By Steve Horton

(Note: I wrote this essay 21 years ago about the arrival of our son, Bradley. This past Oct. 31 he became a legal adult so, for no other good reason than this recent rite of passage... for him and his parents... I'm offering this re-visit.)

The birth of an infant stands always as the centerpiece of our annual Christmas celebration. Whether that event holds a profound religious significance for you or whether you view this holiday on more secular terms, the Christmas Story still looms large above the rest of the trappings that accompany this special season.

There is the delight of Santa and his reindeer, the various customs like decorating trees and hanging mistletoe, the enjoyment of family and friends at such events as dinners or caroling or concerts. We have all kinds of stories and shows that add to the richness of this tradition – be it Dr. Seuss or Dickens’ Christmas Carol or Miracle on 34th Street.

We recall Virginia’s letter about Santa or re-read Clement Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas or hear the singing of “Silent Night” whenever our Christmas Spirit needs some rekindling. And we all have those many individual memories and family customs that give December its unique magic.

But always, above it all, superseding it all, encompassing it all is the fact that “a child is born”.

By Steve Horton

The state of Michigan either needs more money to fund vital services like K-12 education, colleges, law enforcement, revenue sharing with local governments, health care to the poor and disabled, and prisons or face drastic cuts in those services now and in the coming years. Because of the recession, the slump in domestic auto sales, and the slide in the state's manufacturing activity, not enough revenues are coming into the Treasury under the existing tax collection structure. It's unlikely this situation will improve; more likely, in fact, that it will continune to deteriorate.

Sinatra sang poignantly about “Autumn in New York”. Here in the country our autumn song would have different lyrics, a different mood.

The colors have begun transforming the tree lines at the edge of the farm. But it is a tardy harbinger. The first hard frost that came in early October, the ensuing ones that coated the landscape with a white sheen, and the long stretch of cool mornings and afternoons had already signaled us that the warm weather season had ended here in southern Michigan.

A farmer, finding himself sliding into debt with production costs exceeding income, figures he can plant a few more acres or buy a few more head of livestock, put in a few more hours each day, and work himself back into prosperity.

It's a natural inclination. Not just for farmers, but for many other business operators.

But the economics at play are such that the more investment and effort he expends, the further into the hole he goes. His work ethic becomes his enemy.

There's an element of futility to this anecdote. Irony, too.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture predicts that farm income in Michigan will be down “a staggering 38 percent” from 2008.  For a state already reeling from the loss of manufacturing companies over the last few years and the near demise of General Motors and Chrysler, resulting in the loses of thousands of good-paying jobs and in millions of dollars no longer circulating through the state's economy, this news only adds to the gloomy picture; one that includes record numbers of home foreclosures, unemployment rates of 15 percent, and an increase in both business and personal bankruptcies.