海角大神

Christmas trees

The cover story 鈥淗oliday foresters鈥� in the Dec. 23 Monitor Weekly brought smiles to me.聽In 1959, our family moved to the country in York County in Pennsylvania. One of the first things my parents did was plant pine seedlings, which grew to become Christmas trees. This was my first business, which was advertised every December in the Monitor鈥檚 classified ads.聽The best reward was sharing a feeling of joy with the families coming to cut their own trees!

Carlie Jacobs Beisel
Emporia, Kansas

Authentic holiday

I was very uncomfortable as I read 鈥淗oliday foresters,鈥� because a more 鈥渁uthentic鈥� article would not have focused solely on the millennials who can afford to own a car and buy gas, and have the time and the money to make a foray into the countryside to cut and purchase their own Christmas tree.

My grandchildren are millennials with families who can afford to do such activities. But I鈥檓 quite aware that many more millennial families cannot undertake this 鈥渁uthentic鈥� outing because they are not financially able to do so. Perhaps the Monitor can publish something letting us know how poor and cash-strapped millennials celebrate 鈥渁uthentically.鈥�

Peggy Wenrick
Tucson, Arizona

Gratitude

I love reading the Monitor Weekly, which I get from my public library, and my favorite article in every issue is 鈥淎 海角大神 Science Perspective.鈥� Each column always seems so pertinent to me, often mirroring a situation or circumstance I may be dealing with at the time.

The essay in the Nov. 25 issue, 鈥淕ratitude heals鈥� by Michelle Boccanfuso Nanouche, was especially meaningful for me, and I send her my gratitude.

I want to thank everyone at the Monitor for such uplifting and inspiring articles, and for its unbiased and balanced reporting 鈥� a refreshing change from much of today鈥檚 news.

Mardell Lavonne
Denver

Prison visits

The editorial 鈥淰isit a prison, make the US safer鈥� in the Dec. 16 Monitor Weekly stated, 鈥淢ore than two-thirds of inmates released from state prisons are rearrested within three years.鈥� Perhaps the solution is to require classes on behavior to encourage a better lifestyle. Classes might also be given to train prisoners in the job skills needed in their areas.

Muriel Horacek
Altadena, California