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Mountain View News Saturday, December 6, 2025


Weather Wise

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government 
shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called 
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the 
Prince of Peace!” Is. 9:6

One of my favorite authors, Michelle Griep, who describes herself 
as, “an author, blogger, and occasional super-hero when her cape 
is clean,” at one time published a daily blog, “Writer Off the Leash.” 
Here’s what she shared a while back and it’s so good I want to pass 
it along. We’re still eating Thanksgiving leftovers and it feels like 
Christmas is just minutes away. Stress? Of course, stress! Some helpful 
advice about removing a little stress from your life can’t hurt a 
bit!

 Before the chaos begins, try sitting still and just breathing for five 
minutes. Yes, it sounds like something from a wellness podcast, but 
short grounding practices actually work. Start your day centered instead 
of scrambling and you might manage a smile well before noon.

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter 
and good humour.” Charles Dickens

Five Ways to Slay Holiday Stress

Change Your Perspective

Sometimes all that needs to be changed is your mindset. This season, 
take a good, hard look at all you are doing and then question 
everything. You could be stressing yourself out because of expectations 
and values that aren’t really yours. Examine what your core 
beliefs are and live those out; not some totally imaginary Hallmark 
Christmas movie ideals. 

Let Go

Who says you need to do it all? Unless you’re Martha Stewart, you 
don’t have to. Besides, she has Minions to fetch and carry for her. 
You probably don’t. Choose 1 item to cut from your must-get-done-
before Christmas list and just say no. I’m not talking simply crossing 
it off your list, I’m saying cut it out and throw it away for good. 
Maybe you’ll decide not to do cards anymore or bake 6 different 
kinds of cookies. Whatever. The point is to stop doing 1 activity and

give yourself that time to do something you really want to do…like 
watch one of those Hallmark Christmas movies, or have a mug of 
cocoa with mini-marshmallows, lie on the couch and read.

Plan Ahead

Obviously, you’re not going to cut everything from your holiday season. 
Decide on what you’ll keep. Remember, you are being proactive 
by choosing what you will keep and what you won’t then whip out 
your calendar and plan those things into your schedule. If you fail 
to plan, you plan to fail. Putting things off till the last minute causes 
undue anxiety. Decorating for Christmas inside and out seems to be 
one of the things that’s at the top of just about everybody’s list so go

ahead and enjoy that. But only do as much as you really want to do.

“Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe 
Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” Dr. Seuss “How the 
Grinch Stole Christmas”

Shop Online

Books make great gifts and are just a click away. So is just about everything 
you can imagine. You’ll avoid crowds and save time (and 
gas) driving to and from various stores and malls. Yes, you might 
end up paying for shipping (unless you’re a wise Amazon Prime customer) 
but in the long run, if it saves you time and energy, it’s totally 
worth it.

Be Present

Stop obsessing 
over whether 
everything’s perfect 
and just be 
there. Engage 
with the actual 
moments, even 
the messy ones. 
Burned the ham? 
Laugh about it! 
Your great uncle 
telling that same 
story again? Listen 
this time. The 
memories you’ll 
treasure won’t be 
about perfection; 
they’ll be about 
showing up. And 
talk to each other. 
Stress thrives in 
silence. No family 
member wants 
you silently suffering 
through the holidays. Let people help you. At the end of the 
day, a happy holiday is a healthy holiday. And that means asking for 
help, setting boundaries, and remembering that presence matters 
way more than perfection.

There now, don’t you feel better? Take a breath, or two or three, drive 
‘round town, be amazed at

how beautiful Kersting Court is with all the lights, visit all the local 
merchants today, shop local and buy a lot! Check out the Library’s 
used book sale, go to some of the music events and remember this 
precious truth: Jesus is the reason for the season! Go to a Christmas 
concert. Tell someone you love them. And smile. A lot! Have the 
best time ever…it’s Christmas!

One final thought… tomorrow, December 7th, is Pearl Harbor Day, 
observed annually to remember and honor the 2,403 Americans 
who were killed in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on 
December 7, 1941, which led to the United States declaring war on 
Japan the next day and thus entering World War II. President Franklin 
D. Roosevelt stated in his address to the Nation on December 8th 
that December 7th is: “A day that will live in infamy.”

I’m hoping all your Christmas memories this year are merry and 
bright, and all the gifts you receive are exactly what you wanted and 
all the gifts you give are exactly what they wanted, too.

The picture this week is a beautiful golden reindeer who lives next 
door to me.

“That First Noel’s come ‘round again, just like it does each year,

To tell us it’s Christmas, a very merry Christmas,

The best time of the year, the best time of the year!”

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Christmas is just a few short weeks away and my book:

“Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope” Would be a really nice gift 
for everyone you know. It’s on Amazon.com

Star of Wonder” a delightful Christmas Kindle story, where four 
lonely people find love following a strange new star on Christmas 
Eve, is there, too.

WALKING SIERRA MADRE 

 The Social Side by Deanne Davis

6-Day Forecast Sierra Madre, Ca.

 Sun Sunny Hi 70s Lows 40s 

 Mon: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s 

 Tues: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s 

 Wed: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s

 Thur: Sunny Hi 70s Lows 50s 

 Fri: Sunny Hi 70s Lows 50s

 Forecasts courtesy of the National Weather Service


SIERRA 
MADRE CITY 

COUNCIL 
MEETING

December 9, 2025 5:30 pm

THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD 
IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS!

As part of the City of Sierra Madre’s 

COVID-19 transparency efforts and The Brown 
Act provides the public with an opportunity to 
make public comments at any public meeting. 
Public comment may also be made by e-mail to 
PublicComment@CityofSierraMadre.com by 
3:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. 

Emails will be acknowledged at the Council 
meeting and filed into public record. The public 
may also comment in person at the meeting.

The meetings will be streamed live on Foothills 
Media website at foothillsmedia.org/sierramadre 
and broadcast on Government Access 
Channel 3 (Spectrum)..


1630 AM EMERGENCY RADIO & 

Free on-air publicity for local events

 Sierra Madre’s EMERGENCY radio station is now accepting scripts for 
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about community events. PSAs 
will be broadcast on the air at no charge. The station operates 24/7 and can 
be heard at 1630 on the AM dial.

 Any local non-profit or non-commercial organization can have their 
event information broadcast to the public on Sierra Madre Community 
Information Radio. The station covers the city of Sierra Madre, plus 
surrounding areas of Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia. 

Your event must:

• Benefit a non-commercial or non-profit entity
• Be open to the public
• Be of general interest to local citizens


Just 
write a Public Service Announcement that describes your event and 
e-mail it to radio@cityofsierramadre.com. 


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