I would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas, happy New Year and happy holidays. We all celebrate this special time of year differently, and in whichever way you choose to enjoy your family and friends, I hope nothing but the best for you all.

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President Obama, I'd like to thank you for your resilience in this era after 12 years of Bushes. Even my used-to-be-Republican friends — quite rare in the Santa Cruz Mountains — hope you succeed. Mr. Barack, we're on your side. Might I add, good luck, because your plate is full. I'm grateful that you're our president.

If there is a more culturally confusing time in the United States than the month of December, I have no idea what it is. Along with Christmas as practiced by different Christian traditions (not to mention Santa Claus), there is Hanukkah, and more recently Kwanzaa. There may be other observances also of which I am not aware.

Last weekend, something remarkable happened. Debra Collins, a 58-year-old woman from Felton, was found in Fall Creek after spending six nights, shivering and weak, sheltered under a fallen tree. Collins’ discovery by Joachim Deguara and his 7-year-old son, Dylan, was the result of a fairly remarkable chain of events that could only happen in a small town where neighbors care about each other.

A vandalism incident at the Scotts Valley High homecoming football game on Nov. 5 has turned into the talk of the town, despite no criminal charges being filed.

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