By Abigail Thomas
Volunteer Leader Debby Morgan and Teen Leader Gracie Tindell recently led a sewing workshop for Smoky Mountain 4-H Club members to make holiday-themed table runners. The students learned sewing machines skills and new techniques as they coordinated a variety of remnant fabrics into a table runner.
One new technique was how to use Wonder Under and turn any fabric into a fusible fabric. Participants fused Christmas trees and bows onto their table runners to give it added decoration.

A call to action on lower back pain remedies has been issued by prominent international researchers in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. Recommendations include:

• Coordinated international leadership to drive transformational change across health and social services and occupational settings to stop fragmented and outdated models of care

• Development of evidence-based medical responses to low back pain emphasizing the concept of ‘positive health’ — the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical and emotional challenges

Country Connections By James and Ellen Perry
Good music soothes the soul and makes you happy.
“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” The first lyrics from Nat King Cole’s, “The Christmas Song.”
This article provides a list of Christmas songs. Some are still played during Christmas on the radio. Some aren’t anymore. There’s info on when these songs were played and where they came from. One of the better known artists actually played on the Mid-Day Merry-Go Round in Knoxville.
I hope you all enjoy these songs.
1. White Christmas by Bing Crosby-1952 version

Who doesn’t love a good surprise?
Actually, I get more fun and joy out of surprising others with gifts or doing something special for them. But there was one Christmas where I accidentally ruined a surprise for my daddy.
When I was nine years old, my mom went back to work part time at the Halls Rexall Drug Store. That Christmas she had a little more money to spend on presents, so she wanted to buy something special for Daddy since he worked long hard hours.

Have you ever had to take an animal to the veterinarian’s office?
I have, and I have also had to call them out to my house. Veterinarians are a very viable resource when it comes to keeping your animals healthy. I should know, because I worked at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital in the Equine Rehabilitation Center for almost seven years before leaving in 2022.

This recipe had a big surprise hidden in it: cooked chopped chicken. If there is not enough turkey for supper, extend it by using this recipe. The flavor will still be there and your family will never suspect you tricked them. Combine all ingredients. Spoon into buttered 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 400 F. for 30 minutes or until center is set. Serves 4.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he saves addressing the early Church’s biggest doctrinal problem for last. That problem was that certain people within the Church denied the resurrection of the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:12 KJV: Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Being “green” is becoming a lifestyle these days, so as the holidays approach you may be pondering over which is better for the environment, a real tree or an artificial one. It's a personal choice, but here are some facts to consider.

Last week, Dear Reader, I promised to tell you about part two of the Mincey/Martin time-share vacation (ad)venture.
I related last week that it was in 1996 that my friend Mark Martin and I each got the same enticing letter in the mail. The only difference was the name on the header. Mine proclaimed in bold letters, “RONNIE MINCEY! PACK YOUR BAGS!”

Since our Thanksgiving writing contest was such a success, we have decided to offer another writing contest for Christmas and/or New Year’s resolutions.

As with our Thanksgiving contest, we are asking for your favorite memory, worst memory, strangest happening, or most heartwarming story for printing in our last publication before Christmas.