Happy Holidays from PlainTalk

PlainTalk will be on a little holiday sabbatical until the new year. Thank you to those who sent in holiday decor photos for our contest, and congratulations to J. Murphy of Des Plaines, the winner of a $50 gift card.

The winning photo - I bet there's a lot of snow on that lawn tonight! :)

I hope whatever you do for the next week brings you tremendous satisfaction and joy, in the shape of lively family gatherings, religious services, sumptuous meals, gift exchanges, nights on the town with friends, or the simple delight of doing nothing much at all - sleeping in, curling up with a book, savoring cookies for breakfast, and not setting the alarm clock for a few days. If you are in the service sector and will be working while much of the country stays home, I thank you for the meals you'll serve, the sick you'll attend, the fires you'll put out, the planes you'll fly, the hotel rooms you'll clean, and the groceries you'll bag. Mostly, I hope the new year brings us all of more comfort, less anxiety and plenty to celebrate.

Best wishes from all of us here at the Des Plaines Public Library. We look forward to serving you in 2010.

The photo above is a view of the Christmas Around the World/Holidays of Light exhibit currently on display at Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry. I was privileged to spend the day there with friends this week and the holiday decorations are spectacular.