Although Christmas Day has come and gone, some of us believe the spirit of giving is one that should last all year. There’s no need to try and hurry the holidays.

Besides, with all the effort involved with decorating the house, hanging lights and cooking and baking desserts. Plus there’s all that time involved in buying and wrapping gifts. For all that work, we should take a few days to savor the holiday for as long as we can.

That’s a nice way to tell our readers that the annual Bob Haenel “It’s a Wonderful Life” quiz column has arrived, although a few days late.

It’s a tradition in this newspaper to run Bob’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” quiz, and we didn’t want readers to be disappointed. Both Bob and I count IAWL among our top five movies of all time, and no Christmas goes by without our watching the film at least once.

In the movie, George Bailey learns that “no man is a failure who has friends.” Bob and I have been colleagues and friends for over 25 years. What we know for sure is echoed in this movie. Life’s journey is filled with sadness and hardship.

It’s also filled with joy, love, friends and family. As we head into a new year, Bob and Denise and Rick and I hope you always remember, just as George Bailey learned:  all in all, it’s a wonderful life.

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The quiz is in two parts. The first section is for those who’ve seen the movie a couple of times. The second part is for those who can recite the dialogue by heart. Answers are at the bottom of each section. Good luck and happy new year!

1. In which ear did George Bailey lose his hearing and how did it happen?
2. What does George use to make a wish for a million dollars?
3. What is Clarence’s full name and rank?
4. What’s the name of the cab driver in IAWL?
5. What’s the name of the policeman in IAWL?
6. Who owned the drugstore in Bedford Falls?
7. What book did Clarence carry with him?
8. What was the name of Mary’s older brother?
9. What did Mr. Gower’s son die from?
10. What was Mr. Gower’s son’s name?
11. What classification was George during WWII?
12. What song was Janie practicing for the party?
13. At the beginning of the movie, why can’t Clarence see what’s happening on Earth?
14. What was Clarence’s occupation when he was alive?

Answers

1. Left ear. George saved his brother, Harry, from drowning.
2. A cigar lighter in Mr. Gower’s drug store and soda shop.
3. Clarence Odbody, Angel Second Class
4. Bert (cab driver)
5. Ernie (policeman)
6. Gower
7. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”
8. Marty
9. Robert
10. 4F
11. “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
12. He hasn’t gotten his wings yet
13. Clockmaker

1. It’s easy to Google the answers to the following hard questions but see if you can get them without the aid of the internet.

1. What time did the Savings and Loan close on Black Friday?
2. What is the address of George and Mary’s house?
3. Besides the children, what else did George and Mary take with them in the car to the Martini’s new house?
4. How many years of employment was the contract Mr. Potter offered George?
5. How much money was the Savings and Loan short at the beginning of the movie?
6. How much money did George and Mary receive for their honeymoon?
7. How much money did Uncle Billy misplace?
8. What was ZuZu’s teacher’s name?
9. What movie was playing at the theater in Bedford Falls after George had his experience with Clarence
10. George wears two hats in the movie. One when he’s young and one when he’s a man. Name the style of those hats.
11. What kind of sundae did a young Mary Bailey order at the drugstore? Did she want coconut on top?
12. At the school dance, Harry was chairman of what committee?
13. Who was Violet’s partner in the Charleston dance competition?
14. What was one of Sam’s nicknames for George?
15. How much time did Clarence have to get ready to meet with George?
16. How long has Clarence been waiting to get his wings?
17. In George’s real life, what was the name of the bar in Bedford Falls?

The hard answers:

1. 6 p.m.
2. 320 Sycamore Street
3. A goat
4. Three years
5. $5,000
6. $2,000
7. $8,000
8. Welch
9. “The Bells of St. Mary”
10. Cub Scout cap when he’s a young boy and a Fedora when he’s a man
11. No.
12. The Eats Committee
13. Sam Wainwright
14. “Ole Mossback George”
15. One hour
16. 200 years
17. Martini’s – bonus – it was Nick’s during the time when George saw what life was like without him.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald. 

This year, it seems the Christmas holidays are being celebrated in grand fashion.

Homes that never put up decorations have their yards lit up from the curb to the front door.

Stores and malls have always trotted out beautiful Christmas displays, but they’ve stepped up their game. Tinsel, garland and ribbons are on every available wall and corridor.

Entire neighborhoods have gotten into the act. You’ll seldom find a subdivision entrance that doesn’t have a giant wreath or oversized garland hanging from the sign.

The radio has long played Christmas songs 24 hours a day in December. This year, one station started in the middle of November, and I’ve tuned in every day.

While I love those Christmas songs, there are some that make no sense to Southerners or those under the age of 50.

“Sleigh bells ring…” is an odd one for us. I wasn’t exactly sure what a sleigh was until I saw one in a child’s Christmas book.

“Dashing through the snow” is a mystery for most Southerners. A ride through the hay fields on a John Deere tractor is much more familiar.

“Winter Wonderland” means something entirely different to Southerners than it does to those who live in the North.

Their winter wonderland is probably snow-covered streets, children walking in boots and coats, throwing snowballs at each other along the way.

Our winter wonderland is walking around in our flip flops and shorts because our wonderland is 72 degrees.

We’re not building snowmen in the meadow and calling him Farmer John. If you are in a meadow, there’s usually cows. There’s one smelly thing you could use to build a snowman. I won’t go into detail.

We do hear silver bells ringing, but it’s the people in Santa hats outside stores collecting for the Salvation Army. The only other bells we hear are the chimes on our phones letting us know we have a text message.

“Deck the Halls” has some of the most obscure lyrics of all the holiday tunes. I haven’t a clue what “troll the ancient Yuletide carol means,” and the Yuletide treasure isn’t winning $10 on a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Nat King Cole sings one of the best holiday songs of all time, but none of us have ever seen or will see “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”

That’s because a non-native fungus wiped out almost all of the American chestnut trees by 1950.

“Do You Hear What I Hear” means something different in the city these days. The sounds I hear are people’s car alarms binging so people can find where they parked.

I’m hearing lawn mowers and leaf blowers because the grass grows year round in the South. Our winter days often top out at 80 degrees and our lawns keep growing because the grass thinks it’s already spring.

Bing Crosby might be dreaming of a “White Christmas” but I’m dreaming of a green Christmas because snow in the South is a nightmare.

We don’t know how to drive in the snow, and our cars aren’t equipped with snow tires. We go into a panicked hibernation when we think there’s a possibility of frost and freezing.

I will agree with one song – “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” That is, of course, if you overlook the massive traffic jams around shopping areas, the frustration associated with finding the right gift for everybody on your list and the high price of almost everything.

Despite the headaches, long lines in the stores and not understanding the lyrics to Christmas songs, this is still a joyous season.

I hope you enjoy your Christmas and, in the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one.”

 

 This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.     

It’s the holidays, and people are attending parties and socializing. For parents with young children, going out means someone has to watch the little ones.

Some are lucky enough to live close by a relative who’s happy to watch the kiddos. Usually there’s a give-and-take arrangement – you watch mine this time, I’ll watch yours the next.

Others have an older sibling who can watch the younger ones. That was the case in our house. I was the oldest, and many times I babysat my brothers and sisters.

I like to think I was a benevolent, kind babysitter who let them watch hours of television and do whatever they wanted. The truth is I was probably a ruthless dictator.

They’d have been better off with a drill sergeant.

Many weekends, I babysit for other families for the sum of 50 cents an hour. It didn’t matter how many kids I babysat, the price was always the same.

Most of the parents I sat for came home at a reasonable hour which was great because all the television stations went off the air at midnight. There wasn’t any cable, streaming services, VCRs or DVD players.

There was no Sirius radio or an FM station on the air. The only radio signal was from an AM station. After the sun went down, their signal got weaker, so it was hard to find something to do after the kiddos were sleeping.

After hearing “The Star Spangled Banner,” while the American flag waved on the screen, it was tough to stay awake.

After going to school all day, those parents who stayed out until two in the morning usually found me sleeping on the couch.

My husband and I didn’t have family near us after we moved to Texas and we had to pay babysitters. We usually used the older sister or brother of one of our son’s friends. That worked for a while until the word got around that our boys were a bit harder to control.

Luckily, we found Vanessa. She was a calm, mature, wonderful teenager who handled the boys better than I did. We paid Vanessa double her asking price because we knew she was worth every penny.

When Vanessa went off to college, I hired the oldest son of one of our friends. He was on the football team, and the boys enjoyed throwing the football in the back yard and shooting hoops with him.

Best of all, he was three feet taller than they were and outweighed them by 100 pounds. The boys were a bit intimidated. We were relieved.

These days, the qualifications for a babysitter are a lot higher. Parents want babysitters to be Red Cross certified. They want the sitter to know CPR and how to handle any type of emergency.

Some of the other requirements include helping with homework and knowing how to engage the children in fun learning activities. Knowing a second language is a bonus.

The price has gone up – good babysitters can now command anywhere from $10 to $30 an hour.

That sure makes staying home, watching a streaming service and popping your own popcorn in the microwave a lot more appealing for parents.

Put the kiddos to bed, sit back in the recliner in your pajamas and enjoy the evening for a lot less money than you’d pay a teenager or owe your sister-in-law an evening of watching your kids and hers.

Babysitting taught me a lot.

Kids can be holy terrors.

Kids can be sweet, as long as they’re open to bribes.

And when I got to be a parent, I’d tip the babysitter at least twice what he or she asked for.

They would earn it.

I know I did.

 

 This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald. 

One night this week, my grandson and I were rushing out of the store.

We were on our way to his orchestra concert, and we had a bit of last-minute shopping to do.

The slim bit of time after school and before the concert was our only opening.

I knew he was hungry because I picked him up straight from wrestling practice. He said he wasn’t hungry, but I’ve yet to meet a teenage boy who’s not hungry 24 hours a day.

While I was checking out, I told him to go over to the pizza counter near the check-out lane. He could pick up a small, already baked pizza while I paid for our items. A lady was in front of him, and she got the last two pizzas.

He looked disappointed.

“It’ll be about 20 minutes,” my grandson said. We didn’t have that much time, so we left. I hoped there would be snacks for sale at the concert that could hold him over until he got home.

As we were walking to our car, the lady who’d been in front of my grandson in the pizza line hurried up to us.

“I want you to have these pizzas,” she said, trying to hand a plastic bag to me.

“Oh, I couldn’t take those – they’re yours,” I said, pulling back a bit.

She leaned closer and thrust the bag forward.

“God was telling me to pass on some kindness this evening,” she said with a gentle smile. “I don’t need this pizza but I think your grandson could use it. Please take it.”

Speechless, I took the bag, but quickly regained my voice.

“This is so kind of you,” I said, reaching into my purse. “Please let me pay you for them.”

She backed away.

“I couldn’t take money because this is a God thing,” she said. “Taking any money would be wrong. We’re called to pass on goodness in this world. I’m just answering that call.”

And with that, she turned and sprinted away.

My grandson and I just stood there, looking at each other, not believing what had just happened. When we got in the car, my grandson dove into the pizza. The lady was right – he’d been hungry.

We couldn’t stop talking about this random act of kindness given by a stranger. She didn’t know us, we were a different race, and she asked for nothing in return.

Cynics might have thought something was wrong with the food, but that thought never crossed our mind. All we thought about was how generous this nice lady was to two strangers.

Her kindness made us realize we should perform small kindnesses more often. She made our day more than she could possibly know, because we needed more than two individual pan pizzas that night.

We needed to know that there are people out there who care.

We needed to know there are people who notice when someone else is in need.

We needed to remember there are people who make the decision to think of someone else before themselves.

We needed to remember there are people who will give what they have so others won’t go hungry.

And, most of all, we needed to remember there are people who can restore our faith in humanity by a simple act of kindness.

Thank you, kind and generous stranger, for restoring our faith in people. That’s the best Christmas gift we could hope to receive.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald