"Reel Reviews: ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ doesn’t know which way is up with lame storyline" by: Jessica Shepard

   I’ve been on the fence about seeing “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” since its first slew of trailers hit last year and finally took a chance to see it last week.

"Missing the excitement that Christmas morning brings" by: Mike Reddell

   My granddaughter called a couple days back to check on me.    I liked that.    Mostly, I’m glad to have a grandfather relationship with my son’s four children.    That son is the eldest, the youngest is a musician in LA and I’m certainly not going to press the matter with him.

"Ending 2023 with worst Christmas gift I’ve received" by: Jessica Shepard

   As a kid, I learned the all-important lesson of gracefully accepting all gifts you receive and expressing the appropriate amount of thanks so that the giver feels appreciated for their efforts.

"2023: What a heck of a ride and may it continue" by: John Sample

   What a remarkable year with the S&P 500 gaining 24% for the year and close to the all-time high set in January 2022.      Much of this gain happened over the last nine weeks of the year.      I don’t care what name you call it, but that is such a boost to everyone’s financial fortunes.

How would you handle forced early retirement?

   Here’s a sobering statistic: About 40% of Americans say they have b een forced into retirement, according to a survey from Edward Jones and Morning Consult, a research firm.    If this happened to you, would you be prepared?    First of all, you’d need to check your cash flow.

‘Well on Your Way’ by: Karen Restivo

   Beginnings and endings meet us continually on our life’s journey.     here’s the beginning and ending of a year, a month, a day, and an hour as we keep moving forward.     People get so caught up on what’s coming next that they forget to enjoy every moment between the beginnings and the endings.

"Missing the excitement that Christmas morning brings" by: Mike Reddell

   I’m sitting here on Christmas Eve thinking about Christmases past.    One thing that comes to mind, especially now that I’ve seen many Christmases come and go is the delightful feel of excitement leading to the big day.    That uber feel of suspense at what awaited me on Dec.

"Wishing for a ‘winter wonderland’ since 2004 Christmas snow" by: Jessica Shepard

   Ever since we got snow during Christmas in 2004, I’ve wanted a repeat of the experience.    Granted, we’re not prepared for any great drops in temperatures for a prolonged period of time at the moment, but a few inches of snow would make for a more picturesque backdrop.