Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 30, 2017

Mountain View News Saturday, December 30, 2017 
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Mountain View News Saturday, December 30, 2017 
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Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 


“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your 
heart be light.
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.” 
Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin 


Remember that? Judy Garland singing to 
Margaret O’Brien in the 1944 movie, “Meet Me In 
St. Louis.” You probably do as this is a perennial 
favorite Christmas movie, along with “Miracle on 
34th Street,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and about 17 
different versions of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” 
My favorite version this year of “A Christmas Carol” 
was the one at the Glendale Centre Theatre which 
featured my grandson, Luke Simon, dressed in 
the incredibly heavy clothing of the period and 
managing to look cold and incredibly handsome. 
OK, I’m biased. The least favorite version: Bill 
Murray in “Scrooged.” Of course, we love “Charlie 
Brown’s Christmas” and the original version of Dr. 
Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas. There’s 
“Frosty” and “Rudolph,” and the Hallmark Channel 
has shown a whole bunch of really nice Christmas 
movies. 

The lights and decorations around town have been 
spectacular this year. The Star Shower adds magic to 
just about any sort of outdoor lighting. I’ve got two 
of them and that’s pretty much all that happened 
outside our house this year. All our neighbors have 
spectacular light displays and it’s nice to just stand 
outside and admire them. However, I’m giving the 
Walking Sierra Madre...The Social Side Christmas 
Decorations award this year to Jeff and Laurie Bohn 
who live on Highland and have every conceivable 
inflated Christmas decoration possible, as you can 
see. It makes me smile to drive past their house. 
Also, being a huge fan of Minions, and there being 
two of those on display had a lot to do with my 
decision. 

We hope you’ve had ‘a merry little Christmas’ 
this year, and that your heart has been light. As we 
were out walking Sierra Madre a year or so ago, my 
Christmas decorations admiring walking buddy, 
John, and I, found a piece of paper on the sidewalk 
and this is what it said: 

A Child’s Prayer of Thanks 

Dear God, 
I’m thankful for all You give,
For food, 
For love, 
A place to live, 


I thank You for my family too,
And I want You to know 
That I love You. 
Amen. 


I have kept this out in our kitchen ever since and 
think it expresses pretty much everything for which 
we can be thankful. We live in such a beautiful place, 
with our own personal mountains available for good 
long ‘look’ moments. We have friendly people who 
smile and say Hello! when you pass them on the 
street. We have beautiful homes on every street, so 
many trees - which are doing fairly well in spite of 
the drought, and a splendid Christmas tree, crèche, 
menorah and dreidel in Kersting Court. I was sorry 
to see Goody Bags close their doors. Valerie Bango, 
had many great ideas for utilizing her store to its 
best advantage and we wish her all the luck in the 
world in her next enterprise. Dreams don’t die, 
Valerie, sometimes they are just deferred.

While making strawberry preserves, lemon 
marmalade, apple butter and dozens of loaves of 
bread this year, my mind has been filled with the 
friends and neighbors I have been making all this 
stuff for, and I’m so grateful to know so many people 
who are happy to see me with a gift bag in my hand. 
Christmas is very different this year but I made split 
pea soup to take to daughter, Patti and son-in-law, 
Dave’s house to spend Christmas day with them and 
then see the new Star Wars movie. 

“Star of Wonder – A Christmas Musical” is doing 
well on TuneCore and I’m beyond happy that it’s 
finally finished. Merry Christmas, dear friends and 
neighbors. My prayer for us all for this coming New 
Year is for happy times, much laughter, even more 
joy and no sorrow at all!

“Christmas! It’s finally here! My favorite...favorite 
time of year!

Think mistletoe and holly...children’s faces jolly!
Carols on the radio...happy smiles each place you 
go,
Presents piled beneath the tree...some for you and 
some for me!” 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
“Star of Wonder – A Christmas Story”
Is available there. This is a wonderful Christmas 
Love Story...trust me!

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! 
Featuring this song! Take a look!
Blog: www.authordeanne.com 

Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd 

We’d like to 
hear from you!
What’s on 
YOUR Mind? 
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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com