Journalism in the Classroom | Our Holiday Traditions
Christmas is the most wonderful time of year. Christmas is a holiday that is different for everyone, especially for me. My family is more than huge, not including my uncles or aunts, I mean my siblings. I have 5 sisters, 1 brother, and a dog. Christmas has always been very big for us as a family with making us feel blessed. On a traditional day leading up to the holidays, when we get home, we turn on the fireplace and we all sit in the living room and watch a Hallmark movie. It’s so cozy, it’s fun to be with your family and to have everyone in their best mood. […]
A Legendary Story | Bella’s Featured Artist Betsy Wilson-Mahoney
If you haven’t see Betsy Wilson-Mahoney’s art, you haven’t been to Aiken. Her diverse works are everywhere in her hometown — large original paintings of iconic Aiken scenes like the live oaks on South Boundary, the Farmer’s Market, and early morning at the Training Track grace CC & B Bank, George Funeral Home, and many local churches. Her work is even seen outside, as evidenced by one of her most recent projects, an array of murals adorning the small alley. Starting a Career in ‘The Alley’ With the exception of her college years in Columbia, Betsy has lived in Aiken her entire life. Using her education in fiber arts, she […]
Generosity + Impact
The Aiken Characteristic for the month of December is generosity. Generosity is the quality of giving more than what is strictly necessary or expected. Why is being generous important? To whom much is given, much is required. When we are blessed, it is our duty to bless others. Generosity is the opposite of selfishness. Generosity is love in action. It is kind. It is forgiving. It holds no record of wrong. It is nonjudgmental and delights in honesty. Universal law says what you put out is what you get back; at the same time, generosity is giving with no expectation of return. Generosity in Action When I tried to think […]
A Holiday Story
Once upon time there was an elf that was totally different from all the other elves. He couldn’t make toys properly and he got picked at by all the other elves, until eventually Santa noticed how he was different. Santa decided either he made a decent toy, or he would be kicked out of the workshop to sleep with the reindeer. Sadly, the elf failed, so one night while he was watching the reindeer practice, one of them took a wrong turn and hurt their reindeer shoe. That night the elf was getting ready for bed but couldn’t because the reindeer was crying and yelling all night in pain, so […]
December Cabinet of Curiosities
With guest writer: Hampton Wayt December is a time for celebrations — with family, with friends, with neighbors. It’s a great time to create wonderful memories and traditions. As we explore our collections here at the Aiken County Historical Museum, we often come across photographs and scrapbooks full of celebrations. One such scrapbook holds a cherished memory of a family gathered in a living room with a model train and its track circling under the branches of the Christmas tree. How many of you remember a similar experience of waking up to a train racing around presents? The first toy trains in America were invented in the 1860s. They were […]
A Story of Comfort | A Pawsitive Christmas
Peter’s daily nap took little effort on his part. The longer, cold nights combined with the shorter, slate gray days created a perfect environment for insomnia prevention. The regular sleeps, whether an afternoon siesta or night-long break from reality, gave some measure of relief from the constant heartache brought on by the memories. Since her passing, the holidays were always a difficult time, rendering the frequent, daily sleeps even more welcome and, perhaps, more necessary. The onset of her illness was unidentifiable, but its discovery was certainly no cause for thanksgiving. To say the holiday was stigmatized in Peter’s heart was the most drastic understatement imaginable. What he found most […]
Santa: Claude – Bella Fella
A True Story by Matthew Wynn The eight-year-old approached me. He was angry. Balled fists. Wide eyes. Pinched lips. “Santa Claus is a fraud,” he said. “Oh,” I replied, “is that a fact? Well, then who leaves those presents under the tree that say ‘from Santa’?” He paused, seemed to roll the question around in his head a few times then blurted out, “It was probably Mrs. Claus. She probably does all the work and she doesn’t get any credit.” True story kid. Just not in the way you think. But he got me thinking, what do you say, these days, when an eight-year-old asks you about Saint Nick? What […]
