (1-800) 322-2303, ext. 7373.

"Recognizing and Preventing Youth Violence, edited by Dr. Sege and Vincent G. Licenziato, provides basic information about youth violence for physicians and health care providers, describing risk factors and appropriate screening tools, as well as suggesting approaches to violence prevention and intervention. A PowerPoint presentation and lecture, based on the guidebook, is also available on the society's website listed above.

"Intimate Partner Violence," written by Dr. Elaine J. Alpert describes the role of the physician in screening and caring for patients at risk for domestic violence, spousal abuse, or battering.

The book is filled with real-life examples of ways in which he kept his bosses and customers satisfied, which led to longevity in the workplace and kudos for his work..

Longmeadow resident Michael Bradley worked for 37 years as a salesman at Bristol-Myers Squibb and has recently published a book about his experiences there and advice on how to keep a job. Judith Kelliher  

Longmeadow resident Michael Bradley spent 37 years selling baby formula to doctors and hospitals in Western Mass. for one of the giants in the pharmaceutical industry. He learned a lot about navigating the corporate world, how to outdo the competition and the best ways to stay employed.

Now retired from the Mead Johnson Nutritionals division of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bradley, 65, shares his wisdom about how to succeed in business by really trying in a new 95-page paperback book, titled “Job Security: Be the Last Employee Standing.”

“If you think about books on the market for interviewing for a job there’s thousands and lots written about how to get a job,” he said. “But there’s hardly anything written about once you get a job, how you keep it.”

The book is geared toward today’s college graduates, many of whom might not have much work experience, Bradley said.

Unlike when he was growing up and working at a young age, today’s graduates seem to have responsibilities like sports or other extracurricular activities that don’t allow time for a job, he said.

The book is filled with real-life examples of ways in which he kept his bosses and customers satisfied, which led to longevity in the workplace and kudos for his work.

He earned the prestigious “Legend” award, which has only been given out a few times in the history of the company. At the time of his retirement in 2007, Bradley finished first in sales performance out of 450 employees across the country.

“I can honestly say I’ve lived this book,” he said.

In the competitive arena of sales, Bradley said he was successful because he learned to identify the person most responsible for making the decisions on his product, especially because it wasn’t always obvious. He would “make friends with everybody” in the offices that he solicited and made sure at the end of the day his boss considered him indispensable.

“My whole job was based on service. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my customers,” he said. “I liked trying to outwork everybody so I wouldn’t have any pressure on me from my boss.”

Grinding out the work, sometimes 80 hours a week, Bradley admits his drive for achieving success was felt by his wife, Patricia, and his three daughters, Heather Grot, Kristen Lanctot and Shannon Wiehe.

“My family probably did suffer a little. I was always preoccupied with my job I think because my father died when I was 16. For that reason I never wanted my family to be in jeopardy of losing what we had,” he said.

He also had another motive for writing the book.

“I felt like I worked really hard all my life and my kids know that but I want my grandkids to know, too. I want to pass on my work ethic to my kids and grandkids,” he said.

Bradley shared a story of his daughter Shannon’s reaction to the book after she read it.

“She said to me, dad, I felt like you were sitting next to me because everything I read in the book are things you’ve been telling us our whole life and you didn’t think we heard, but we did,” he said.

Some pieces of advice in the book that Bradley espouses include being humble about your accomplishments, demonstrating loyalty, arriving early and leaving late and keeping records of everything you do, especially praise received from your employer or clients.

“I didn’t write this to pat myself on the back but to instill in my kids and others a strong work ethic, especially because things have changed in the workplace and companies expect employees to do more today,” he said.

The book is priced at $15.95 and is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and his website at www.jobsecurity.biz.

Michael Bradley wrote a book about how to stay employed in part so that his three daughters and his grandchildren will have a record of his work history. Judith Kelliher  

Many Episcopal churches across the country will toll their bells, according to a release. WGBY also plans special weekend programming.

Douglas J. Fisher, Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts. Republican file photo  

In observance of the Connecticut tragedy on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn., the Right Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, is inviting churches in the diocese to toll their bells 26 times on Dec. 21 at 9:30 a.m. in remembrance of the 20 children and six adults gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Many Episcopal churches across the country will be similarly tolling their bells at this time, according to a release from the diocese.

WGBY, Public Television for Western New England, also announced special programming the weekend of Dec. 21.

WGBY will preempt some of its regularly scheduled programming in order to broadcast special content in the wake of the Dec. 14 school shootings.

On Dec. 21, Gwen Ifill hosts "After Newtown," a PBS prime-time special produced by WNET, with contributions from FRONTLINE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour and Washington Week, from 8 to 9 p.m

The show provides an overview of issues, both social and political, that have re-emerged in the past week since the tragedy occurred.

On Dec. 22, viewers can learn additional information about those issues as they are more closely examined in "What Next After Newtown: What Our Country and Communities Can Do."

This three-hour special will include both national and local programming divided into the following six half-hour segments: "The Mind of a Killer," "Public Policy and Mental Illness," "School Security," "Talking to Children/Finding a Path to Healing," "Violence in the Media" and "Accessibility of Weapons."

"What Next After Newtown" airs from 3 to 6 p.m. on WGBY.

WGBY’s Connecting Point will re-broadcast three segments from the week of Dec. 16 within that time period: Watch to see host Carrie Saldo’s conversation with a psychologist about societal factors he believes cultivate this type of behavior; her interview with Chicopee School Superintendent Richard Rege that covered student safety within the district; and Saldo’s talk with a local psychiatrist who suggested ways to talk with young children who may be afraid and reluctant to go to school.

Viewers are encouraged to share their comments and ideas on WGBY’s Facebook page during and after each program. As part of its commitment to improving local communities through lifelong learning, WGBY plans to initiate a long-term effort, both on-air and off, to improve child safety in our region.

It's rather nice to think the book has found a home in the Irish parliament, as many emigrants left rather than live under oppressive foreign rule and now their legacy on this side of the Atlantic is neatly tucked into their country's history.

Gerry Adams holds a copy of "The Irish Legacy" in his office in Leinster House, the National Parliament for the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Photo by RICHARD McAULEY  

The Republican's newly released "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts" has gotten a warm welcome on both sides of the Atlantic.
The book is the first in a series, conceived by Wayne Phaneuf, the paper's executive editor, highlighting different ethnic groups in the area.

Next up is "The Struggle for Freedom: The History of the African Americans in Western Massachusetts," due out in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in January, with other others to follow, including books on the Hispanic and Jewish communities in 2013.

What is significant about the debut book, which has already sold hundreds of copies, is that Irish immigrants and their descendants here seem to give a thumbs up that the hardcover is a reflection of their lives and contributions.

Indeed, the series premise is that the books be shaped by community input, with two public sessions held for the Irish book to give individuals and families the opportunity to submit photos and other material.

The book shows the birth and baptismal certifcate of Catherine Kearney, born in Ireland on Oct. 8, 1907, in the Parish of Ballyferriter in the "Diocese of Kerry" and baptized there in the Church of St. Vincent by the Rev. O'Connor on Oct. 15, 1907.

a file photo from The Republican that is reprinted in "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts," shows U.S. Rep. Richard Neal marching with Adams, then Sinn Fein president, in the 2006 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade. Republican file photo  

There is the 1920s wedding photo of Mary Johnson O'Leary, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Michael O'Leary, from Ardfert, County Kerry. Irish-born Patrick Scanlon, who worked for the city of Springfield for 37 years, can be seen inside the heating plant on Court Street.

From the archives of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, a 1931 letter is reprinted to Armand Bonvouloir, North Adams assistant treasurer, from Henry Nicolls, district director of naturalization, saying Sister Mary Helena (Elizabeth Frances O'Connor) need not remove her religious headwear with its black veil attached to a bonnet that fit close to the neck and featured a white linen band across the forehead.

"It is known that they (Sisters) cannot remove their hats, and for this reason the requirement that the photographs be taken without a hat as been waved in so far as relates to them," reads the lettter in reference to her naturalization photo.

The paper's archives delivered photographs of the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade over the decades, parish life at Sacred Heart Church in Springfield, and "Larry O'Brien Day" in Springfield on Nov. 10, 1965, for the late U.S. Postmaster General.

Early praise for the book came in from Michael Collins, Irish ambassador to the United States.

"I particularly loved the sense of recognition and belonging that I felt in turning the pages, and certainly it evoked for me a mixture of pride and affection for the generations of Irish who came to America and have contributed in so many ways to make the U.S. what it is today, but who have always maintained their love and support for Ireland," emailed Collins, who was given a copy by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield.

Lawrence O'Brien III, son of the postmaster, also emailed a comment, calling the book "wonderfully informative and colorful, well done."

On Dec. 19, a photo arrived in my email that gave this veteran journalist who has lived in Ireland a bit of surprise. It shows a smiling Gerry Adams holding a copy of "The Irish Legacy" in Leinster House, the National Parliament for the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

A celebrated and sometimes controversial key initiator in Ireland's peace process in the North whose counties are under British control, and now a representative in the Republic's parliament, there is a photo of Adams in the book, marching with Neal in the 2006 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade.

It's rather nice to think the book has found a home in the Irish parliament, as many emigrants left rather than live under oppressive foreign rule and now their legacy on this side of the Atlantic is neatly tucked into their country's history.

Adams, who has authored a number of his own books including "A Pathway to Peace" and "Before the Dawn," was interned twice by the British, and was elected president of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, in 1983.

Born the eldest of 10 children into the sectarian world of Belfast, Adams early on became involved in the fight to bring representative government to Northern Ireland, where Catholics were long denied their civil rights and where the local police force was dominated by Protestants. He was a key leader in the 1998 Peace Accord which established a power sharing government in the North.

When Neal was in Springfield on May 24, 1998, to tell his Irish constituents that both sides of the border had voted for the accord, one of those interviewed in a story reprinted in the book was Michael J. Carney.

Carney, now 92, was asked in the 1998 article for his reaction to the vote. He told reporter Chris Hamel, "It's a total victory. It's been long overdue, in my estimation. As I said to Richard Neal, when they started the process, a good beginning is a lot better than a bad ending. I hope and pray it's the beginning of the total unification of Ireland."

Interestingly, Carney, of East Longmeadow, was interviewed by Carolee McGrath, a reporter for "Real to Reel," for a comment at the book launch of "The Irish Legacy" on Dec. 9 at Elms College. He is also featured in the book as a native Irish speaker from Great Blasket Island off Ireland's west coast.

McGrath, who reports for the television ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, asked Carney if young people today should understand the Irish heritage.
Carney, who received an honorary degree of Celtic literature from the National University of Ireland at Maynooth in 2009 for his preservation of the Irish language, responded that "regardless of whether a young person is Irish or any other heritage, if they do not retain their heritage or culture, they might as well not retain themselves."

Insightful words from an immigrant who made his home here in 1948, and who worked in government, but who "never lost his own heritage, ideals and culture," and it is hoped The Republican's series will help the next generation do the same.

"The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts" can be purchased for $42.95 from The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield; the Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St., South Hadley; The Cottage, 1615 Northampton St., Holyoke; Broadside Bookshop, 247 Main St., Northampton; Booklink Booksellers, Thornes Marketplace, Northampton; the Irish Cultural Center at Elms College in Chicopee; and Barnes & Noble in Holyoke, Hadley and Enfield.

It is also online at barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com (type in "Irish Legacy Springfield Heritage") and at www.pedimentbooks.com/store/product/springfield-heritage-the-irish-legacy

For further information, call (413) 788-1279 or email aflynn
@repub.com
Anne Gerard Flynn is Lifestyle editor and co-editor, with Sister of St. Joseph of Springfield Judith Kappenman, of "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts."

An interview by Real to Reel reporter Carolee McGrath on WWLP-22 on Dec. 9 at the book launch with some of the book's contributors can be viewed at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU9gmFGeOWw&feature=em-share_video_user

Related:
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/mass_appeal/family/irish-holiday-traditions?ref=scroller&categoryId=10032&status=true

Therapist Patricia Peters Martin says what is important is finding appropriate ways to deal with it.

Firefighters salute as the hearse passes during the funeral procession of 7-year-old Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Daniel Gerard Barden, at the fire station outside the school's entrance on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn. Associated Press photo  

Patricia Peters Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist who practices family and couples therapy in Longmeadow, was asked in the following interview about feelings of anger in the aftermath of the Dec. 14 slaughter by a 20-year-old gunmen of 20 young children and six teachers and administrators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The gunman had earlier shot and killed his mother, and killed himself as first responders arrived at the school.

How natural is it to feel anger when you have lost someone to violence?

It is a very natural human response to feel anger after you have lost someone to violence. And in the aftermath of the shootings in Newtown, it is typical for people to experience a variety of emotions such as shock, sorrow, numbness, fear, anger, disillusionment and grief.

Anger is experienced because we say to ourselves that this should not happen; how can this happen; why did this happen? Murder from a violent crime leaves families with much anger and deep frustration at the senselessness of the death.

In the case of a murder/suicide, anger is also escalated by the feeling of a lack of justice to the perpetrator of the crime against their loved one.

What are some of the coping mechanisms that are offered for dealing with the anger?

Therapist Patricia Peters Martin Republican file photo  

It is important to speak directly about your feelings following a tragedy such as the murders in Newtown. Talk to friends and families about your sadness, your anger, your helplessness, your grief.

If you do not assertively express this anger, it can be misdirected to others or turned inward.

Other techniques in addition to the assertive expression of anger, in a non-aggressive way, are relaxation strategies, such as deep breathing exercises, visualization and meditation.

Other coping mechanisms are taking care of yourself by eating a balanced diet, sleeping and exercising.

Many people channel their anger into a constructive project, such as donating money to a cause that supports the victim's families or working on legislation related to gun control.
If you feel your anger is really out of control, you might consider counseling to learn to handle it better.

How does the anger manifest itself, especially when it involves the death of young children?

The instinctive way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is an adaptive response which allows us to fight and defend ourselves from threats. But in the case of the senseless murders in Newtown, how do we express this anger?

Often it is misdirected. For many adults, our anger is intensified when the murder involves children. The sense of helplessness is intensified. We, as adults, are supposed to be the protectors of children, and we feel helpless and hopeless when innocent children are murdered.

The anger can be manifest in multiple ways that are not appropriately directed at the specific crime. For example, people may mistakenly express anger toward their family, or road rage may be exhibited. The inability to direct anger at the appropriate target is sometimes misdirected to coworkers and friends.

Others may anesthetize themselves with alcohol or drugs rather than actively address their anger. If one does not appropriately express anger, it is often buried and turned inward on yourself, resulting in depression.

How about children themselves who have witnessed violence. Is anger likely to be a stage for them?

Children will often act out violence in their play in order to bring some sort of understanding to violence they have witnessed. Play for children is similar to adults' ability to articulate our anger and feelings.

It is important to let the child express these emotions via play. It is also helpful for children to have a caring adult who will allow them to talk about their feelings of anger, sadness and fear.

Children need to know we are there and listening to them. Don't interrupt; allow them to express their ideas and feelings before you respond.

Children's behavior may change after witnessing violence. They may experience trouble sleeping, difficulty with concentrating on school work or there may be changes in appetite.

During times of crisis, children may seek the solace and comfort of home. Help make home a place where your children find the comfort and safety they need.

How can friends help when it comes to offering comfort in the face of anger?

If someone you know is experiencing anger and frustration following traumatic events, let them vent and talk to you about their feelings. Do not shut them down with platitudes or statements like "Don't feel that way."

Just knowing a friend is there to listen to them is a great help. Also, keep in touch as time passes. Be sensitive to the fact that grief can take years. Do not pressure people to "get on with your life."

It can take several years after sudden traumatic loss to feel the patterns and rhythms of one's life beginning to return. You can also let your friend know you have taken some action in the form of a memorial or dedication or form of advocacy in honor of their deceased loved one.

Republican Lifestyle Anne-Gerard Flynn can be reached at afylnn@repub
.com

Of all the dolls I ever owned, this is the only one my mother packed away and saved for me.

The Madame Alexander doll that Betty McCann received from her mother more than 70 Christmases ago. Republican photo by DON TREEGer  

The definition of a mall is an urban shopping area featuring a variety of shops surrounding a usually open-air concourse reserved for pedestrian traffic.

Sometimes I think the homophone "maul" (to bruise or to beat) fits the description more accurately.

The rush to capture the bargains, the useless items to be returned later, the gadgets, the must-have items, anything, just anything, to complete the gift list followed by the magic words, "charge it!"

If I could turn the clock back just once in my lifetime, I think I would go back to the Christmas era when there were no malls. There were the big department stores in the business district with their decorated Christmas windows.

Betty McCann with the Madame Alexander doll her mother gave her for Christmas more than seven decades ago Republican photo by DON TREEGER  

It was a time when stores stayed open until 6 in the evening except on Fridays and Saturdays when they closed at 9 p.m. No Sunday shopping and no black Friday.

The big treat was to stroll the length of the main street of the downtown after dark and view the Christmas scenes in the windows: the mechanical Santa Claus ho-ho-ho-ing and the electric train moving through a plethora toys.

There were elegant dolls amid the make-believe snow behind the large panes of glass of every store front. It would be cold, but strollers were all bundled up and didn't mind the frosty nip to fingers and toes.

One Christmas I remember was the year I wanted a bicycle. I was getting too big for the sidewalk bicycle that I had. My wish was to be granted, but still my mother wanted to surprise me with a doll as she thought it would be my last "little girl" Christmas.

On that Christmas morning there was the shiny red bicycle waiting for me, and near the tree sat a beautiful Madame Alexander doll with pigtails made of real hair; not synthetic hair like one sees on dolls today.

The bicycle of which I had been dreaming was no match for the 24-inch doll dressed in her pink satin dress and who could say momma when tilted.

Of all the dolls I ever owned, this is the only one my mother packed away and saved for me. Over the years her brown eyes faded, and she looked as if she had cataracts. I was fortunate to find Doll Doc Debbie in Delaware. (I love the alliteration of that title).

My doll had a solid head which made the repair more difficult. The original eyeballs were cut out and new ones glued into place. Once again my doll had beautiful brown eyes.
I also purchased new shoes and stockings for her feet and new hair bows for her hair.

Yes, I did ride the bicycle with its big balloon tires for years, but the bicycle is now long gone.

Today the Madame Alexander doll sits in a child's rocker in my living room. She has witnessed more than 70 years of Christmases. I have grown old, but she remains forever young.

Betty C. McCann, of Longmeadow, enjoys writing, reading and ballroom dancing.