Here is a Christmas carol medley written especially for readers here in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

I had to call on my friend, Dave The Destroyer, the other day. In spite of up-to-date antivirus protection for my computer, a Trojan horse slipped through.

The Press Banner invited local residents to share their letters to Santa. Here is a sampling.

Storing wine correctly is important, even for those who never keep a bottle of wine in the house for more than a week or two. A variety of dos and don’ts will ensure that your wine stays good until you’re ready to drink it.

• Finn Whittaker Lonsdale was born to Megan and Patrick Lonsdale of Ben Lomond at 11:13 a.m. Sept. 4, 2009, at home. He weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces.

Frozen flakes of rich, yellow ginkgo leaves at the base of my trees wasn’t what I had in mind when I wrote last week’s column. I watched them land with a soft thud on the frosty ground this morning.

The San Lorenzo River opened to steelhead fishing Dec. 1 with low flows and very little interest from anglers. The flows are less than 50 cubic feet per second, but with more storms on the horizon, new fish will enter the river soon.

Over-the-counter cough and cold medications to alleviate cold symptoms in young children are being largely withdrawn from pharmacy shelves. This is because of unintentional misuse or overdose of these medications causing harm and, rarely, death, especially in children younger than 2.

Outside my window, there’s a feast going on. The gingko trees are clothed in bright yellow leaves, but soon, they will drop every leaf on almost the same day and cover the ground like carpeting. It’s a feast for the eyes.