It may come as a surprise since I am a writer that I don’t like to write Christmas cards. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of sending festive cards, but most of them look back at what has happened in the past year. I would rather look forward to the future and what is to come. So why not try a New Year’s Day Card? They can come in all shapes and sizes, but the main feature will outline the sender’s plans for the new year. I wish I could send each and everyone of you a card to say thank you...

The holidays are full of traditions. Those traditions that we look forward to each year are just one of the many reasons the holidays are so special. As we get older, however, some traditions change or at least evolve. For example, I hav e always enjoyed Christmas music. When I was little, I wore out several copies of Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Christmas Don’t Be Late on cassette tape. While that’s a great song and I still listen to it when it airs on the radio, my Christmas playlist now...

As I sit down at my laptop and lift its lid to start typing, I find myself doing it a lot recently. Part of that has to do with the change of seasons. As a sportswriter, these few weeks when I have to cover football and soccer playoffs along with the beginning of basketball season, are always busy. Just over the past week as part of one of my three jobs, I have covered Duke and Texas basketball in Charlotte and Clemson basketball in Littlejohn Coliseum. That’s in addition to the high school...