Twas’ Christmas season some several years ago when we collected, close and cozy, as the recollections began to flow. We reminisced about the rings of reindeer. We talked of tinker toys. We then shared Santa stories from the spell when he was real. The thrilling time turned tragic when one friend told his tale.

My friend told us the story of the Christmas Eve night he caught his dad putting presents under the tree. His tale of deception was not much different than most. We’ve all experienced that moment when you realize that wasn’t really Santa’s lap you sat on at the mall.

Gosh, I hate finals, but who likes them?

As the last couple days of classes end, Baylor students near the dreaded finals period. It seems that I always get stuck with a final on the last day of finals, so I watch as the campus slowly becomes a ghost town. It is the loneliest feeling in the world waking up on that last gray, cold morning and driving to that last final.

Thanksgiving break is a treasured time for many students relax and recuperate with their families after a long semester. But for some, it is also a time of worrying about how they are going to get home, and even get to see their families. These concerns may not be on the radar of every Baylor student, but they are especially important for those of us who are not from Texas and have a long way to travel home.

I wanted to let you know how impressed I was with the way the Lariat covered the events that occurred 50 years ago when President Kennedy was in Texas. That was a significant coming-of-age occurrence for the Lariat staff at that time.

My impression is that the current Lariat staff keeps the tradition of excellence alive. I know the Lariat has won numerous state-wide awards.

A controversy is brewing in the White House and it has nothing to do with partisan politics. Credentialed photographers who are paid to cover the events of the White House are frustrated with their lack of access to President Barack Obama.

The White House has made a habit of declaring an event to be closed to the media for national security reasons. However, the official White House photographer, Pete Souza, will still take pictures of the event that was closed off to the media and release them later.

We had some good times, some bad times and some times that felt like the aftereffects of a Gut Pak.

You were merciless, Floyd — beyond merciless. In my lifetime, you ate former Baylor coach Kevin Steele, skin and bone, as Baylor went 1-31 in the Big 12 conference during his tenure. You then, like the Sirens of ancient Greece, coaxed Guy Morriss, the deemed “savior” on his motorcycle, into your depths, only to devour his very soul and sabotage what had been an up-and-coming coaching career (If anyone can get a hold of Guy Morriss’ motorcycle, we should burn it in the final game).