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My sentimentality tends to spike during the holidays when I take comfort in Christmas music from Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby and the Ray Conniff Singers (anyone?). I bore my children with stories about some of the tree ornaments that belonged to my great-grandparents. I find time for my favorite holiday movie classics. I’m particularly fond of Charles Dickens’ timeless story, “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens’ inspiration was born out of the socio-economic...
There's a quote from one of my favorite TV shows, "One Tree Hill," that has stuck with me from the moment I first heard it: "Six billion people in the world. Six billion souls. And sometimes, all you need is one." I think this quote rings true always, but especially in the world we live in today - and especially during the holiday season. For what has been branded as "the most wonderful time of the year" is often anything but for those who struggle with mental illness. A...
Waiting is difficult - and we don't get much practice doing it any more. We used to have to wait for our favorite show to be on TV, for the weatherman to tell us the high for the day, for a trip to the library to check out a book. We even used to have to wait for the rotary dials to tch, tch, tch, back to zero seven times in order to make a call. Now TV shows, weather forecasts and books are available in an instant on our phones. We can call anywhere in the world by touching...
How wonderful it is on a snowy December night to pull into the drive and see Christmas tree lights twinkling in the front window. But leaving those lights on while you’re not home is a safety hazard that can lead to a fire. And in the event of a holiday-related fire, the Hinsdale Fire Department will swap out a red bulb with a white one on the wreath hanging just inside the fire station’s mini museum near the main entrance at 121 Symonds Drive. The annual “Keep the Wreath Red” campaign is a joint effort between the...
Hinsdale High School District 86 Board of Education consists of seven elected members. Two of those board members, Kay Gallo and Debbie Levinthal, recently resigned within weeks of each other. Both resignations were based on accusations that the D86 board is dysfunctional. The problem is neither person explained the specifics of that dysfunction. When you make statements like that, the community and sitting board deserve the facts to back them up. Making broad accusations without explaining them is irresponsible. And now,...
I recently enlisted my children to help organize our basement storage area, which houses everything from Christmas decorations and suitcases to sentimental items no one has the heart to part with. After the initial protests, my kids - now 13 and 10 - exclaimed at the hidden treasures we unearthed: onesies worn home from the hospital, bedraggled stuffed cats and frogs, baby doll beds with homemade quilts and pink princess castles. Sifting through the objects, my daughter,...
My daughter Ainsley’s favorite Advent calendars are the ones you can find just about anywhere for $2.99. I’ve tried to substitute an upgraded chocolate calendar — whose windows contain more than a teeny tiny piece of the cheapest chocolate money can buy. But she wants the same kind of calendar her Gram and Papa, who are no longer with us, used to buy her. I love holiday traditions — some might even call me a stickler — and apparently I’ve passed on my...
Small Business Saturday, a day to celebrate and support local shops and all they do for their communities, may have been observed last weekend. But that doesn’t mean the need to show love to local merchants is any less critical. Hinsdale stores are eager to welcome patrons with unique items hard to find elsewhere in the area. And we should welcome to the opportunity to patronize them. Here are some reasons why, as articulated in an essay by Forbes Finance Council member Joseph Lustberg: • By making a commitment to shop...
I enjoyed your newspaper’s account of Hinsdale’s 150th anniversary. The 1960s-70s were an electric time. HTHS was much more than an athletic powerhouse. The junior high and high school had outstanding teachers. Robert Michalek taught an eighth-grade advanced science class that presented DNA concepts other students did not get until college. The foreign language program prepared us for college and lifetime travel abroad. In 1965, the high school hosted a Community Conference on Values. Dr. Bruno Bettelheim was the keynote...
One night I was sitting at my desk, contemplating the very mundane task of either moving my tired body to the closet to grab my math textbook or jumping through the hurdles of pulling up the textbook online. I chose the latter, clicking through my teacher's information page, clicking the website, clicking the textbook and clicking on the page number on the little box at the bottom of the screen. Clicking, clicking, clicking. And all my lovely hard work was well worth it as I...
"No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of anxiety changes the future. Any amount of gratitude changes the present." - Ann Voskamp Canadian author and blogger Ann Voskamp might not celebrate Thanksgiving, but she knows a thing or two about gratitude. One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is offering a list of reasons Hinsdaleans have to be thankful for - one for each day of the month leading up to Turkey Day. Nov. 1 - those who will not be with us this holiday s...
I enjoyed your newspaper’s account of Hinsdale’s 150th anniversary. The 1960s-70s were an electric time. HTHS was much more than an athletic powerhouse. The junior high and high school had outstanding teachers. Robert Michalek taught an eighth-grade advanced science class that presented DNA concepts other students did not get until college. The foreign language program prepared us for college and lifetime travel abroad. In 1965, the high school hosted a Community Conference on Values. Dr. Bruno Bettelheim was the keynote...
Once upon a time, in the good old days of analog, I could do no wrong. In fact, some said - mostly me - that I was the King of Analog. Yes, as the song goes, "Those were the days." During those dear old analog days, I was smarter than all my kitchen appliances. And they darn well knew it. Yes. I knew how open the fridge, turn on the stove and even use the oven without a YouTube tutorial. Now, all my kitchen appliances are smarter than me. My fridge knows when I've left the...
I am sorry to report Hinsdale once again has fallen short of the North Shore. One of those fancy “W” towns — Winnetka — beat out Hinsdale for the No. 1 spot on the latest list published by HomeSnacks. What is HomeSnacks, you ask? We’re not entirely sure, but it produces lots of lists — safest states, most dangerous states, even dumbest states. You can read all of these lists on its Facebook page (which contains no information about who is preparing them or why)....
Mark the holidays by making a life-impacting gift to a local nonprofit agency on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28. At the Hinsdale Humane Society, funds donated as part of #GivingTuesday2023 will help save animals’ lives by enabling the organization to offer the programs and services people and pets in more than a dozen area communities rely on. Contributions will be used to shelter strays, adopt out hundreds of homeless pets and provide veterinary care for animals in need. Visit www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/donate. Gifts to Wellne...
Medicare open enrollment, now in progress, will end on Dec. 7. Medicare recipients have two choices for covering their medical expenses not paid by Medicare Parts A and B: traditional Medicare, or a Medicare Advantage plan (also known as Medicare Part C.) “Traditional Medicare” is defined in this letter as Medicare Parts A and B, plus a Medigap plan, also known as “a supplemental,” plus a Part D plan that covers medications. Advantage plans are allowed to advertise without disclosing the financial incentives for...
It’s a privilege to be entrusted with sharing the stories of people’s lives. I feel that often as I sit typing on my laptop at The Hinsdalean office, looking out on First Street. I’ve completed an interview and face the task of transforming my notes into a story that will capture the individual I’m writing about, make sense to the reader — and fit the assigned space. Some days the job is easier than others, but it’s one I always enjoy doing. As we approach...
Two-hundred and seven. That’s how many veterans are listed in our Veterans Day special section today. And it’s a record. The number of submissions we receive has grown each year since we ran our first pages in 2015 honoring 72 men and women who had served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Some of these men and women are neighbors here in town. Others are the parents, grandparents, children, aunts and uncles of Hinsdale residents. They are members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines who fought in the Civil War, World War I, W...
The premise of your Oct. 26 commentary (“Want free speech? You’ll hear things you don’t like”) is at best flawed and misleading and at worst is a piece of propaganda. In this column, you do not distinguish between free speech, the right to speak our thoughts and opinions without government interference or retaliation, and unprotected speech, which includes threats and messages that transmit hatred and may provoke violence. Since you did not distinguish between free speech and unprotected speech, you misled your...
A recent guest columnist characterized Disney’s remake of “Snow White” as an insult to the tradition of its iconic princesses. To be sure, the tradition goes way back — my three sisters and I had been obsessed with Disney princesses in the ’50s and ’60s. Fast forward to the ’90s: we raised our two daughters from China, turning to Disney flicks and traveling to Orlando for the additional treat of having tea with these princesses. Then we got lucky. “Pocahontas” came out and then “Mulan” followed. This...
During my 35 years of working in Hinsdale, I've gotten to know a lot of people - and a lot of groups. Some are quite familiar, like the Hinsdale Infant Welfare Society or the Hinsdale Assembly. Others, like the National Charity League, are more recent arrivals in town. I was surprised to learn a few months ago about a group that has been meeting in town for 120 years - and I had never heard of it. "We say it's the oldest organization in Hinsdale," said Lise Spacapan,...
"So, make the friendship bracelets. Take the moment and taste it," my newly minted 13-year-old sings along as we string tiny colorful beads and letters on elastic. "Yeah, Mom, that's my favorite line," she claims. (Yes, this is a column full of love for Taylor Swift. So, if you're a hater, who's "gonna hate-hate-hate," apologies. You probably "need to just stop" - reading, that is.) The way my daughter starts the statement off with "yeah" makes me smile. It's as if she thinks...
Help wanted: Hinsdale High School District 86 superintendent Qualifications: • Ability to help foster a healthy, constructive dynamic on the board of education that emphasizes respect and transparency along with a deft conflict resolution touch that dissuades elected members from resigning mid-term out of futility and frustration. The fresh case studies in quitting of Debbie Levinthal (Sept. 18) and Kay Gallo (Oct. 26), both capable and motivated but compelled to depart because of “toxic” practices on the part of board...
Perhaps one of the most frightening things to happen the week before Halloween is our annual enumeration of scary scenarios that we have imagined afflicting our fair village. As always, we offer the following words of caution to readers: Beware the sarcasm. • The village takes a closer look at the old, weathered copy of its articles of incorporation and discovers it is actually dated April 4, 1874, requiring officials to coordinate yet another year of sesquicentennial celebrations. • The Hinsdale High School District 86...
It was a benevolent stand-off. Me and my dog, Dakota, and a doe and her two fawns. We startled each other into a frozen sort of bewilderment. After what seemed to be a forever stare-down, mom and her babies faded away into a wooded camouflage. Return visits to the place of the stare-down have yielded more surprising and beautiful encounters with wildlife. Great egrets and great blue herons stand lifeless in a river waiting for bluegill to present an easy meal. Familiar ground...