One arrived before Rudy Valee and the other a year before The Beatles, but together they made beautiful music in nurturing a piece of Ahwatukee that spanned the decades between the roaring ‘20s and this year’s cold winter rains.

Chinese New Year is the sort of new year celebration I love.

If you think you’ve done nearly everything a cook can with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, it might be time to talk turkey.

My family has always insisted that the centerpiece of our Christmas feast be some kind of show-stopping roast. We’re talking a standing rib roast or whole beef tenderloin. And, as if these prizes were not already rich enough in themselves, we tend to pair them with an extravagant sauce, usually bearnaise. Hey, it’s Christmas.

The city of Phoenix offices will be closed beginning at noon on Monday, Dec. 24, for Christmas Eve and remain closed for Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25.

I love Christmas music — all kinds of Christmas music, traditional, piano, pop, rock — if it is spreading holiday cheer, I listen to it. Christmas music is played in our house from the day after Thanksgiving to New Year’s. It puts me in the mood to decorate the house, bake cookies and wrap presents. Yes, Christmas music puts a smile on my face.

Nearly 1,000 underprivileged students are expected to benefit from Kyrene School District’s “Winter Wonderland” event next week.

On Thanksgiving Day, I was giving thanks for many blessings: God, family, friends and good health among them.

When I hear the words “Holiday Spirit” I get a flood of great memories and an eagerness to continue traditions of giving. I can remember, when I was younger, the day after Thanksgiving we would start decorating for the upcoming Christmas holiday. I loved hanging the lights outside with my dad, drinking hot cocoa, watching holiday movies, trimming the tree with family and friends, shopping for that perfect present to bestow on someone.

Demonstrating its commitment to giving to others, Primrose School of Ahwatukee recently helped feed hungry families throughout the Phoenix area. On Nov. 15 the preschoolers donated more than 45,620 food items to St. Vincent de Paul.

For its 17th year in a row, the kindergarten and preschool classes at Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori have performed a Thanksgiving sing-a-long and skit for proud parents.

When I told my mother — a fiend for candied ginger — that I was testing a batch of these muffins, she said she wished she could fly right over and dig in. She’s not the only one.

As much as today’s world is about living in the now – constantly posting status updates or sharing digital moments instantly – mental images and creating memories still serve as the best way to chronicle life’s treasures.