Santa will appreciate these soft, chocolaty cookies with a glass of hot cocoa to help keep him on his rounds. They also make great gifts for friends, and kids love the double-chocolate taste.

Last year, just two days before his passing at age 91, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a much-loved member of The Quorum of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared this recollection of a special Christmas of long ago. I share these excerpts from his article, which reminds us of the sacred nature of Christmas.

A small black-and-white dog in a blue sweater sits outside the door of the Best Western Wesley Inn, waiting to greet customers as they arrive. He’s Parker Wesley, the inn’s public relations ambassador.

As an avid garden book collector, I get asked many times what my favorite garden books are. It’s challenging to narrow the field of favorites with my bookshelves double-stacked and overflowing, so here are great ideas for the gardener on your list.

I almost gave in this year. Actually, this time I was the one who initiated the discussion.

Gig Harbor High School junior Teddy Weaver isn’t a mind reader. He specializes in reading water. The 16-year-old has a natural talent for predicting puffs of wind and knowing how it will affect tidal movement.

On Dec. 11, Judaism around the world will celebrate the eight-day festival of Hanukkah. I am often asked if Hanukkah is the “Jewish Christmas,” and the answer is “No!”

The Chabad Jewish Center of Pierce County will host Gig Harbor’s first outdoor public Menorah lighting at 6 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Uptown Gig Harbor Shopping Plaza.

Brown graduates from officer candidate school

There’s nothing that sparks the holiday spirit like the sound of music. And Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula will offer plenty of venues to please musical palates. Whether it’s the melodious sound of tinkering hand bells, the ancient rhythm of a harp as it responds to human touch, or just the soothing harmony of voices coming together in song, there will be plenty of concerts for music lovers to relax, enjoy and revel in the season’s festivities.

In California and Nevada, where I lived most of my life, barbecued ribs are ubiquitous in American-Chinese restaurants. Most always, they’re served as an appetizer — or, probably, part of a pupu platter.

One of my favorite Christmas tree stories is from when I worked at the Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Tacoma.

Tiffany Lankhaar and Justin Selfors were married on Sept. 19 in Blaine.

We went shopping before Thanksgiving to buy our turkey and makings for pumpkin pie. In the baking aisle, I looked for the classic Libby’s canned pumpkin, the kind that does not have any other ingredients.

Alexandra Poston of Gig Harbor has been named to the Dean’s List at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga., for the 2009 summer quarter.

When the Deem family opens its doors to onlookers during the HarborFest Tour of Homes on Dec. 12, they hope people won’t be in a hurry. Their decorating style is not so much a department store window show of items as it is an art gallery with alcoves and crannies where wondering eyes can pick up delightful items tucked away here and there.

When Bart Olson decided to form a choir to perform at his church, he had no idea how far it would go. But when the Gig Harbor resident started putting together “The Jazz Disciples” in November, 2003, it stuck together over the years and has grown to include 21 musicians and eight vocalists.

The busiest holiday time of the year is here. It’s when friends and family and office parties need easy, quick and delicious dips to set out on short notice.

Paradise Theatre actors will perform Philip Grecian’s “A Christmas Story” directed by Jeff Richards beginning this Friday and running through Dec. 13.

Dressed in her scrubs and walking through the Santuario del Senior de Huanca in Cuzco, Peru, Sheila Hunt was constantly stopped and asked the same question.

May the joyousness and sacredness of this season of thanks extend to you, your loved ones and to our fellow family of mankind.

When life gives you snow storms, buy a snowplow. That’s Tony Dulas’ basic philosophy, and his Gig Harbor business, Harbor Point Excavating, is growing.

Gig Harbor took another step on a cultured path when Gateway to India opened on Kimball Drive Nov. 2. Since then, its owners have seen a steady stream of customers trickling in, even without advertising or an official grand opening.

When you make a salad dressing separately from the salad and add it later (either poured on top of individual salads or mixed in), it’s much easier to include “wet” ingredients, such as mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon mustard, pickle relish, sour cream or yogurt, than it would be if you made the dressing in the salad bowl.

Imagine that your workday includes donating your organs to a more productive colleague, or playing a game called, “Passing the Intern,” or even congratulating yourself after another successful day of impeding progress.

Anyone who has lost a pet can remember them in a special way this holiday season.

Harbor Kitchen will host a fundraiser on Sunday to benefit the Pony Up Rescue for Equines.

Shrubs and trees are often used in the landscape to create barriers. Privacy screens are the most common, either to prevent other people from seeing into an area, or to physically keep them out.

Here in the United States, we call sweet potatoes yams. But the sweet, tuber-shaped potato with its orange-colored flesh is not related to the yam at all; they are found in the tropics and seldom seen in American supermarkets.

A message on my cousin’s kitchen dining area wall, where prayers are offered over meals, says, “There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.”

Operation Christmas Guild will collect toys for needy children from 2 to 3 p.m. Nov. 16-23 at Believer’s Fellowship, 4112 Hunt St. NW in Gig Harbor.

Julie Evans and Greg Day have announced their engagement.

Air Force Airman Shaylee N. Pizana has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Thanksgiving is a time when many families gather for a day of thankfulness, feasting and football.

One of the best Chinese chicken salads I’ve had in a restaurant was at Bagel Cafe, a Jewish delicatessen in Las Vegas. That makes sense. The only places where you can buy the giant almond-flavored Chinese cookies with the little dab of chocolate on top are Jewish bakeries and delis.

In last month’s column, I began to introduce you to Jewish authors who I believe have great spiritual depth. I did so because many of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ tell me they know very little or nothing about Jewish authors who have commented on the Bible or Biblical themes.

Peninsula Subaru Suzuki Triumph is forging ahead on two wheels . Motorcycle wheels, that is. The automobile dealership recently added motorcycles to its inventory in conjunction with Triumph motorcycles’ increasing popularity in the United States.

A group of doctors made national news this fall as they caravaned across the country to spread the word about the benefits of health care reform.

Use wild Alaska canned salmon to make these patties in order to provide calcium and heart-healthy Omega 3s, which are essential fatty acids.

Sara Myron considers herself a traveling chef. Her Gig Harbor business as a personal chef takes her to clients’ kitchens, where she prepares healthy meals for individuals and families. But this summer, she literally took her show on the road.

The Gig Harbor Arts Commission has announced plans for the 2010 Arts Commission Grants Workshop. While funding depends on the city council’s approval of the 2010 budget, the GHAC will host a workshop to help applicants properly fill out grant applications and assist with other questions.

I left on vacation Sept. 24, and it was still summer in Gig Harbor. I returned on Oct. 12, and it was winter. I seemed to have missed fall in my three-week absence.

The First Saturday Art Walk in Gig Harbor is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. this weekend.

When it comes to food, some people have peculiar ideas. I once knew an otherwise intelligent guy who wouldn’t eat beans or cheese (and a number of other foods) simply because he didn’t like the way the words sounded.

Baha’is are often asked if we follow the Bible or some other Book of God. There are two simple answers to this question, and both are, “Yes!”

Sometimes the little guys get big recognition out of the blue. So when Sunnycrest Nursery appeared on Komo News’ “Best places to buy new garden plants” it’s owners were a little surprised.

Try this delicious-tasting, cholesterol-free, low-sweet, lowered-fat pecan tart with a cookie dough-type crust.

Naaman was an important man — the head of the Syrian armies — but he had a big health problem.

If the sound of potstickers, caramelized chicken wings or crispy fried prawns makes your mouth water, you can find them at Lele Thai and Vietnamese Cuisine at Uptown Gig Harbor.

It’s that time of year for all adults to become children. At least, that’s what Tracy and Daniel Perkins believe. The Gig Harbor couple has been decorating their front yard with tombstones and other ghoulish beings for All Hallows Eve for the past seven years. Each year, a little bit more is added.