Safe Money News: Volume 3, Issue 5

Happy Holidays!

Volume 3, Issue 5

Playing it Safe “Tree Safety Tips” Luckily for homeowners lives flames gave way to light bulbs. Still, the National Fire Protection Association says that tree fires can happen and do happen as a result of faulty wiring, or being too close a source of ignition such as a fireplace.

By Steve Dinnen Continue Page 4

personal finance “Tips to Avoid Tax Penalties for 2014” Don’t overlook what comes right after the holidays: tax season. And don’t overlook a couple of things you can do now to avoid or reduce potential penalties on your 2014 tax return.

By Thompson Myers & Associates

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Safety Pins It’s Quiet Out There – Maybe TOO Quiet?

Once again the banks and investment houses are acting as if there is no risk in investing in the stock market and there is no risk in buying any type of bonds. Wall Street and the Fed are telling us that everything is copasetic and not to worry...and that makes me worried.

By Dr. Jack Marrion

Nonna’s Kitchen Table By: Raymond J. Ohlson, CLU, CRC This is the time of year – the holiday season – for looking back and looking forward … a time for remembrance, but also a time for hope and good wishes for the future. Maybe it’s that I’m getting older, and I hope, wiser, but this holiday season reminds me of a cherished tradition in our family. And I share it with you with the hope that you will recall your own cherished memories as you plan for the New Year ahead! May 2015 be the best year ever for your family as well!

“Nonna” is the Italian word for grandmother. My mother is Italian, and I grew up with a lot of Italian traditions—

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Safe Retirement “Keep Your Old Audios, Videos, & Photos Safe” Don’t loose your memories due to your old media devices breaking or old tapes rotting away in the addict. Protect your memories by transferring those old records, tapes, slides, movies, & photos to new media.such as CDs or digital storage devices.

By Al Stone Continue Page 11

Safe For Life “Traditions” Most families have traditions that manifest themselves at this time of year. Our family is no exception to that rule. For the most part, however, many of our traditions were well in place before my sister and I had anything to say about their inception.

By Norm Wilkens

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Safety Pins ... “Nonna’s Kitchen Table” - Continued traditions and experiences that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Most, I can never recapture, and Thanksgiving is definitely one of them. Believe me, I understand that Thanksgiving is not an Italian holiday. But, you couldn’t have sold me on that statement when I was young! I should also preface my remarks noting that every family with strong ethnic backgrounds shares these feelings.

My nonna and “noono” (grandfather) moved to the United States with about fifty families from Northern Italy.

Born in Chicago, my mother moved back to Italy with her mother and sister to be with the other “fatherless” families.

Why were they “fatherless?”

It wasn’t divorce or death, but rather it was simple economics.

The Great Depression of the 1930s was on, and many of the immigrant men traveled throughout America on trains constructing buildings for the government. Most of these Italian men were craftsmen.

They were marble setters, contractors, and common laborers. They worked hard, saved their money, and had their families shipped to America when World War II broke out in earnest in Italy.

Mealtime has always been a celebration time in Italian families. It is a time to gather together, catch up on daily events, and engage in the Italians’ favorite “sport”— ARGUING! By “arguing,” I don’t mean just simple disagreements discussed in level tones. No, I mean loud, pound-your-fist, turn-red-in-the-face, bellowing arguing! It’s not a simple competition but a war!

Nonna’s home provided one sanctuary from this “storm” where the men, especially, were not allowed—Nonna’s kitchen— the most important spot during any Italian celebration. Italians love fine food and good wines.

But those gatherings didn’t just happen. To pull these off, you had to have Nonna and the rest of the women. Here is how it started.

Nonna would make homemade pasta several days before Thanksgiving. Family members would come to her house the day before to assist in the “festa.” They placed the dough in a hand held pasta roller and spread it on Nonna’s table. The table was eight feet long and they needed every bit of the space for the pasta preparation.

The ladies would place the ravioli filling four inches apart.

Then, they would cut it into squares and others would “tie” them up. They would do the same, in miniature form, with different fillings for the soup— the “tortellini en brood”—(I’m starting to drool on my paper!).

The major cooking began on Thanksgiving morning. If you were lucky enough to be anywhere in Nonna’s home, you enjoyed the unmistakable aromas of the homemade sauce for the pasta, Italian sausages, beef roast, a huge turkey, potatoes, carrots, cranberries, fruits, cheeses, extraordinary salads, and homemade biscotti for dessert. Oh, and a great low cost Chianti for the dinner.

Nonna nearly had to post a guard at the kitchen door to keep us out!

Meanwhile, the men were in the living room talking, drinking, and smoking cigars. The kids were all running around. New babies were crying, someone may have received an occasional spanking, and the men were placing their bets on the Bears/ Lions game they would watch after dinner.

At last, it was time to sit down

Safety Pins ... “Nonna’s Kitchen Table” - Continued for the meal. The crowd would be between twenty-five and forty people. No problem, even though Nonna’s and Nonno’s Chicago flat was only about 1,500 square feet. I don’t know how we all fit, but we did. We were all so excited to see each other that we probably just didn’t notice the cramped quarters. I couldn’t wait to see my cousins and all the others whom I thought (until I was in high school) were blood relatives.

When dinner was over, the ladies cleared the table and washed the dishes. The men crammed into the parlor to watch the football game, though in reality, most of them fell asleep. The kids, too, were starting to tire out—a wonderful end to a classic family day.

Oops! No so fast! Something else was coming from Nonna’s kitchen table—dessert and a turkey sandwich for anyone who needed that “little” something extra!

In addition to the incredible food, one ingredient made this day special—the love in everybody’s hearts. Oh, they would argue and make you think that they despised each

other, but it was all part of the game. They had one thing they shared for life—it’s called “La Famiglia”—the family.

niece or nephew to find and enjoy years from now. It’s your family’s—“La Famiglia’s” legacy—and it’s a great one!

Thanksgiving was and is as big as Christmas for our family.

It stretches over the entire weekend. In our home, we will have one hundred people on the Friday night following Thanksgiving for what we call, “Italian Night.” Why do we do it? For the same reason you do—“La Famiglia.” Nonna and her table are long gone, but the memories of her “table” and the Italian heritage we shared live on through each of our generations.

From all of us at The Ohlson Group family, our best wishes to your family during this wonderful holiday season!

Here’s a challenge to you this holiday season: Write about your family traditions, especially those you recall from this special time of year. No matter how or what you celebrate, compile a record of the details – your “Nonna’s Kitchen Table.”

Include recipes, sights and sounds, names of relatives and friends in attendance, activities—everything you can recall that made the holidays so important to you.

Then one last thing: Be sure to put a copy of your writing away for some child or grandchild,

About the Author: Raymond J. Ohlson CLU, CRC, CEO & President of The Ohlson Group, Inc. and SMP International, LLC Mr. Ohlson entered the insurance business while completing his Bachelor of Science Degree at Ball State University. He quickly qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) of which he is a Life Member.

He also received his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Ohlson, a former life insurance company president, currently sits on college and hospital boards and is a published author.

Raymond J. Ohlson can be reached at: Email: rohlson@ohlsongroup.com.

Playing it Safe

Tree Safety Tips

By Steve Dinnen We all know that German theologian Martin Luther launched the Reformation with his “95 Theses” that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church. Lesser known is that Luther is credited as being the first person to suggest placing lighted candles on Christmas trees.

Candles were a pretty, if not especially safe, way of adding an extra touch to the glow of the Christmas tree, which is thought to have first been introduced in Germany in the 16th century.

Luckily for homeowners and the companies that insured them, lives flames gave way to light bulbs once electricity became commonplace. Still, the National Fire Protection Association says that tree fires can and do happen – the result of faulty wiring, or maybe being too close a source of ignition such as a fireplace. So check the light strings every year and replace those that have loose bulb connections. And note that some lights are meant to be used only outdoors.

If you use an artificial tree, the NFPA advises to make sure it is identified by the manufacturer as fire retardant. If you’re using a live tree, pick one that that has fresh, green needles that

Playing it Safe ... “Tree Safety Tips” - Continued don’t fall off when touched.

tree a buyer had when growing up. The Noble Fir, for instance, Cut 1 to 2 inches off the base of is a popular choice in Western that live tree before mounting, states. It has sturdy branches, and add plenty of water to its so it would also be a choice for stand to keep it from drying someone who plans to hang out. Regardless of whether the heavy ornaments onto it. tree is live or artificial, place it at least 3 feet away from any I do not recall what kind of tree heat source such as fireplaces, we hand-cut in central Indiana radiators or candles. for a few Christmases. I do remember tromping through It’s also best to turn the tree a snowy tree farm field with lights off when you retire, or our three very excited children during periods of extended leading the charge. They absence from the home. cherished the moment, and really didn’t care whether it What variety of tree you’ll be was Noble, or Balsam, or lighting is your choice. The measured up to the national Fraser Fir is the most popular average of 6.5 feet. They knew nationwide, said Jennifer it was Christmas and they were Faulkner, of Mountain View, getting a real tree, not even Calif.-based Green Valley one from a sales yard.

Christmas Trees. She said it’s known as the “Cadillac of The kids have grown up and Christmas trees” because it have moved away. For the sake lasts the longest and has an of convenience we now use aromatic scent that lingers. It an artificial tree. A handsome retains its needles best, as one, to be sure, as they make well. some very life-like trees these Runners-up include the Noble Fir and Balsam Fir. Many favorites, said Faulkner, are based on regions where the tree grows or the type of

days. And hanging from it is one ornament, a photo, really, of one of those tree-sawing adventures from Christmas past, to keep the memory alive.

About the Author: Steve Dinnen Steve is a freelance writer specializing in financial and travel news. He received his Bachelors Degree from Drake University and his Master of Journalism from Oklahoma University.

Mr. Dinnen served as Sr. Business Reporter for the Des Moines Register, Business News Editor for the Indianapolis Star and served as Editor (freelance) for the Christian Science Monitor of its weekly personal finance column.

Email: paudel2001@msn.com.

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PERSONAL FINANCE Tips to Avoid Tax Penalties for 2014

By Thompson Myers and Associates, PC

Article Highlights: • Under-distribution penalty • Required minimum distributions • Underpayment penalties • Withholding Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season and the time when we begin to think about family get-togethers, holiday gift sharing and parties.

But don’t overlook what comes right after the holidays: tax season. And don’t overlook a couple of things you can do now to avoid or reduce potential penalties on your 2014 tax return.

Under-Distribution Penalty If you are over 70-1/2 years of age, don’t forget to take your required minimum distribution Back to Table of Contents

(RMD) from your IRA account; otherwise you could face a penalty equal to 50% of what you should have taken as a distribution in 2014. The RMD is based on your age and the balance of the IRA account on December 31, 2013. Please call this office for the distribution percentage for your age.

If you just turned 70-1/2 in 2014, you can delay your first RMD until 2015 (but you must take it by April 1). However, that means you will have to double up your distributions in 2015, taking the one for 2014 and the one for 2015. This may or may not be beneficial taxwise, depending on your tax brackets in each year. If 2014 was your retirement year, your income tax bracket may be higher than it will be for 2015, so it may be advantageous taxwise to delay

the 2014 distribution until 2015.

Underpayment Penalty If you are a wage earner and have not been having enough income tax withheld from your paycheck to meet your tax liability for 2014, or if you also have taxable income from other sources, you may be facing the possibility of underpayment penalties. If your advance payments toward your 2014 tax liability, through withholding and estimated tax payments, are less than 90% of your 2014 tax liability or 100% (110% for high-income taxpayers) of your prior year tax liability, you will be hit with an underpayment penalty. There is no penalty if your tax liability is less than $1,000. The underpayment penalty is figured on a quarterly basis, so making an estimated ( Page 6)

personal finance ... “Tips to Avoid Tax Penalties for 2014” - Continued tax payment late in the year will not reduce the penalties from earlier in the year. However, wage withholding is deemed paid evenly throughout the year, allowing you to mitigate underpayments earlier in the year by increasing your withholding late in the year. If your state has a state income

tax, be sure to consider whether you also need to adjust your state income tax withholding to offset under-withholding earlier in the year to avoid or reduce a state underpayment penalty.

If you have questions related to either of these issues, please give this office a call.

About Thompson Myers & Associates, PC Accounting Firm Thompson Myers & Associates’ accounting and payroll staff have been delivering professional services to small businesses in Central Indiana for over 20 years.

Having worked with hundreds of small business clients, we have significant expertise with a wide variety of service businesses in Indiana. We have especially strong experience and expertise in working with businesses in the healthcare (medical, dental, etc.) and food service (restaurants, caterers, etc.) industries.

Phone Number: (317) 571-8080 Email: info@thompsonmyers.com Website: https://www.thompsonmyers.com/

SAFETY PINS

It’s Quiet Out There – Maybe TOO Quiet?

By Dr. Jack Marrion The St. Louis Financial Stress Index compiled by the Federal Reserve looks at interest rates, differences in yield between short-term and longterm bonds and high and low credit risk bonds, inflation, and stock market volatility. What it is designed to measure is how much stress the financial Back to Table of Contents

markets are under.

A normal stress level is zero.

Zero does not mean zero stress; it means the financial markets are under average stress. For the most of the ‘90s and the first part of the last decade the stress level stayed pretty close to zero, meandering

within a half percent on either side. Sure, there were times when stress levels increased.

During the Asian market crisis in 1998 and after 9-11 in 2001 stress levels hit over 1.1, but as the millennium bear market faded and the early ‘00s bull market continued stress levels fell. Indeed, in 2005, 2006 and early 2007 the stress index was a negative one. It was as if every bank and investment house was on Valium and they acted as if risk had been eliminated, but we now know differently.

As the realization hit that there was a real estate bubble caused by low interest rates and lax mortgage underwriting ( Page 6)

Safety Pins ... “It’s Quite Out There - Maybe TOO Quite? - Continued the stress level jumped once more above one and stayed there...until the market crash occurred in October 2008 skyrocketing the index level to over six, which meant the financial markets had blown up and we were headed towards the greatest depression since the panic of 1837. However, measures were taken to avert this and stress levels eventually fell back to normal...and then some.

For the last two years the stress index has stayed below a negative one – in the summer of 2014 the stress index even hit new lows. Once again the banks and investment houses are acting as if there is no risk in investing in the stock market and there is no risk in buying any type of bonds. Wall Street and the Fed are telling us that everything is copasetic and not to worry...and that makes me worried.

From a behavioral point of view this could well be a consequence of projection bias (what is happening today will always happen) and herding instinct (no one else seems worried so I won’t worry either).

A technocrat might tell us that the reason the computer programs and financial

algorithms think everything is okay is they can only be programmed to recognize a risk after it has occurred and can be identified and quantified.

However, there are many reasons to be nervous.

Europe is barely avoiding a recession caused by weakening demand. Several emerging markets were riding a balloon of rising commodity prices caused largely by China’s economic appetite, but China’s rate of growth is slowing and commodity prices have fallen back. The U.S. recovery continues and the stock market continues to rise, but the recovery continues to be narrow and weak, with most consumers in a worse financial position than they were in 2007, and stock market gains have been built not on the strength of corporate earnings, but because interest rates are so low that investors are once again ignoring the market risk of stocks.

There will be another bear market and there will be another recession, the question is when? Unfortunately, the Stress Index does not predict when these will occur, but merely records when they have occurred. However, from

a historical perspective, both the recovery and bull market are getting a bit long in the tooth, and we’re seeing the same behavioral biases in play that are usually seen before a fundamental change. Perhaps it’s time to consider places that protect principal (and nerves) from stress.

About the Author: Dr. Jack Marrion Dr. Marrion’s research on senior decision making and the financial world have been featured in hundreds of publications including: Business Week, Kiplinger, Smart Money, and The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of six books and a frequent media guest.

Email: jack@safemoneyplaces.com

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Safe Retirement Keep Your Old Audios, Videos, and Photos Safe

By Al Stone, King Media Service

Father’s Vietnam War Voice

The holidays are upon us

again, and in addition to blowing a huge hole in your giftshopping budget, you may also be planning visits with family and old friends. In our family, the holidays give us some time to reminisce, pull out our old home movies and videos, and perhaps those dusty old photo albums, and recall the wonder years that have flown by too quickly. But once in awhile, trouble awaits us.

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The first problem we encountered a few years back is pretty universal these days: Our ancient 8-mm Bell & Howell movie projector no longer worked. It just sat there, frowning at us – no power, no projection lamp, no nothin’!

Then, we went searching for a VCR – you remember those, don’t you? We have literally hundreds of VHS and BetaMax tapes gathering dust in the hall closet. But where the heck is the VCR! And those vacation

slides? Forget it! I haven’t seen our slide projector in at least twenty years.

Photo albums? What a hassle that is! Some are stored in the attic; some are in the garage; none of them are labeled very well, and all of them are in danger of decomposition!

The color is fading; the plastic sheeting covering the pages now sticks to the photos, often making it impossible to move them around. It’s a nightmare! ( Page 12 )

Safe Retirement ... “Keep Your Old Audios, Videos, & Photos Safe” - Cont.

I’m afraid we’ve already lost a ton of memories that my sixyear-old grandson will never get to see.

damaged or lost. The solution to protecting these priceless memories is to move them onto the newest media available.

Well, luckily I happen to be in the audio and video production business, and I just happen to have all of the old equipment needed to transfer nearly any medium to the newest formats: From VHS and Beta tapes to DVD; 8-mm or Super 8-mm movies to DVD; photos and slides to CD; audio tapes and discs to CD; and much more. Please excuse my crass commercial plug, but transferring these things has been a wonderful activity over the past couple of decades.

As part of my business, I have transferred thousands of tapes, records, movies, and photos for customers around the country.

Some of the materials have been difficult to save, but nearly all of them have been engaging to watch and hear.

I learned way back in the 1980s that audio and video tapes deteriorate, slides and photos fade, and home movies become practically useless if not stored properly.

And all of these media can be

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In the early 1990s I received a 7” reel-to-reel audiotape.

The material on the tape was simply an old lady talking. As I listened to the tape, I heard the woman, who sounded quite ancient, describing her father building a privy on the back of their home. She became confused for a moment as she discussed which one of her brothers was helping her dad.

“Hmm? Was that John helping out? She wondered. “No, no, that couldn’t have been John; he wasn’t born until ‘98.”

I was confused. I was transferring her tape in 1996.

Was she “losing it?” Then, I looked at the tape box and found this information: “Grandma’s 100th Birthday Party – May 12, 1952.” I realized that Grandma’s brother John was born in 1898 not 1998, and that I was listening to the voice of a woman who was born in 1852 … eight years before Lincoln was elected President of the United States!

Had Grandma been alive on the day I was transferring her tape to CD, she would have been 144 years old!

Another example of the thrill I experience when transferring old media to new media is typical. I frequently receive small, 3” audiotapes for transfer to CD or, now, mp3 files. I was working on a tape of a soldier who was in Viet Nam in the late 1960s. He and his parents exchanged these small tapes frequently.

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Safe Retirement ... “Keep Your Old Audios, Videos, & Photos Safe” - Cont.

On this particular tape, the soldier is describing where he was sitting and what’s going on. Suddenly, we can hear gunfire off in the distance, and the soldier says something like, “Hang on Mom; I’m gonna leave the tape running. ‘Charlie’ (the Viet Cong enemy) is firing on us!”

I then listened to a rather terrifying firefight in Viet Name from more than forty years ago.

You can have your “reality TV.” This stuff is magical!

One more?

Around Christmas a few years ago, a lady and her husband brought an old transcript record over to my studio. It was basically a round piece of cardboard with a vinyl layer on top. It was in pretty bad shape. The mailing envelope was yellowed, and obviously it had been hit with moisture.

The record inside was terribly scratched and damaged. I looked at the date on the envelope; it had been mailed in May 1944.

So, I put on my headphones and worked on the record for about twenty minutes while the lady and her husband sat behind me in the control room.

When I had finally resurrected the voices from the record, I turned on the studio speakers and said, “Would you like to

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hear this?” She nodded, and I hit the play button.

The recording contained two voices – an announcer and a soldier. The record was an example of the kind of patriotism Americans demonstrated during World War II: Pepsi had paid for the American Red Cross to send recording engineers into the European War Zone to capture messages from soldiers to mail back home to family and friends. The Pepsi and the Red Cross logos were printed on the mailing envelope.

As we listened to the short recording – about 3 or 4 minutes – I turned to see the lady with tears streaming down her cheeks. I asked her who the voice on the recording was?

She said, “That’s my dad!”

I thought, “wow,” that’s pretty cool. She’s hearing what her dad sounded like, during the war, nearly seventy years ago!

It gets better! Recall that the date on the Red Cross envelope was “May, 1944.”

The lady leaned toward me, wiping the tears from her eyes.

She continued, “I was born in September, 1944.” She paused for a moment as her husband put his arm around her shoulder. “My dad was killed in action in July, 1944. This is the first time I’ve ever heard my

father’s voice.”

Did you just experience the same chill running down your spine that I felt at that moment?

Keep those old records, tapes, slides, movies, and photos safe by getting them transferred to new media. I’d be happy to help, of course, and I know of other studios around the country that can also do the work for you. In the meantime, happy holidays!

About the Author: Al Stone Al Stone - an announcer in the heyday of WNAPFM, Indianapolis - began by providing musical identification packages (jingles) to advertisers all over the country.

His classic radio voice, writing skills, musical abilities, and talents as a producer attracted business from across the US, Canada, and foreign countries.

Al can be reached at

317.288.9495 or

rockastone@hotmail.com

Click here To Access Our Financial Dictionary

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Safe For Life

Traditions

By Norm Wilkens Most families have traditions that manifest themselves at this time of year. Our family is no exception to that rule. For the most part, however, many of our traditions were well in place before my sister and I had anything to say about their inception. Now that our older Back to Table of Contents

family members have departed, it is part of our duty to select and carry-on those traditions we believe are relevant to our families and times.

Noteworthy among my earliest memories was that Thanksgiving was not a

forgotten holiday – a mere “kick-off” to Christmas. There wasn’t any “Black Friday” or a jump-start to holiday shopping.

The major department stores held off decorating until after the turkey had long turned into sandwiches.

At our household, the most significant sign that Christmas was forthcoming was the sorting of the previous year’s Christmas cards. My mother saved the cards from year to year and then based the new year’s distribution on the past year’s mailing. My sister and I would share the old cards after mom was finished with them and ( Page 14 )

Safe For Life ... “Traditions” - Continued have several days of playing store with the leftovers.

This event was followed closely by trying to untangle the strings of lights and decorations stored annually in the basement.

No matter how carefully we had put them away, some mischievous creature would mess them up during the long months in between holidays. It is interesting to me that some of those same strings of indoor and outdoor lights have lasted until today and still work.

Finally, at Thanksgiving, it was time to assemble and put up the inside and outside decorations, another of our family rituals. Santa would mysteriously decorate the inside tree while we were asleep, but as we grew older, the whole family would participate in

the decorating. Dad would supervise from an overstuffed chair making comments (no criticisms) while mom made significant evaluations close-up and personal. “Be careful with the icicles; don’t throw them; place them gently,” she would admonish.

The outside Christmas lights eventually fell under my command. This duty required at least one weekend, two weeks before Christmas to accomplish with a family friend, Taylor, supervising. A trip downtown at this time of year always included stops at the store windows of L.S. Ayres’; Wm H. Block’s; H.P. Wasson’s to view the latest, clever window displays. Christmas shopping was organized by Mom to stretch the precious pennies saved throughout the year for

just that purpose. Even so, we knew Mom was always handy if a supply of extra cash was needed to buy just the right gift.

Throughout my lifetime, the majority of holidays have been spent on the “eve” of the actual date – Thanksgiving Eve/ Christmas Eve. That tradition goes back over seventy years and continues to be a significant part of our lives today.

My dad’s family lived in Indianapolis and took the “eve” portion of the celebrations while my mother’s family were country folks in southern Indiana and occupied the majority of dates on the holidays themselves. My dad, being a physician, built the suspense of Santa’s visit, Christmas Eve, by making house calls right up until it was time for Santa’s

Safe For Life ... “Traditions” - Continued arrival. Consequently, the Indy festivities always ran a little later. When my sister and I were older and we brought our children into the mix, there was always a dinner prior to opening the gifts. That held true the next day as well. The only major differences were the size and number of persons involved. At our house or grandmother’s in town, there would be less than twenty people involved. Down on the farm, we often had over fifty relatives included!

I remember well the times on the farm, particularly at Christmas. No matter what the year had in store, the traditions were upheld. Because of the number of people assembled, each of the adults received five dollars in a card. Grandchildren, depending upon age, opened envelopes with a dollar or two

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dollars. The significance of that monetary gift was brought home to me when my mother passed away and we found over one hundred dollars tucked away in a drawer she had saved from a number of those Christmases. I wasn’t as fugal. Mine was spent almost before we drove home from the festivities. All of the adults had drawn names prior to this event, and those gifts were then exchanged. There was a limit of ten dollars per person, but I know, for sure, my mom would exceed that amount in her gift giving. The grandparents received gifts from everyone.

Even though my grandparents’ home was bulging at the seams with family, there was always more than enough food. The aunts all had special dishes that were prepared to perfection

– salads, side dishes, and desserts – while the chicken, turkey, ham, and usually some form of game, were abundant beyond belief. Most of the delicacies were prepared on an old cast-iron stove heated with corncobs. My grandfather, always blessed the food prior to sitting down to eat, and you could hear a pin drop as he spoke. His prayer always gave thanks for the blessings of the year – even during the tough times.

As my sister and I married our spouses and started our own families, we blended with the grandparents. Other traditions began to spring forth. My children were always excited each year to visit the grandparents. One year I decided to take another route.

My youngest son complained

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Safe For Life ... “Traditions” - Continued that I must be lost because we had never driven in “that direction before.” He just knew we weren’t going to make it in time to see Santa deliver his goodies.

My sister and I determined we wanted to set in motion another tradition between Thanksgiving and Christmas – a trip to Chicago the day after Thanksgiving for a weekend of festivities and shopping at Marshall Fields. We also included a stay at the Palmer House with dinner at Trader Vic’s. This particular adventure included visiting the huge tree at Fields, a lunch at the shop with Frango Chocolate ® Sodas, and separate shopping sprees. The girls were off in one direction while my brother-in-law and I usually ended up having a little libation somewhere in another location. The Chicago stop lasted for a number of years but changed as our children grew older, and we took on their activities.

Today, we find the Thanksgiving Eve has given way to a sumptuous dinner on the holiday itself at our home with family, neighbors, and friends.

Christmas Eve also remains a tradition at our house with as many folks as we can assemble. However, with sixteen grandchildren and one great grandchild spread out all over the country, it has become harder to bring the family together. My sister and I still uphold that part of the tradition because we just refuse to let it disappear. We’ve had to move it a couple of times, but this year we’ll gather on the 24th of December in our family room for the annual celebration. We will serve refreshments and libations. Even though our kids are grown, my wife and I will await Santa Claus on Christmas morning as he pays his annual visit to our “tree.” I know we have tried to be as good as possible anticipating his visit!

No matter what, I encourage you to keep those family

traditions alive as long as you can, and try your best to instill their importance to the next generations of your families.

That’s part of your legacy!

About the Author: Norm Wilkens A nationally recognized speaker and writer, Norman Wilkens has traveled to forty-seven of the fifty states speaking on topics of marketing, advertising and public relations.

His most noteworthy subjects include: Healthcare Marketing; Multigenerational travel and Baby Boomers - their contribution to society and economics. He is presently serving as Midwestern Contributor to California’s AAA WESTWAYS Magazine.

Among Wilkens’ current activities are the Butler University Alumni Board of Directors; Butler’s Central Indiana Alumni Chapter Board; Chairman of the Board of Visitors for the new Communication College of Butler; Board of Directors of Ruth Lilly Educational Foundation; Salvation Army of Indiana Advisory Board and as an Elder at Second Presbyterian Church of Indiana.

Email: NormWilkens@aol.com