2022 December Lake Highlands Advocate

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HE’S THE BOSS

Lake Highlands native Blake DeLong is Willy’s employer in Broadway’s Death of a Salesman revival ›

Interview by CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB | Photo by MAYA JACKSON

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For the first time ever on Broadway, a Black man — the recognizable Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Jack Ryan) — is Willy Loman, in Authur Miller’s Pulit zer Prize-winning play, Death of a Salesman. Lake Highlands native Blake DeLong plays two char acters in the mostly white world in which the washed-up salesman operates.

DeLong is double cast as Loman’s boss Howard and Stanley the waiter.

Death of a Salesman, which premiered on Broadway in 1949, is about an aging traveling salesman’s descent into madness and toxicity as he realizes his lifelong pursuit of the American dream was futile.

The director of the latest iteration, Miranda Cromwell, brings a “notably rich” production to stage, according to New York Times critic Jesse Green.

In this version, Willy’s son Biff’s prospective college is changed from University of Virginia to UCLA, because the former did not allow Black students before 1950. Other than that, Miller’s 70-year-old script remains practically unchanged, DeLong says.

“What they were able to do in terms of telling the story this way is nothing short of genius,” says DeLong, who, in 1995, saw Hal Holbrook ( Into the Wild, Mark Twain ) play Willy in Death of a Salesman at Fort Worth’s Casa Mañana Playhouse.

“It changed me, seeing him do that,” DeLong says. “I think it might be the greatest play of all time. The more time I spend with it, the more I am just in awe of what Arthur Miller did in constructing this play.”

The Times critic writes that because of the cast’s racial makeup, DeLong’s characters become more than a foil in the usual sense.

“As with Willy, you can never untangle the personal, eco nomic and now racial threads of their behavior,” he notes of the supporting players.

Debuting on Broadway with such an ingenious and ac claimed production is a dream come true for DeLong.

“I just can’t believe I get to do it,” says the Lake Highlands High School alumnus. “I can’t believe I get to go out and play Wendell Pierce’s boss in this crazy scene, just me and him.”

Yet his resume, replete with biting portrayals of bullies and bigots, suggests he’s a no-brainer for the Salesman parts, which, he says, reflect not overt but embedded rac ism in America.

Repeatedly playing unrepentant racists would be tough er were those roles not in service to the greater good, says DeLong, who has embodied, to name a few, a racist federal narcotics agent in Lee Daniel’s biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday, a racist detective in Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us and a racist cop in Spike Lee’s Pass Over.

In Salesman, DeLong is once again a villain, but this time it’s subtler, he explains.

“As Willy’s boss, I fire Willy Loman so I’m the bad guy. It’s kind of a turning point in the play. But the character is not an outright Klansman, right? He’s a vain, ruthless per son who doesn’t know he is racist,” DeLong says. “In some ways it’s more insidious. It’s 1949 and you see how it’s just understood, assumed. It’s understood that when the thing falls on the office floor, who’s going to pick it up.”

(Washington Post critic Peter Marks wrote that the subtle racism and panic in the Willy-Howard scene are “shock ing(ly)” well-played.)

These scenes hit audiences differently than when the Lo mans are white, DeLong continues.

His other role as the waiter is a tiny part, but people have told DeLong they find it interesting and kind of funny, the actor says.

“He’s a white guy serving these gorgeous, obviously success ful, well-dressed (Black) guys dinner, and he’s blown away,” DeLong explains. “But it’s 1949, racism is baked into every interaction, so he’s in awe of them, but doesn’t know how to respond. I’ve been moved by people’s response to that.”

DeLong came by his success in an exemplary manner, approaching his career with realistic expectations and hard work. While studying history at University of Tex as, he took part in his first film, Matt Muir’s Thank You A Lot , about musician Jack Hand. That led to a group of faculty members paying for his tuition if he promised to continue studying performing arts in grad school, which he did.

He took risks, moved to New York, bartended, babysat

and made sales calls to pay the bills, while also facing constant re jection at auditions and elsewhere.

He recalls being fired from the call center at age 30, crying and feeling like a loser. But the next day he landed a Best Buy com mercial, alongside Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osborne, that aired during the 2011 Super Bowl.

The musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 earned him a nomination for a Lucille Lortel Award, Off-Broadway’s highest honor.

In 2011’s We Need to Talk About Kevin , DeLong acted alongside Tilda Swinton, who he describes as “freakishly nice.”

Life as a Broadway actor is ev erything — except relaxing.

Via phone, while pushing his toddlers through Prospect Park en route to his polling station (it’s Election Day), the father of twins outlines a grueling sched ule that involves taking multiple trains and long hikes through Times Square to and fro perfor mances, leaving the theater each night after 11 and arriving home a couple of hours before the in fants awake.

“The babies don’t care if you did a play on Broadway last night,” he says, adding that his wife is amazing about handling the mornings so he can sleep.

“I got a mask and earplugs. They don’t do much,” he adds before insisting that he has no complaints and describing his parents’ (to whom he attributes his strong work ethic) visit.

They came to town for the ba bies and the show, after which everyone hung out with stage and screen star Wendell Pierce.

“It’s just so special. I am still pinching myself,” DeLong says. “No amount of my description is going to do it any justice.”

Death of a Salesman runs at the Hudson Theater in New York City through Jan. 15.

A TASTE OF ETHIOPIA

Lalibela’s is made the right way

Story by TINA TIEN NGUYEN | Photography by KATHY TRAN

FOR OVER 21 YEARS, LALIBELA

RESTAURANT & BAR has been serving flavorful and authentic Ethiopian dishes in Lake Highlands. Owner Etsegenet “Genet” Mulugeta, an Ethiopian native, has an knack for creating her own twist on traditional recipes.

When regular customers arrive at Lalibela they know to ask for Mulugeta, as her cooking has become a crowd favorite throughout the years. She does it all, including working behind the kitchen, cleaning and serving food to guests.

“Customers keep coming back because of my food,” Mulugeta says. “I just cook things like how I typically do back at home, nothing changes. I always taste everything before it goes out to make sure it is done right.”

Growing up in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, Mulugeta’s mother owned a restaurant, and she was always around food. Mulugeta moved to Dallas in 1983 and held several jobs, but she often cooked for friends and family in her free time and received compliments for her meals.

“Whenever someone came to my house, they kept asking me, ‘Why don’t you start a restau rant?’ So at that point, I knew I was a good cook and that anything I touched was going to be a miracle,” Mulugeta says.

For a brief time, she worked in another Ethiopian Restaurant called Abyssinia Grocery and Ethiopian Food. She was inspired to open Lalibela in 2001. Lalibela was named after a popular town and tourist attraction of historic rock-cut churches in Ethiopia.

“My family is also from Lalibela,” she says. “Whenever people hear Lalibela, they know exactly what it is, and so I wanted the name to reflect this beautiful city.”

Mulugeta prepares and cooks everything

from scratch. Part of the dining experience at Lalibela is eating with one’s hands, instead of utensils, in the traditional Ethi opian style. Injera flatbread can be used as a vessel to pick up the vegetables and meats in each plate at Lalibela.

Upon request, customers can even eat out of a traditional mesob, a handmade basket that is used to store the injera, meats and side dishes. The purpose is for everyone to sit and eat around the mesob, family style.

“This is what we eat with back at home,” Mulugeta says. “We don’t eat by ourselves and we always share with others. It’s a big part of Ethiopian culture and tradition.”

Lalibela’s menu includes choices of beef, chicken and vegeta ble options, as well as some breakfast items such as kinche, lamb stew, quanta and kitafirfir. However, if there isn’t something on the menu, Mulugeta says she can accommodate that request.

“Even if it’s not on my menu, I will make it for them,” Mulugeta says. “If they want breakfast at dinner, I can easily make them some eggs.”

Dessert also isn’t on the menu, but she can prepare her own beignets, donuts with honey or baklava.

One important aspect of Ethiopian culture is a traditional coffee ceremony, which customers can choose to partake in at Lalibela by dressing in Ethiopian attire and drinking from a sini cup that is placed on a rekebot table. During the ceremo ny, the espresso beans are ground, roasted and made right in front of the guest to take in all of the aroma and sensation.

For those who aren’t coffee drinkers, there’s also a small open bar with a selection of Ethiopian beers, an Ethiopian honey wine and various liquors. You can also jam out to the Ethiopian music that’s played while you have a drink.

The restaurant’s decor is inspired by Ethiopian art and design. Many pieces in the restaurant were even made in Ethi opia, including a curtain with the restaurant’s name written on it as well as the leather and calfskin menus and table cloths. There are paintings of Ethiopian figures and instruments on tables throughout Lalibela. The atmosphere is very Ethiopian according to Mulugeta, and she says that for a lot of Ethiopian

people that come in, it reminds them of being back at home.

“When they come here, they love it because it feels like they are actually in Ethiopia,” she says. “Since Lalibela isn’t too big or small, it gives a very comforting, homey and cozy space. It’s exactly how we decorate over there, and it’s nice when customers can see each other without having to feel lost.”

Mulugeta says her favorite piece of art in the restau rant was given to her by a patron who was a student at Southern Methodist University. It shows several people eating in the Lalibela.

“She asked me one day if she could draw a picture for me,” Mulugeta explains when asked about the painting. “When she finished, she gave it back to me saying that it was a drawing of my customers.”

Mulugeta works six days a week from opening at noon. to closing at midnight.

“Ever since I came to America, I’ve always been working hard,” she says. “Even though my kids are grown, I still want to have something for myself.”

Her son, Sirak Teferra, helps out around the restaurant by serving and cooking for customers. However, he says he believes his mom is the true star of the show.

“My mom is the definition of this place. She is what makes Lalibela an extension of Ethiopian culture,” he says.

In the 21 years that Mulugeta has been in business, she says that her favorite part about coming to work is the customers and making them happy.

“I know them as family and they are very loyal in coming back,” she says. “If I see someone not eating, I always check on them and ask them how the quality of my food is or if everything is OK.”

As for the future of Lalibela? Mulugeta hopes that her son can one day take over.

He says with a smile, “That is if I can learn to get her recipes down.”

Lalibela Restaurant & Bar , 9191 Forest Lane, www.lalibeladallastx.com

Lalibela Restaurant & Bar owner Etsegenet “Genet” Mulugeta often received compliments on her home-cooked food from friends and family.

One of Dallas’ oldest antique malls

Holiday Open House

6-9p.m. Tues. Dec 6th!

Don’t forget to join us during our Evening Holiday Open House! Sales throughout, sweets and treats too! Plus a booksigning event with author Susan Calicott for her new book “Estate Sale Tales”! Collector items and gifts for all on your list. 6830 Walling Ln. (off Skillman/Abrams) 214.752.3071 cityviewantiques.com

Zato Thai Cuisine & Sushi Bar offers you traditional Thai cuisine and fantastic sushi prepared by our expert chef with over 10 years of experience. Come experience our great traditional Thai dishes and sushi. We welcome you to enjoy our delicious cuisine and make unforgettable memories.

7050 Greenville Ave. enchiladasrestaurants.com 214.363.8969

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Playing with Pattern

Honey+Hank puts states in the spotlight

Story by SIMON PRUITT | Photography by HUNTER LACEY

Jenny Smiley loves a good wink. The Lake Highlands mother of two created Honey+Hank, a locally-owned brand that features a signature “design with a wink.”

In 2019, Smiley looked for a new application for her background in interior design. That night, she let her imagination run wild, experimenting with patterns made entirely from United States state shapes. Smiley designed over 100 patterns that night, each with its own shape and flair. She asserts that learning to view the states as unique

shapes is what has differentiated her design from others.

The company began with printed and embroidered pillows, before expanding to more cloth products like towels and nap kins, and eventually to glass plates and knitted scarves. All products continue to feature the signature “state shape” design.

“I believe that the memory of the places and pastimes that shape us are worth celebrating,” Smiley says.

The memory of those symbols endures throughout the Honey+Hank catalog. For example, there is a pattern of horses on an embroidered hand towel from H+H. Look closer, and notice that each part of the horse is made up of Kentucky’s geographical outline, a “wink” to the Kentucky Derby. The “winks” continue, from a crab made up of Maines or peach filled with Georgias.

Honey+Hank itself is a wink to those who know Smiley and her family. The two monikers are the names her two children have given to their grandparents. On top of the name, Smiley continues to operate much of H+H through a familial and community orient.

“We are women-owned and women-led,” she says, “We view work through a very flexible lens since we’re all moms from Lake Highlands.”

While everything remains homegrown from the Lake High lands community, people from around the country are starting to notice.

Recently, Honey+Hank has been featured on Good Morning America , Oprah’s Favorite Things and a number of nation wide magazines.

“The design with a wink tagline came from our original brainstorming session when we were trying to define our perfect customer,” Smiley explains, “She is a woman who prefers to go through life with a wink and a smile.”

For Smiley, the women who wink and smile through life seem to keep on supporting.

Stocking Stuffers

SHOP LOCAL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH GIFTS FROM SMALL BUSINESSES

Story by ANDREA HANCOCK

Photography by JESSICA TURNER

Between shipping de lays, porch pirates and inventory issues, on line shopping can be a nightmare during the holidays.

Before you click “Add to Cart” for every gift on your list, con sider your options right here in our neighborhood. To give you some ideas on how to shop local this December, check out these stocking stuffers from small businesses in Lake Highlands.

MISSFITS

If there are any children in your life, be sure to stop at Missfits, which is located in Lakeridge Village. Kristin and John Bemis opened the boutique, which is geared toward kids and tweens, in early 2020. The store stocks toys and games, which are intended to “nurture the spirit, feed the brain and encourage self-expression.”

Neighbor Betsy Davis Cummins opened POP Popcorn at Lakeridge Village in January. She credits her late brother, who opened Crave Popcorn in Plano, as her inspiration for the shop. The store’s popcorn bags are the per fect size to tuck into a stocking. In addition to dozens of popcorn flavors, POP Popcorn offers all sorts of candies and Lake Highlands-themed apparel.

Cindy O’Brien has made toffee for over 30 years, usually for family and friends. But when her toffee won Best in Show at the 2019 State Fair of Texas, she began to realize there might be a larger market for her con fections. This holiday season, Cindy’s candy is a great choice for any sweet tooth.

Hope. Health. Happiness.

White Rock Medical Center is only the second in Texas and the 11th in the U.S. to earn elite accreditation as a comprehensive bariatric surgery center with adolescent care and obesity medicine.

We offer a wholistic approach to weight loss, including, bariatric surgery, on-site psychological support, nutrition counseling and more. Learn more about a bright future for you. Call us at 214.324.6100.

WhiteRockMedicalCenter.com

may be familiar with Brumley Gardens as a nursery and landscaping busi ness, but a visit to the gar den center will reveal a fully stocked gift shop among all the plants. With its hand creams to luxury laundry detergents to local honey, the gift shop is sure to have a stocking stuffer to please anyone.

MARATHON MAESTRO

For 20 years, Marcus Grunewald has been making racing magic happen in our city

Stroy by CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB | Photography by EMIL LIPPE

When the last runner crosses the finish line of the Dallas Marathon on Dec. 9, Marcus Grunewald — who in 2022 marks 20 years as race director — can finally rest.

Just kidding.

As he pats backs of euphoric, exhausted runners completing their 26.2 mile trek, Grunewald might slip in a question: “What did you think of the course?” Because he’s already thinking about next year.

“It never really ends,” he says. “Even while it’s going on, we’re looking at things thinking, ‘is this how we want to do it next year?’”

RUNNING A BIG RACE

As participants recover with beer and baths, Grunewald meets his team to, hopefully, recognize another successful year and conduct the post mortem (what went wrong?). There’s always room to improve, Grunewald says. Then, there are a million emails to answer and a race expo at the convention center to clean up.

Rest doesn’t come easy when you’re called to govern Texas’ oldest marathon, Dallas’ largest annual fitness and family event, on a staff of three. (Paul Lambert, organization president, and Jason Schuchard, communications, are the marathon’s other two employees.)

We’re talking 40,000 people, from every American state and beyond, attending some portion of the weekend’s events, which include a three-day health exposition, 1-kilometer and 5-kilometer fun runs, a half marathon, marathon and 50-kilometer ultramarathon.

If Grunewald is the heart, the 2,500-volunteer army is its lifeblood. They’ll distribute some 10,785 gallons of water and Gatorade, 20,000 pieces of fruit, 625 gallons of beer and collect 112 bags of discarded clothing for donating to local charities.

To pull off this engineering marvel — wherein the equivalent of a sold-out American Airlines Center crowd (20,000-plus people) moves across our city at paces varying between 4-12 mph — the team utilizes outside consultants and solicits the support of many city departments, DART and local churches, businesses and neighborhood associations.

In addition to distributing 25,000 door hangers around town, Grunewald makes personal visits. If more people can put a face with the event, he says, the less angry they will be when their Sunday commute is interrupted.

“You want to keep everyone impacted happy, and we have learned that by reaching out and notifying as many people as possible about what’s going

to happen race weekend, the less complaints we get afterwards.”

Anyone who has watched a dear one cross the marathon finish line (or done it themselves) knows that’s where the magic happens, but shrewd strategizing goes into the start (which, geographically is the same as the finish).

At the inaugural running of the White Rock Marathon (now Dallas Marathon) in 1971, 80 men and women crowded near the start — fast guys up front, slower ones in back. They just knew where to go. A pistol sounded, and they were off. First to cross the finish line was the winner. And so on.

In 2022, runners wearing timing chips are grouped into corrals based on their anticipated pace; they launch in five-minute intervals. The slower competitors typically don’t even cross the starting line until more than an hour after the elites.

“One of the trickiest things is making sure the start is clear before the fastest half-marathon runners start finishing,” Grunewald says. “There is never a dull moment at the start-finish.”

MARATHON MAN

The Lake Highlands man who lives and breathes the Dallas Marathon hasn’t mentioned his 20-year milestone to many people.

Darsi Grunewald, his wife of 32 years, brought it up.

“He has put his heart and soul into this race and has brought together many people in this community and throughout the country for many years,” Darsi says. “Marcus is a very humble person and doesn’t like to be in the spotlight but I believe he is due some recognition.”

The Grunewalds, now parents of two adult children, worked for the same company and fell for one another at a happy hour at Studebakers, the old dance club off Central Expressway, Darsi says.

Darsi, a teacher and a singer, thinks “runners are crazy.”

“Marcus is kind of competitive,” she says, so pursuing separate passions worked in their favor.

Grunewald ran his first marathon at White Rock in 1984, as kind of a bet.

“I was in an informal running group in college when I saw something about, and brought up, the Dallas White Rock Marathon, but a buddy said that I was crazy, that you had to train for years before running a marathon. And so it became a challenge. I ended up running it that year.”

Grunewald ran another nine times before an injury interrupted his streak. Then he became the race’s director, which, before 2007 was an unpaid volunteer job. Until then he was also working in finance.

“I really liked that job and the paychecks, but the people I enjoyed the most were my running friends. When the marathon needed a full-time employee, it didn’t pay what I had been making in the banking world, but I discovered that it was more important to be happy. And to this day, I thank my lucky stars. I’ve got one of the best jobs in the world.”

When he’s not at City Hall, meeting with the Dallas Marathon Board, presenting checks to Scottish Rite for Children (the marathon has donated $4 million since 1997) or hosting a premarathon event, you’ll find Grunewald running with a group

of friends around the lake or a dirt trail. You’ll know him by his trademark yellow visor. (“We have a garage full of them,” Darsi says. “It’s just how people recognize him.”)

And among runners, he’s earned recognition.

“Marcus is not only the executive race director for BMW Dallas Marathon. He is also an ambassador for racing in Dallas in general, and one of the biggest supporters of the running scene,” says Julie Lanaux, a founding member of White Rock Running Co-op. “The best scenario for races is where the race gives as much back to the local running scene as the local runners contribute to the race, and Marcus is the living embodiment of that concept.”

To continue challenging himself as an athlete, Grunewald started running longer distances (getting older, you can’t keep getting faster, but you can go farther, he says), which is one of the reasons the Dallas Marathon added a 50k. “It’s unofficially Marcus’s Ultra Marathon,” he says.

Grunewald, who doesn’t share much about his personal life, does discuss a recent health scare, because he thinks it could help others.

A few years back, he says, he just “wasn’t feeling right,” and his running performance was suffering. So he saw a physician and wound up undergoing quintuple bypass surgery to treat blocked arteries.

“The doctor said if I had run another race, it probably would have been the last thing I did,” Grunewald says.

“As runners we tend to push through injuries because we just think that’s who we are,” he says. “But as an athlete, you are more attuned to your body, as part of your training, than even your doctor. You really need to pay attention to those injuries, those feelings.”

REGRETS AND REWARDS

Like life and sport, event planning is a world of disappointments, victories and lessons learned.

Grunewald’s worst experience as director was having to cancel the marathon due to weather.

Darsi, who typically runs around doing whatever is needed on race day, remembers her husband going out the Saturday before race day in 2013. “He was out there in the truck before I even woke up, and he came in saying, ‘It’s so slick. We can’t have the race.’” It was devastating, she says, the only time the race was ever called off aside from the pandemic years, when it was held virtually.

Grunewald adds, “We all felt personally responsible for the pain and suffering that the runners went through.”

A better day was when East Dallas chiropractor Logan Sherman’s “dream of winning the marathon” came true, (as he told the Advocate at the time).

“I think the first thing, after hugging his fiance, he hugged Marcus,” Darsi recalls of the 2015 winner, whose father was a friend of Grunewald’s.

“I knew his dad when he used to race, and then I watched Logan grow up and become such a great guy,” Marcus Grunewald says. “I feel like the Dallas marathon is my race, and to see him win my race was just very, very rewarding.”

NorthPark’s new Santa

Aerospace engineering to sleigh flying

Interview by ALYSSA HIGH

Photography courtesy of NORTHPARK CENTER

Every year, event centers and shopping malls play host to the season’s favorite visitor: Santa Claus. NorthPark Center’s resident Santa retired this year after more than 30 years, but Joel Lagrone is ready to fill his boots.

Lagrone has a professional background in aerospace engineering, music and community theater. While maintaining a 23-year-long career at Lockheed Martin, the Southern Methodist University graduate explored his creative side acting in musicals, community theater events and local Saint Nick gigs, not to mention his rock ’n’ roll band AeroMotion.

Lagrone brings his musical talent to NorthPark for this year’s storytime.

Santa season kicks off Nov. 25 with visits and portraits with Santa benefiting Children’s Health.

Stories run from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. MondaySaturday, and 12:30-5 p.m. Sundays. Songs with Santa start at 10:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday and noon on Sunday.

And Lagrone certainly fits the part. With the white beard and jolly disposition, the role of Santa feels made for him.

WHICH CAME FIRST, THE LOOK OR THE INTEREST IN BECOMING SANTA?

With the beard, the white hair and the suit there’s a certain amount of iconic character that just happens. For me, having the stage experience, I tried to develop that character so that I looked like Santa to myself. Because I always looked like me to me, even in these other characters I have to convince myself and bring those characters to life.

WHO ARE YOUR SANTA INSPIRATIONS?

Certainly The Miracle on 34th Street , there’s a genuineness when you have a man that portrays what we all want to be and there’s a sweetness there. I’ve been compared with Tim Allen based on the look alone and he tends to be a bit less serious. Looking back, there’s Ed Asner in Elf who is kind of cranky and sad or even the dad that gets caught wearing the fake beard. With all of these, I can understand the character a lot better.

WHEN IS A TIME THAT THE ROLE OF SANTA BECAME MORE THAN A ROLE TO YOU?

One time, I got a call from a group of people who didn’t know me; they only knew about me from a mutual friend that I could sing and play guitar. I’d already made it known before I even

started that my hope was to sing and play carols at events and things like that, not knowing what Santa could be. In early November, they called and had a friend who they said would not see Christmas because she was in hospice. They decorated the house for Christmas, and we met around the corner with around 100 people. I strapped on a guitar, and we walked down the street up to her and sang Christmas carols. It was the perfect night: Nov. 10, 2018. We sang about three more carols because it was all she could take. As we exited, people were just so thankful to me. And I said, “No, thank you. Because if this is Christmas, and this is Santa, where I get to see people love on their friends in this way, then I’m good.” She passed away two weeks later.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE CYNICAL KIDS?

There’s this particular age group, above 8 or 9 or 10. Because they’ve been told that Santa knows everything, they challenge you at every level. It’s a fun game to play with the children because of course my first thing is to torment that bag, right? If they say, “What’s my name?” I’ll say, “You forgot it already?” Eventually, one of their brothers will admit it, or I’ll catch them saying it. But you also get such sweet, tender moments with the little kids when they aren’t afraid, and they’re just so happy to be there.

COMING FROM A MUSICAL BACKGROUND, WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS?

It’s hard to pick favorites sometimes because I sing them a lot, but there are a couple that are really meaningful to me — the “please come home for Christmas”-type songs always get to me. I love “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Of course, the kids’ favorite is always “Jingle Bells.”

YOU’VE BEEN SANTA FOR MANY DIFFERENT EVENTS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT BEING NORTHPARK’S

SANTA?

It wasn’t a conscious thought, even as a new Santa. I just didn’t understand the breadth of what they accomplished there. Still, as we began our discussions with NorthPark and I realized how involved they are in the community with their fundraising, I realized it was everything I liked about being Santa. It’s a fantastic gift to the community to do that.

WORSHIP

By GEORGE MASON

Everything seems existential

And then there’s reality

We’ve come out of an elec tion season again this year that purported to be the most important election of our lifetimes. Until the next one. Apocalyptic framing of the crises we face makes everything seem exis tential — a contest between good and evil with life-or-death consequences.

This is rarely true, regardless of how hot our political passions run. We always pick ourselves up and return to the work of persisting or resisting, de pending on where we are in the power grid at the time.

December brings spiritual insights about light and darkness from two religions’ holidays: Hanukkah and Christmas. (I should also mention the Hindu, Sikh and Jain holy day, Diwali, which happened in October this year. Diwali is called the festival of lights. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, freedom over oppression, and en lightenment over ignorance.)

Hanukkah recalls the victory of the Jewish Maccabees over the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who had humiliated the Israelites by dese crating the Temple in Jerusalem with the blood of a pig. When the sanctifi cation of the Temple took place, only enough oil was found for the ceremo nial lamps to burn for one day. Mirac ulously, the oil lasted eight days. Thus, the nine-candled menorahs (eight for the eight days, and one helper candle used to light the others).

Christmas lights — white and colored both — are everywhere, it seems: on Christmas trees, Advent wreaths, windowsills, front-yard trees and bushes. Jesus is called “the Light of the world.” He came to chase away the darkness of sin. We light our little candles on Christmas Eve

from the Christ candle, reminding us that we too must share the light in a darkened world.

Light and darkness always coex ist. Yet every contrast isn’t as stark as noon and midnight or even sunrise and sunset. We have dawn and dusk, too. If you didn’t have your watch on, you might not know whether twilight hours bode more light to come or less. So, we might ask, “Is this moment,” as Valarie Kaur puts it, “the darkness of the tomb or the darkness of the womb?”

The modern Hebrew word mashber means crisis. It comes from an original meaning of “birthing stool.” In other words, we should always be looking for hope in the midst of whatever de spair we feel, new life in the shadow of death. Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur of Paris, France, says that mashber “is a time of anger and hope, death and life. It’s the birthing of something new, and no one knows what that’s going to be.”

Politics is something but not ev erything. Culture is the underlying driver of politics. And religion is an important component of culture. People of faith must remember that God is the true mystery of the world. Therefore, surprising judgments and unexpected breakthroughs are pos sible no matter how bright or bleak the affairs of state. We can and must shine our little light of hope and point the way to paths of peace.

Let’s walk that way together.

GEORGE MASON is pastor of Wilshire Bap tist Church, president of Faith Commons and host of the “Good God” podcast. The Worship section is underwritten by Ad vocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

WORSHIP

BAPTIST

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org Bible Study 9:15 / Worship Services 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

WILSHIRE BAPTIST CHURCH / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Open to all / Worship at 11 a.m. Sunday School at 10 a.m. / wilshirebc.org

BIBLE CHURCHES

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd. 214.348.9697 / Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / Sun: Youth 6-8 pm/Wed: AWANA 6-8 pm

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185 Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Interim Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Larry Ross. / edcc.org

EPISCOPAL

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org

Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

A Welcoming and Affirming Church / Rev. K.M. Truhan Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / CentralLutheran.org

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA) / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln. Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RICHARDSON

503 N Central Exwy / fumcr.com / 972.235.8385 / Dr. Clayton Oliphint 8:45, 9:45, 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Modern

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com Sunday Morning 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am coffee Worship 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

PRESBYTERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

Sunday Worship 10:00am, Traditional 1st & 3rd, Contemporary 2nd & 4th(5th). Sunday School/Christian Ed Classes: 11:00am

NORTHPARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / Summer Worship at 10:00 a.m. www.northparkpres.org / 9555 N. Central Expy. / 214.363.5457

Welcoming Seekers, Thinkers and Doers.

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. / 214-827-5521 northridgepc.org / Regular skd returns Sept 11th. 9am outdoor & 11am sanctuary service. A community of people dedicated to doing life together

PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH/ 4124 Oak Lawn Ave

Sunday Worship 9:00 & 11:00 A.M.

To all this church opens wide her doors - pcpc.org

AC & HEAT

ALEXANDER HOME REPAIR. AC/HEAT Repair & Install. LIC#28052 469-226-9642 TACLA67136C 214-710-2515 dallasheatingac.com

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

BUY SELL TRADE

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! Gibson, Fender, Martin, Etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. Top Dollar Paid.1-866 -433-8277

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE

NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

CONCRETE, RETAINING WALLS 25 yrs exp. T&M Construction, Inc. 214-328-6401

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC

Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricdfw.com 50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333 TECL 31347 Brightening Homes and Businesses

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd.TECL-34002 214-850-4891

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

4 QUALITY FENCING • 214-507-9322

Specializing in Wood. YourWoodmaster.com

AMBASSADOR FENCE CO.

GARAGE SERVICES

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned. 214-251-5428

GENERAL CONTACTING

A2H GENERAL CONTRACTING,LLC Remodel, Paint, Drywall/Texture, Plumbing. Electrical, Siding, Bathroom/Kitchen Remodels Tilling, Flooring, Fencing. 469-658-9163. Free Est. A2HGeneralContactingLLC@gmail.com

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 214-349-8160

PRO WINDOW CLEANING prompt, dependable. Matt 214-766-2183

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

DANHANDY.NET Repairs Done Right For A Fair Price. References 214-991-5692

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOUSE PAINTING

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

TOP COAT 30 Yrs. Exp. Reliable. Quality Repair/Remodel. Phil @ 214-770-2863

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/GROUT

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

MELROSE TILE James Sr., Installer, Repairs. 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Kitchen & Bath/Remodeling, Restoration. Name It- We Do It. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

CLEANING SERVICES

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

THE CLEANING GIRLS

Customized Cleaning to fit your needs Bonded. 972-462-4875

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN, Organize, De-clutter, or Pack. Sunny 214-724-2555

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let a seasoned pro be the interface between you & that pesky Windows computer. Hardware/Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $100/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 972-639-6413 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

ADVANCE STONE ART CREATIONS

Decorative Concrete Overlays. 214-705-5954

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Straighten Brick Mailboxes & Columns. Call Cirilo 214-298-7174

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers, Arbors. AmbassadorFenceCo.com 214-621-3217

FENCING, ARBORS, DECKS oldgatefence.com 214-766-6422

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975 Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

HANDYMAN WANTS your Painting,Repairs, To Do Lists. Bob. 214-288-4232. Free Est. 25+yrs exp.

HOME REPAIR Doors, Trim, Glass. Int/Ext. Sheetrock, Windows, Kitchen, Bathroom 35 yrs exp. 214-875-1127

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

ONE CALL WEEKEND SERVICES Contractor & Handyman. Remodels, Renovations . Paint, Plumbing, Drywall, Electrical. 469-658-9163

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

#1 WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS Professionals, Experts, Artists serving Dallas 15 years.Trim, Removals. Tree Health Care services. Insured. Arborwizard.com. Free Est. (972) 803-6313.

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd. 18 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925 Lawns, Gardens & Trees

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

MAYA TREE SERVICE Tree Trim/Remove. Lawn Maintenance. Resd/ Commcl.Insd. CC’s Accptd. mayatreeservice.com 214-924-7058 214-770-2435

MONSTER TREE SERVICE DALLAS

Certified Arborists, Fully Insured 469.983.1060

NEW LEAF TREE, LLC Honest, Modern, Safety Minded. 214-850-1528

PAT TORRES 214-388-1850 Lawn Service & Tree Care. 28 Yrs. Complete Landscape Renovation. New Fence Install & Brick Repair. Concrete Removal and Gutter Cleaning.

RED SUN LANDSCAPES • 214-935-9779 RedSunLandscapes.com

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION Repairs, service, drains. 30+ years exp. Ll 6295 469-853-2326. John

WALTON’S GARDEN CENTER

Stop in for home decor, candles, house plants, succulents and more. It’s time to plan for spring. Call us for design, prep and plantings! 8652 Garland Road 214-321-2387

DALLAS KDR SERVICES

NATURE KING PEST MANAGEMENT INC. Squirrels, Racoons, Skunks, Snakes, Possums, etc. Pest & Termite. Neighborhood Resident 30+ Yrs.exp. 214-827-0090 "Keeping Children & Pets in Mind" Termite Specialist - Mosquito Mister Systems Licensed · Insured · Residential · Commercial · Organic 214-350-3595 • Abetterearth.crw@gmail.com abetterearth.com

PLUMBING

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior Discounts. Gary Campbell. 214-321-5943

ROOFING & GUTTERS

SERVICES FOR YOU

DONATE YOUR CARS TO VETERANS TODAY. Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800 -245-0398

ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-402-0373

GENERAC Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt. Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-844-334 -8353

HUGHESNET Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live.25 Mbps just $59.99/mo! Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499 -0141

PROTECT YOUR home from pests safely and affordably. Pest, rodent, termite and mosquito control. Call for a quote o rinspection today 844-394-9278

SAFE STEP North America's #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time! Financing available. 1-855-417-1306

POOLS

CERULEAN POOL SERVICES Family Owned/ Operated. Weekly maintenance, Chemicals, parts & repairs. CeruleanPro.com 214-557-6996

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

C.A.S. BOOKKEEPING SERVICES

Personal/Small Business. Payroll, Accounting, Organizing, Consult. Cindy 214-577-7450

REAL ESTATE

ESTATE HOME NEEDS TO BE SOLD? Facing forclosure? IG Heron Homes Call Ricardo Garza @ 469-426-7839

OFFICE SUBLEASE In Bishop Arts. Cool, Quiet. 1,179 Sq ft. 4 rooms + kit / bath, parking. $2,950 + NNNs. 713.302-7722.

REMODELING

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Kitchens And Baths. Call Us For Your Remodeling Needs. 214-343-4645. dallastileman.com

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 24 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Kitchen & Bath/Remodeling, Restoration. Name It- We Do It. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

MP ARCHITECTURAL Design & Construction. mattandpaul.com 214-226-1186

URBAN PIONEER REMODEL. Total construction & Remodel. 214-682-4564 urbanpioneerconstruction.org

SERVICES FOR YOU

ALOE CARE HEALTH medical alert system. Most advanced medical alert product on the market. Voiceactivated! No wi-fi needed! Special offer w/code CARE20 for $20 off Mobile Companion. 1 -855-521-5138

AT&T INTERNET. Starting at $40/month w/12-mo agmt. 1 TB of data/mo. Ask how to bundle & SAVE! Geo & svc restrictions apply.1-888-796-8850

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725

DENTAL INSURANCE-Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurance -not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-888-623-3036 www.dental50plus.com/58 #6258

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply.Promo Expires 7/21/21.1-833-872-2545

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS! Don't miss out. Get $1,000's from a government assistance program. Not a loan. More info? www.AidForSmallBusiness.com.

THE GENERAC PWRCELL, a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services

VIVINT SMART SECURITY

Professionally installed. 1 connected system for total peace of mind. Free professional installation! 4 free months of monitoring! 1-833-841-0737

TUTORING/ LESSONS

GARTH ORR - TUTOR Math & Physics grade 8-12. Private Tutoring that works! garthorr.com