March 28, 2024

Spreading Christmas cheer (without singing loud for all to hear)

On our first date, my wife and I went out to see the Christmas movie “Elf,” which starred Will Ferrell and boasted a famous phrase:

“The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.”

My days of singing “loud for all to hear” are long done — one of the sacrifices I made in boot camp (another day). But, if we were to discuss my favorite way to spread Christmas cheer, we probably need to look at another film.

Starring Chevy Chase.

I don’t quite go “Clark Griswald” with my holiday decorating, but I like to get as close as “all out” as I can. My challenge this year was taking on a new home that features a pretty significant climb on one end to reach the roof.

Needless to say, our display will be a little less than complete — by my standards — this year. We’ll come back at it next year, though, that’s for sure.

In the meantime, our inflatable Snoopy on his “Sopwith Camel” and the spinning — yes, spinning — Christmas tree in our front window are there to greet passersby. I fire up the display each evening when I get home from work.

Got one of your own?

You might have noticed we’ve been running an ad asking for your suggestions of Christmas lighting displays that should be shared with others.

The goal is to get photos of those displays to share with our readers in a musical slideshow just before Christmas. We also would like to make copies of the slideshow to share with area nursing homes.

So, if you or someone you know has a Christmas display that needs to be shared, be sure to contact me right away.

New face at Daily News

You might have recognized a new name among the bylines of the Daily News this week. We’re happy to welcome Matthew Shepard to our newsroom team.

A native of Michigan, he is a graduate of Oakland University. He has written for BleacherReport.com, covering footbal, baseball, hockey and NASCAR, and interned with the Fox 2 News in Southfield, Mich.

If you run into Matt in the near future — and I’m pretty sure you will — please welcome him to our community.

If you’re reading this, thank a teacher. If you’re reading this in English, thank a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.

Bob Eschliman is editor of the Daily News. He may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 423, or at beschliman@newtondailynews.com via email.