COLD CASE

Chestnut hair lay against the boulder while bloody droplets streaked her baby face. Her seven year old twin brother lay alongside. The forest became their verdant mausoleum.

Comfortable in the rest home, Reverend Clark had suffered a stroke in the fall of 1950. It would be another 10 years until the police solved his crime.

Be sure to visit Galen, G-Man at Mr. Know It All if you have written a Friday Flash 55 story that you would like to share. Happy day after Christmas and have a good weekend, Donnetta.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

from
DONNETTA LEE

SNOWSTORM

She clutched the infant tightly to her breast trying to keep it warm. The snow was at least three feet deep. Her steps plunged into its whiteness, crunching as she went. Periodically, she stopped to assess her progress. The wind viciously bit her neck. The baby cried. She speculated what was beyond the icy horizon.

If you have written a Friday Flash 55 story to share, be sure to visit G-Man, Galen, at Mr. Know ItAll and let him know. Stay warm this weekend, Donnetta.

Christmas Thought

CHRISTMAS TIME

FOR


GIVING






FOR
GIVING








FORGIVING

December 12, 2008: LUNAR EVENT

Secured at his bequest, the meager room closed in. Growing agitated, he glanced at the engraved suitcase. Talbot. Expensive.

A barred window offered a glimpse of the cold evening sky. His yellow eyes glared at the full moon as the dreadful sound swelled from inside his lungs.

Tilting his fur covered head, he howled mournfully.

Don't forget to visit Galen, G-Man, at Mr. Know It All if you have Friday Flash 55 story to share. Have a safe and happy weekend. Don't go out this evening without your silver bullet. Donnetta

Christmas Trivia-Christmas Movies

Tis the season for television channels everywhere to air Christmas movies. By the end of December, it seems we are saturated with holiday stories, some of them sappy, some clever, some cute, and some actually entertaining. The oldest Christmas movies I could find listed anywhere are The Night Before Christmas (1906), The Christmas Burglars (1908), and A Trap
for Santa Claus (1909). I haven't seen these myself but have seen so many others that I can't
begin to remember them all.

My all time favorite is The House Without a Christmas Tree. It aired in 1972 on CBS and starred Jason Robards as a father bitter after the death of his wife. In his grief, he is unable to communicate with his 10 year old daughter Addie, played by actress Lisa Lucas. Addie struggles to bridge the gap created by her father throughout the course of the movie while guided by her grandmother, played by actress Mildred Natwick. I won't give away the story or its ending here. You'll have to find it for yourself and discover what a wonderful tale it tells.

As a family, we watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation each Christmas. Oh, the trials and tribulations faced by the Griswolds and how well they are understood by us! Chevy Chase portrays the common man living through comical albeit somewhat painful holiday predicaments. I love Randy Quaid as the tasteless, down on his luck cousin. And who doesn't have a soft spot in his heart for that lovable dog, Snot.

Other Christmas movies (original versions) I enjoy are:

*Charlie Brown Christmas
*It's a Wonderful Life
*Miracle on 34^th Street
*How the Grinch Stole Christmas
*A Christmas Carol
*The Polar Express
*The Santa Claus
*The Shop Around the Corner
*The Bishops Wife
*Holiday Inn
*White Christmas
*A Christmas Story

What holiday movies are traditional viewing in your family? Any personal favorites?

BREAKING AND ENTERING

He crept stealthily from window to window. Getting into the secure house was not going to be easy. The sound of nearby sirens stopped him. He waited for their silence. Shaking his head, he sighed.

Might just as well use the chimney again this year. Laying his finger beside his nose and giving a nod...

If you have written a Friday Flash 55 story, be sure to visit G-man, Galen, at Mr. Know It All. Have a happy holiday weekend, Donnetta

Christmas Trivia-Christmas Lightsc

Originally, Christmas lights came to us in the form of Christmas candles. Naturally, with their high flammability and also that of the tree itself, the combination of light and tree was dangerous. Eventually, after Edison invented the light bulb in the late 1800s, the Christmas light was born as well. The first person to have lights on a Christmas tree was Edward Johnson, an employee of Thomas Edison. Few could afford the first Christmas lights as they were quite expensive. It wasn't long, however, until mass production techniques made Christmas lights affordable for the common household. The first strings were produced by Ever Ready.

I have the "crud" coming on me tonight. My throat is sore and my skin is crawling. Tomorrow the runny nose, coughing and sneezing will set in. Wouldn't ya just know it. So I'm sitting here thinking about what might cheer me up. I remember one Christmas in New Mexico when I had a terrible cold. I was about twelve. Mama made me a "bed" on the couch so I could watch TV in comfort. I reclined, covered with an old warm blanket watching a Christmas program in the dark with the multicolored Christmas tree lights twinkling. I remember thinking those were the prettiest lights I had ever seen. They seemed to float in the tree branches. They made me believe in the magic of the season. They cheered me.

Christmas Trivia-Oh, Christmas Tree

From Wikipedia:

A Christmas Tree, or (rarely) Yule tree, is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colorful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.

My mom always made certain we had a Christmas tree. In lean times, we even chopped down our own rather than go without. One year, armed with a huge butcher knife,my mom, my brother, and I set out on foot on our farm until we located some sort of evergreen tree. We chopped it down with the butcher knife and dragged it back home in the cold December air. Once home, we decorated with the traditional popcorn strings and our collection of worn but special ornaments. We still have a picture of my brother and me in front of that tree on Christmas morning. There were not many presents that year, but we managed to have a Christmas tree and all the memories that went with it.

Christmas Trivia-Christmas Carol

St. Francis of Assisi is credited with giving us the first Christmas carol in the 13^th century. The Christmas hymn was written in Latin and called Psalmus in Nativitate.

I love Christmas carols. One of my favorites is Silent Night. I especially love it in German, Stille Nacht. In high school one year, our German class went caroling in the small southwestern town that my family lived in. I have forgotten the German words to most of the carols with the exception of Stille Nacht. So pretty. So simple and peaceful.

What is your favorite Christmas carol and why? Any special memories of certain carols? Anyone caroling this Christmas?