A child is born.

Well, not yet. Not as I write this. My wonderful young editor Amy is going on maternity leave soon and has asked for my holiday column early. The stork is whistling on her windowsill.

No problem, I say. A Christmas column is one of those “gimmes” that writers can do in their sleep. The first one I wrote was for the Auburn student newspaper in about 1972. And I’ve written at least one—usually two or three—almost every year since.

I’ve decked your newspapers with bSo why do I struggle today? Why am I sitting here on a brilliant fall day, a wee...

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