Mark Knows It All

One of the frustrations of Christmas is trying to match the hype with the reality of what is a very emotional holiday. Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post gave us the first visual of what Christmas was supposed to be. In the golden age of television, it got worse. How could you compete with a Cleaver Christmas, or a Perry Como Christmas, or an Andy Williams Christmas? Television movies took it a step further, going to both extremes from "miracles in the snow" to "Griswold Christmas fiascos". And now we wax nostalgic with Ralphie in the modern day classic "A Christmas Story", which will be run on a cable channel for 24 hours on Christmas Day. The reality is Christmas is the most stressful time of the year. It is spelled W-O-R-K for most of us. Another spelling might be M-O-N-E-Y, also for most of us. Then there are the crazy family members coming out of the woodwork, some you can dispose of, others you are stuck with no matter what you do. On a sa...

A quote attributed to Teddy Roosevelt has been making the internet rounds over the past several weeks. It is provided below. Before printing it here, I researched it. He actually did write this on January 3, 1919, three days before his death, to the President of the American Defense Society. Americanization was a favorite theme of his after his Presidency. I like the quote because it is right on point to the most dangerous threat this country has faced from within for a long time. My wife was born and raised in a little town outside of Mansfield, Ohio. When she first came with me to Youngstown to live, she was continually asked "What are you?" She always replied "an American." When pressed, she would add "from Mansfield." It took her awhile to realize that Youngstown locals wanted to know her ethnic extraction. (It is German, English, Irish, Welsh, with a touch of American Indian. Anyone want to open a Casino?) All four of my grandparents were from Italy. ...

The best commercially baked Italian cookies that I have ever tasted anywhere, bar none, were purchased at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Festival over these past several summers. Joyce's Cookies operated a huge stand at the festival that was usually mobbed by people with fists full of money lined up to buy these wonderful confections. They weren't cheap, and neither were the ingredients. You could tell by the flavor and texture that no corners were cut in baking these outstanding cookies. I am cookie freak at Christmas time. This year I told my wife, instead of getting our cookies at the place we normally patronize (good, but not great), we should buy some Joyce's Cookies instead. The hunt was on. The only thing I knew about Joyce's Cookies was that it was based in McKees Rocks, PA. This is an old mill town along the Ohio River, about 5 miles from Pittsburgh. You get to it by taking PA Route 51 off of I 79. It is the back way into Pittsburgh. I call ...