It is soon to be Christmas. Merry Christmas! If we were in the British Isles, I’d wish you a happy Christmas. I’ve always been partial to wishing a blessed Christmas. Regardless, may you have a day with warmth and some time with those close to you. “Merry” is not a word we use ...

Dear Heloise: You always advocate for recycling, reusing and making every effort to help our planet. So, I thought you might like to remind your readers during this gift-giving season to save packing materials and reuse them if and when they have a need to mail something. All that bubble wrap, ...

Dear Annie: It’s that time of year again and I dread having people ask me to celebrate the holidays with them. I haven’t celebrated a holiday in 20 years. For me, the holidays are full of misery. I lost my entire family during the holidays. Add to that, I made some mistakes that led to my ...

Dear Annie: I truly enjoy reading your column. At times, they are funny and really do make me laugh, and nearly always I can relate to certain situations that people write to you about. I am 28 years old and work at a middle school with children with learning disabilities. I have been at my job ...

Dear Heloise: Every year, I’ve had to clean out my rather large pantry at least four or five times a year. We live out in the country, so we always buy groceries in bulk. As clean as I tried to keep my pantry, weevils and other creepy-crawlies got into packages of food. In the end, I’d have ...

Dear Heloise: Here is a hint in time for the holidays, but good to consider anytime. When groups get together, we often toast each other with our glasses as a form of greeting and good luck. But what should you do if you have a crystal wine glass? Ring it instead, as in “ringing in the New ...