Harriette urges readers to choose joy

DEAR READERS: Merry Christmas! On this day and throughout this week, we historically choose to celebrate. While this is a Christian holiday, it has become a marker for the time of year when family and friends pause from work and school and choose to spend time together.

Birthday party guest list does not include newborn

DEAR ABBY: My brother- and sister-in-law were trying to have a baby using artificial insemination. A few months into the very difficult pregnancy, they were told the baby had many life-threatening defects and asked if they wanted to terminate because the baby had little, if any, chance of surviving.

New drug offers hope in Ebola-prone locations

Dear Doctor: Our son’s work as an engineer is taking him to Kampala, Uganda. He’s had to get all sorts of vaccinations, but his mother is concerned that Ebola wasn’t on the list. Is there a vaccine yet?

Parent wants to protect son while on trip

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 8-year-old son was invited to go skiing with some of his friends from school during winter break. This sounds like a lot of fun — and scary. My son has never skied before. I’m nervous that his friends, who have been skiing since they were 5, will abandon him.

Remove batteries from infrequently used devices

Did you know batteries inside personal electronics and toys can still be drained down, even if the item isn’t being used? Make a habit of removing batteries from infrequently used items like remote controls, children’s toys and other electronics.

Graduating couple faces going their separate ways

DEAR ABBY DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship for more than five years. My girlfriend and I will soon graduate from college. I have accepted a full-time job offer, and she will be going to grad school.

Ftd most common form of dementia under 60

ASK THE DOCTORS Dear Doctor: Can you talk about FTD dementia, especially the type that affects behavior? I am sure that a close acquaintance has it, although she is clear-minded. Her symptoms involve increasingly strange behavior and, lately, social withdrawal.

Reader wants to disappear for holidays

SENSE & SENSITIVITY DEAR HARRIETTE: I am going on vacation at Christmastime this year. I usually go to visit my family, but my mother passed away a few months ago, and there is no family home to visit.

Looking at the past, future

CLINTON DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL The holiday season is a great time to look back and smile as you remember the good old days. Do you remember the Christmas decorations made of tinsel that used to hang across Frisco Avenue?

It was a mistake to take on the good guys

The 1989 Cher song "If I Could Turn Back Time" comes to mind when I think about the end of the Kamala Harris' campaign to be the Democratic candidate for president.