Without sarcasm I had recently been asked about writing columns again. With one, maybe two exceptions, I took the summer off from such a contribution. At the time I genuinely felt there was little for me to say, and everyone could do so much better. But I am in agreement again that all the newsroom needs to contribute to the Opinion Page somehow.

One of the advantages of this format is it becomes a platform — sometimes a soapbox — for the writer.

Of course, it can also serve as a way to get out information that could be of interest to you.

To wit: No sooner have we finished the fall issue of Western Tidewater Living magazine, but we’re already planning for the winter issue.

One of the stories agreed on during a very recent discussion is asking people for stories of their funniest, most outrageous Christmases. For example, tell us about a holiday that first went so wrong at the start, but everything worked out for the best in the end. Maybe it was a family trip to see relatives or friends that took an unexpected detour. Think “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” if that helps.

Perhaps you pined and pleaded for a particular toy, and unwrapped something quite bizarre instead. If by chance you still have it, all the better for photo purposes. Related to this idea, we’re also interested to know if you still have some Christmas toys from your childhood, or perhaps they’ve been passed on to your children, grandchildren or even great-grandchilden. It can happen…we hope.

You can contact me directly and we’ll work on getting the details and pictures.

STEPHEN H. COWLES is the staff writer at The Tidewater News. Just about every Christmas he’s experienced has been full of laughs. He can be contacted at stephen.cowles@tidewaternews.com or 562-3187.