A little bit about a lot of things:

•  With the holiday season behind us it’s back to normal this week, or at least as “normal” as it gets in the ebb and flow of a newspaper week.

We greatly enjoy the holidays, and certainly had a wonderful holiday season, but at the same time Christmas and New Year’s always bring certain challenges.

Schools are shut down, sporting events tend to be sporadic, city offices are closed for extended periods of time and it’s just generally quiet through the holiday weeks. If there is any breaking news, it probably isn’t “good” news, so it’s best when all stays quiet on the holiday front.

Of course, there is the occasional holiday story that reflects the spirit of the season. Last week’s Index article on Newman police officers and neighbors coming to the aid of a family cleaned out by burglars was one such story, and was a timely reminder that there are more good people in the world than bad.

With Christmas and New Year’s falling on Friday this year (okay, technically last year), our production schedules weren’t changed, which is always nice.

The timing also made for an extended holiday weekend; kind of like there were bonus days thrown in for good measure.

The “extra” day was particularly handy after New Year’s.

We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to spend New Year’s Eve out of town, came back from the coast late Friday afternoon and still had a full day Saturday before work summoned us on Sunday.

That was a perfect opportunity to “de-Christmas,” get caught up on a few things around the house and just enjoy the day before tackling the first week in January!

•  This wouldn’t be the winter to gripe about California’s rain (hopefully we get lots of it), fog and often gray days.....even with all that, the Golden State is looking like paradise compared to the brutal weather endured by many parts of the nation this winter. Major snowstorms have been followed by bitter temperatures well south of zero. A quick look at the weather forecast for my old Iowa stomping grounds this week showed little but minus-zero temps.....and those were the predicted  highs for several days this week.

This winter is shaping up to be one for the record books in many parts of the country.

I do hate the California fog, but for the most part we don’t really have much to complain about.

•  There are many advantages to living in a small community.....and one is the above-and-beyond service provided by the local post office.

We received one Christmas card that was mailed to my former T Street address, which was three or four houses and nine years ago.

Got through just fine, and that’s not something that would have happened everywhere!

• Most of us have the good fortune to spend the holidays close at home and surrounded by those we love, but we also have many local men and women who are serving our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They remain in our thoughts and prayers......and one local kindergarten class took it upon themselves to show their appreciation this holiday season.

Van Felber’s class includes Samuel DeLaCruz, whose older sister Joanna is married to Marine Cpl. Chris Estrada, who is currently deployed.

Estrada visited the classroom in September, and in a letter to his wife mentioned that not all the soldiers in his unit received letters from home.

That sparked the idea for a classroom project, and before breaking for the holidays the young students wrote “Dear Soldier” letters which were sent to Estrada’s unit.

Their efforts will help remind soldiers serving far from home that they are not forgotten, and their sacrifices are appreciated by even the youngest of those whose freedom they are protecting.