Kilburn Hall Blog - December

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HO HO HO … NO SNOW. 
Santa wearing his Hawaiian shirt this year in America as temps nationwide climb into the seventies as we near Christmas. 25 Forest fires in CA, 5 hurricanes in the Caribe, and the volcano in Bali all contributing factors to rising temps- NOT Global Warming. This year’s the name of the group 98-degree’s, singing NOEL  seems to fit the weather.
NOEL

The Anglo-Saxons referred to December–January as Ġēolamonaþ (modern English: “Yule month”) December contains the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours, December’s birth flower is the narcissus.

Month-long observances

In Catholic tradition, December is the Month of the Advent of Christ.
National Egg Nog Month (United States)
National Impaired Driving Prevention Month (United States)
National Fruit Cake Month (United States)
National Pear Month (United States)No Gender December (International)

SEASONS BEATINGS

2017 Black Friday contained the usual amount of holiday violence. I blame retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and others who purposely understock that popular crappy 40-inch TV and mass market the hell out of the sale, They get 30 TV’s and 300 shoppers show up all wanting one.

My local Walmart, I had to run the maze to get in and out of the store. Got through Black Friday without one fist-fight in a retail store, one fender bender, or one road-rage ASSHOLE flipping me the finger. Yep, that’s as good as it gets for Black Friday anymore.

But of course, as all of you know, December is most known for Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Christmas, as most of you know has been assailed, attacked, made war on by atheists who believe in nothing and politically correct insane Liberals in the name of the Democratic agenda, which is simply about power and control. Liberalism as I often state;  is a MENTAL DISORDER.

Rest assured, our new president Donald Trump, assures us that this Xmas, 2017, America will be saying Merry Christmas again. If Black Friday 2017 was any indication, Americans are expressing this loudly with purchasing power.

On December 1st, the stock-market rose 380-points upon the announcement that Senate would and did… pass the GOP tax-reform plan.

AMERICA IS BACK BABY.

 Although Trump taking credit for the booming economy after a mere six months in office, what consumers are really seeing are the results of Obama’s anemic recovery finally kicking in. Though I am no Obama fan, credit is given where credit’s due.

Of course, the big holiday movie this year is VIII…

yep, Star Wars fans know what I’m talking about. Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi which is a labor of love by Millennial director Rian Johnson who grew up with the movies. And it’s a Disney-flick which means an unlimited amount of cash to pay for all those special effects. The trailer is WOWING.
Here, take a peek.       https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjV6JOMrOzXAhUJr1QKHTdHBTYQ3ywIKTAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQ0CbN8sfihY&usg=AOvVaw1W4ZmGzXkQSZbD-5-uh3Yw

Opens December 15, 2017 in a universe near you. 

On a personal note; On Thanksgiving morning, the man who gave my brother and I a second chance at life, passed away. How do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to cologne? It isn’t easy.  To Sir. With Love

Charles R. Trick, a lifelong family friend died  in Florida. At age 94- he had a good life. Personally, I owe everything I am to Bud as he wanted me to call him in later life. As headmaster of the prestigious Christian Science boarding school in early 1960’s, (The Chicago Junior School) Charles Trick had three scholarships to an expensive boarding school and saw enough potential in myself and my brother to offer two of those to us.

From that moment in the Fall of 1962, my life was forever changed and the way that I repay him is to become what I think Bud would have wanted me to become- to live up to my full potential in life as a bestselling author.
Charles Trick touched a lot of lives, he was a mentor, and a family friend, and I will sorely miss him.

And so…  Xmas 2017. The season is upon us. “Another year over and what have you done?” once asked John Lennon (Happy Xmas)
HAPPY XMAS

I used to  get sooo stressed out at Xmas. End of the year, end of the line,  with so many things left unfinished. But, that’s life… isn’t it?

I realized some years ago that once we enter  Red & White Weeks (Dec 20-Jan 2) that no real work is getting done in the workplace except, maybe for retailers. Most Americans are in holiday mode.  What can’t be cured… must be endured you know.

I now realize I must put off till the New Year all those projects I cannot finish in 2017 which takes a lot of stress off me. I do lite editing, re-writing, re-reading of earlier finished works, make publishing and other schedules, plans for the New Year while kicking back, listeing to my favorite holiday music, watching my favorite Xmas movies and having a glass of fattening EGG NOG.

For my readers wondering about a publishing schedule, Here it is.

Kilburn Hall Books 2018 – 2019

Ebooks on Amazon:
1. The Killing Of A Robin
2. Cure
3. Nothing Personal-Just Business Darling

Hardcover & eBook with  Farrar, Straus and Giroux – Macmillan1. Kun Lun

Other’s I may be able to squeeze in include Morphed and ARK.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

At age 61, there may be but 20 more Christmases left for me. As one gets on in years, we come to realize that Christmas is really for the little ones. That look of wonder in the grandchild’s eye.  The bewildering cry that comes to them overwhelmed by so many sights and sensations and the gentle comforting of mom and dad that returns that joyous smile to their face with a look of apology. 

Xmas can be a stressful time for many, particularly young couples raising young  children. Their’s just sooo much to do, a 1001 things to get done from working fulltime, trying to show a joyous spirit to co-workers, which can be particuarly sterewssful with those Bah Humbug co-workers, then there’s cleaning the house, getting it ready for holiday visitors, decorating the house, putting up and trimming the tree, for those snowed in areas of the country, firing up the snowplow for the first time to clear the sidewalks, winterizing the car, the cooking, baking, buying presents. Xmas is a hurricane of activity and only so many hours in the day. It causes a lot of stress.

I miss you big guy (George Michael) Last Xmas
Michael died on Xmas Day 2016.
LAST XMAS

Then, for those people who have no family, have run out on family, or been abandoned by family, those 33 Hallmark family Xmas movies can be downright depressing. Suicide rates are at a yearly all time high during the holidays.
I wrote about this in my cop thriller, The Killing Of A Robin wi=ritten the winter of 2001, a banner snow year for Chicago, six-feet that Xmas in Chicago. Gonna be a rough Xmas for Lauer, Franken, Weinstein, Conyers,  Mike Flynn families.

I want to wish my family, my niece and the grandnephews, and nieces a very Merry Christmas.
Maybe I didn’t do such a wonderful thing after all.

and of course all the people who have been so supportive of me in my writing career, Kent Buchanan down there in Australia,  Polgarus Studio, the many Facebook friends, and close personal friends.

I will be spending Xmas Eve with my usual friends, Clarence the Angel (watching him get his wings),  Barbara Stanwyck (watching her learn to flip flapjacks) Aloysius T. McKeever, (homeless man, who moves into the 5th Avenue mansion) and many others. 

Lord willing and the river don’t rise, we’ll see you on the flip-flop. 
2018.
Has a glorious ring to it doesn’t it?

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”~Kilburn Hall