It's the day after Christmas and there are new toys to be played with, clothes to be tried on, books to read and instructions to consult.   I was given a new beard trimmer, beard balm, handmade knit hat, golf club cleaning kit, book on the 500 best golf holes (looks like a bucket list to me ;), water bottle and a small leather bound book to keep my golf scores (especially when I beat Norm).   The best gift I received were hugs from the people I love and care about. To me it's not about the things I get but the thoughts and feelings I share.

Whenever it is Christmas I think of dearly departed Bob Formica, our Networker of the Decade in 2007.  I cherish the above picture which captures his twinkling spirit, holiday season or otherwise.  He was one extraordinary, terrific guy and he had a great sense of humor.  He was a great addition to Gotham and my life and I miss him dearly.

This blog is not written by Scroog. However, I noticed that I received fewer holiday cards this year than ever before. Several years ago the trend of fewer paper (and mailed) cards replaced by eCards became more and more apparent, but this year I received fewer holiday greeting cards of either kind.

On this day in 1783, George Washington returned to Mount Vernon, after disbanding his Army, following the Revolutionary war. They had their final meal at Fraunces Tavern, where you can have a meal yourself today in lower Manhattan. Kind of amazing to think you can eat where George actually presided over this historic gathering.

I saw a news report recently about an artist whose business is making bracelets. Each bracelet consists of colored string tied to a circle upon which a single word is imprinted. You choose the word and the artist imprints it onto the bracelet.

  It’s become an epidemic in my office. When they first started appearing, it was every few weeks. Then they began appearing weekly and now it’s almost daily.    

I especially think about my parents in December.  They both have December birthdays -- my mother the 17th, and my father the 21st.  Eve's parents by chance were also December babies -- her father the 15th, and her mother the 22nd.  Of the four of them, only Eve's 96 year old father, Rupert, is still with us. We had a splendid little family birthday dinner with him this past week.  

No it's not a new App or device...it's what happens when you slouch over your smartphone. No only does it ruin our posture, it alters our mood.   Recent studies actually prove that being in an iHunch makes us less productive and lowers our self esteem. Fortunately, there are ways to fight it.   Keep your head up and shoulders back when looking at your phone, even if that means holding it at eye level. You might start to feel better ;)