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.

Active snow-skiers and boarders are in the driver’s seat for the next few months. While they ramp up for what is projected to be a good year for snow-related fun, however, the rest of us typically alter and reduce our recreational activity in the winter months.

Basketball clinic on tap

Closed-end funds are not to be confused with their younger and more popular cousin, the exchange-traded fund.

The Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley High school football programs had an abundance of players make the 2010 All-Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League team. San Lorenzo Valley won the league title outright for the first time in six years and saw its trifecta of offensive weapons named Co-Offensive Players of the Year. Also, head coach Doug Morris was named Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 6-0 record in the SCCAL.

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought sweet wines would be an excellent topic for a mid-December column. There are many different types of sweet wines out there. Some of the more common are port, sherry, Sauterne, late-harvest zinfandel and ice wine.