By Dee Richard
Did you all have a happy Thanksgiving? We certainly hope so. Were any of you after a full, satisfying turkey dinner possessed with enough adrenaline to tackle the Black Friday shopping extravaganza?
As for myself, I am not into that draining experience. Besides, with the economy being what it is, I am sure you will be able to get loads of great bargains in all the stores, especially around the middle of December.
But if being there at midnight Thanksgiving night was your thing, I hope you were successful in getting some great buys and that you were able to survive in one piece after the annual shopping melee. Thank God Black Friday only happens once a year.
Thanksgiving was a pleasant experience. Janet Malone invited us to her house in Flushing for dinner. Our mutual friend, Tony Ramos, cooked the turkey to perfection. Myra Baird-Herce, Chuck Wade and Don Capalbi stopped by for coffee and dessert. They said that they had dinner together at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho, L.I., and the meal was great and served in a charming setting.
When they all left to go home, Jim and I left as well and on our way home stopped by Debbie Markell’s house in Whitestone for more coffee and dessert. Debbie hosted her annual Thanksgiving dinner for friends and relatives and had more than 20 guests, but as she has a large home she can easily accommodate that many or more. All in all, it was a pleasant way to end a happy Thanksgiving Day.
Now that we have survived another Thanksgiving, it’s time to start planning for Christmas, Hanukkah etc., not to mention New Year’s, which isn’t that far behind Christmas. You have to have lots of stamina to keep up with all this holiday planning stuff.
If you can do it, try to share a little holiday cheer with those less fortunate. Several suggestions come to mind. Toys for Tots, non-perishable food items for food pantries, toiletries for both active servicemen as well as hospitalized vets and perhaps you could drop off a box of cookies for some lonely senior citizens in your area. If you need help with suggestions, contact your local religious organization, police or fire departments. You will feel better if during this holiday season you participate in the spirit of giving.
Looking at my holiday party schedule, I am going to have to double up on my vitamin and supplement intake if I am serious about trying to cover them all. While the parties are a lot of work and time-consuming, they are also lots of fun and everyone is in such a good mood with minimal political happenings.
An industry that is feeling the pain of the electronic world we live in is the greeting card industry. Incidentally, if you are inclined you can get some great buys on holiday cards, primarily due to the fact that a large majority of people are now typing up a newsletter-type of greeting and e-mailing it to everyone. The e-mail blast makes greeting cards unnecessary and with no cards no postage is necessary, thus directly affecting the revenue of the post office.
But then again, change is inevitable, and if you can’t change, you become a dinosaur. You must adapt and change. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, change happens so rapidly that many people are finding it difficult to adjust to that accelerated tempo. Years ago, change was gradual and people had time to adjust, which is not the case today. Somehow or other we will survive. We always do.
Our condolences to the family and friends of Pat Dolan. She was hit and killed by a car as she crossed the street to go to a meeting. She will be missed by the Queens Civic Congress and the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Conservancy, as she was active in both organizations and was one of the founding members of both. Rest in peace Pat. You are in our prayers.
That’s it for this week.
I look forward to hearing from you with information on people, parties and politics or gossip. I look forward to your voice mails at 718-767-6484, faxes at 718-746-0066 and e-mails at deerrichard@aol.com.
Till next week, Dee.
