Tagged: Christmas

 Vigil held for Topeka officers shot in drug deal bust; Salvation Army makes Christmas wishes come true; Brownback names his team for weight-loss challenge.

Hundreds Attend Vigil For Slain Topeka Officers

Hundreds of people Monday gathered for a candlelight vigil for the two Topeka police officers who were killed while on duty.

We still send out Christmas cards the old-fashioned, analog, low-tech, snail-mail way at my house. And we have an old, well-worn address book that gets hauled out each year for the chore of addressing the envelopes. Sometimes we talk about going to a computerized list of friends and relatives – one that would enable us to print out mailing labels. But I just can’t do it.

The official state Christmas tree ornament for this year recognizes the 150th anniversary of the founding of Washburn University, which is coming up in 2015.

Governor Sam Brownback unveiled the ornament at the governor's residence Monday. Washburn President Jerry Farley called it an honor and noted the strong connection between the state and the school.

"Washburn has played an integral role in the history of the state from the very beginning," said Farley.

Christmas celebrations are not all light and warm as we travel around the world.

Christmas in America is warm and fuzzy, stuffed with Santa, reindeer and helpful elves. We get little exposure to the more sinister, old-world European characters, a host of demonic bogeymen that have been adopted into the Christian tradition over time.

It’s a funny thing about Christmas music. Just about the time when I feel like I’ll lose my Christmas cookies if I hear one more “Fa-la-la-la-la,” the season peaks and all those songs go away for another 11 or so months. It’s kind of nice, really.