Opinion

What a lovely Christmas. I love the quote attributed to Burton Hills which goes: “The best gift around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other,” and I’m happy to say, that was our family on Christmas day.

It was a sad Christmas for many people in the area as we lost a dear friend. On Dec. 21 Kirby Herr succumbed to what was a long and courageous battle with cancer.

This holiday one of the major reasons I went home to Saskatchewan was to visit my new niece who was born in December. However, do not ask me her name because I don’t know what it is. Seriously, I have no idea.

Someone said something very insightful a little while ago. Speaking from experience, she commented teaching preschool is like throwing a birthday party every day.

These types of promises are not meant to be broken.

Our Okotoks Garden Club's most recent guest was the Town’s own urban forester Gordon White, an affable and interesting speaker. Club members responded warmly to White's obvious enthusiasm for his job.

As we get older Christmas seems to become so much more complicated — too much to do, too many demands and too little time. All I want for Christmas is to be a kid again. When I was growing up Christmas seemed so simple.

If he was an adult he would be facing significant jail time, but a young offender facing his third drug trafficking charge will likely get nothing more than probation in Okotoks court this week.

In less than a week it will all be over. The only thing left to do will be to take the different products to recycling. We will all have eaten too much, and spent too much, but give us a year and we will do it all over again.

I have many favourites downtown, but there is one delicious little love affair which started 16 years ago at one unforgettable lunch.