Miller Law Office, PLLC - December 2021

Miller Law Office, PLLC - December 2021

December 2021

AaronMillerLaw.com 214.292.4225

Christmas Memories OUR FIRST HOLIDAY WITHOUT MY MOM

The Christmas season is a wonderful time of year, but this time around, my family’s celebration will be bittersweet because it is our first Christmas without my mom, who passed away in May. Our family tends to alternate between spending Christmas with my parents and my wife’s. This year, we’ll head to Austin to meet up with my dad, sister, and brother-in-law. Not only will this be our first holiday without Mom, but it’s also the first time we’ve all been together since she passed. She had dementia, so while her death is a big loss, it didn’t come as a surprise. She donated her body to science, and besides us, her remaining loved ones were all in Alaska, so we didn’t have a service when she passed. Since this holiday will be our time to remember her, I expect it to be emotional, but we also plan to do as much of the regular Christmas celebrating as we can. Food is a big part of our holiday, and since I’m the pickiest about turkey — I can’t stand it when it’s dry — I’m responsible for cooking it. I use an outdoor cooker called an Orion, which is basically a convection oven with charcoal. I use it because it cooks the best turkeys I’ve ever eaten. The first time I cut into a turkey made this way, I thought juice might squirt into my eye! We also usually have ham, and my mom always made green Jell-O salads. (She was a child of the ‘50s, what can I say.)

“This season, I hope you’ll cherish the time spent with your loved ones because they won’t be around forever.”

poker, hearts, and Michigan Rummy. I imagine we’ll have a tournament in her honor this year. Last year at Thanksgiving, we played the digital game Among Us, in which you work as a team to deduce which players are sabotaging the rest of the game. This worked out great because everybody has their own phone, and we got to play as a group. The kids taught me a new word (which I’m sure is outdated now): “sus.” (I’m not 100% sure, but I think it means suspicious.) As in, “He’s sus!” So fun. My sister’s kids are in high school and middle school now, so it’s not the same as when we had young children in the family, but it’s still fun watching them open presents. One of the other traditions we do around the holidays is make ice cream. That was something my mother did when she was little, and we grew up with it too. Mom grew up in Alaska and, believe it or not, ice cream is surprisingly popular there. Apparently at one time, they had the highest ice cream consumption per capita of any state. Crazy for a state that is freezing cold much of the year! Apparently, they would just pull some icicles off the roof to get started. I imagine I’ll always miss my mom, but I’m glad I’ll get to spend time with the rest of my family as we remember her. This season, I hope you’ll cherish the time spent with your loved ones because they won’t be around forever. To you and your family, enjoy a happy and memorable holiday season.

When I was a kid, we used to play a lot of board games. My dad loved dominoes, and my mom was a fan of Tripoli, a card game that combines

-Aaron Miller

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MERRY AND BRIGHT Cut the Stress From

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Decorating your Christmas tree should be fun, but the process often turns into anything but. Between finding decorations, untangling lights, and trying to get the tree picture-perfect, the happy event can quickly become stressful. Even if you love decorating the tree, you can likely make the experience (and the end product) even better. Here are the most common sources of frustration and how to fix them with minimal fuss.

the tree is festive and covers a lot of space. You can also buy fake twigs that have berries, look like real tree branches, or are covered in glitter. Stick them in the bare spots to fill out your tree, then save them for the next year.

Lights

If you use an artificial Christmas tree, we strongly recommend buying one that is pre-lit. If your holiday just doesn’t feel complete without a real tree in the house, hanging the lights can be one of the most frustrating parts of the tree-decorating process. Get on the right track by setting yourself up for success. Instead of shoving your lights in a box or bag at the end of the season, wrap them around the outside of the box or around a clothing hanger instead. Getting your lights hung properly around the tree can be a pain, too. This year, try hanging them vertically on your tree, from base to top and back again, until the tree is covered. It’s easier to do and helps camouflage the cord.

Bare Spots

Whether your tree is natural or artificial, you need to fluff the branches. However, as important as this step is, you don’t need to spend more than 10 minutes on it because let’s face it: There are some bare spots no amount of fluffing will fix.

Luckily, tinsel garland hides a wide variety of flaws and might be the easiest solution. If you don’t care for tinsel, tying large gift bows to

Beaded Garland

Beaded garland always looks so much better in the store than it does on your own tree. No matter how much you fiddle with it, it just doesn’t lay right or have the even, dramatic swoops you see in display windows. The true problem is probably that you’ve been hanging your beaded garland incorrectly. You may think there can’t be too many ways to drape beads over branches, but draping itself is the entirely wrong approach. Instead of simply wrapping the beads around the tree and hoping they fall into place, you should attach ornament hooks to the garland along the string. Use the hooks to gracefully hang your garland from the branches and marvel at the simplicity. When your Christmas tree goes up this year, these tips should make the experience faster, easier, and more joyful. You can now use all that time you would have spent wrapping garland to wrap presents instead.

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RUDOLPH, YOU’LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY Behind the Evergreen Christmas Special

You know Dasher and Dancer, and you definitely know Rudolph. Everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer was first born as a 1939 short story, but he truly shot to fame when his tale was adapted into a song by Gene Autry in 1949. Rivaling even the song’s fame is the Rankin/Bass stop-motion special that airs like clockwork every year around Christmas. Generations have now grown up with Rudolph, so it may be surprising to learn that his journey to the small screen started as a General Electric promotion. The company had a running television special on NBC called the “GE Fantasy Hour,” which they used to market their products directly to viewers. The better the story they told, the more viewers they got — and the more toasters they could sell. The script introduced crucial new characters like Hermey the elf, Yukon Cornelius the prospector, and of course, Bumble the abominable snowman. GE hired innovative Japanese animators to create the film using stop-motion techniques that were highly advanced for the time. GE invested the modern equivalent of $4.5 million into the production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and the special first aired in 1964. Those who are familiar with the film know that it ends with Rudolph enlisting Santa to save the Misfit Toys from earlier in the movie — but it didn’t originally. The version that aired in 1964 concludes with Rudolph

leading Santa’s sleigh but forgetting all about his homeless friends. The backlash was swift, and viewers wrote in to express displeasure at the heartless resolution. GE decided the special had to be corrected and played again with the proper ending in 1965. And so, a tradition of annual airings was born.

Today, “Rudolph” is the longest-running Christmas special in history, and our favorite misfit deer shows no signs of slowing down after 57 years. The movie has transformed

into a marketing bonanza, with new Christmas decorations, figurines, and toys being produced each year. Though it’s somewhat shocking to our modern sensibilities to see Santa bullying his reindeer employees and their children, fond childhood memories mean that parents continue to pass the special down to their kids. Even as we recognize its flaws, the dazzling animation and famous songs continue to bring joy and Christmas spirit to households around

the country. Just as sure as Santa comes every year, so does Rudolph.

TAKE A BREAK

• 6 egg yolks • 1/2 cup sugar • 1 cup heavy 1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy. Set aside. 2. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cream, milk, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a simmer. 3. Add a spoonful of the milk mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk vigorously and repeat, one spoonful at a time. 4. When most of the milk is whisked in, add the egg mixture to the saucepan. 5. Whisk until the liquid thickens slightly or reaches 160 F. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. 6. Pour the eggnog into a glass container and cover. Refrigerate. 7. When the eggnog has thickened, pour it into glasses, garnish, and enjoy! DIY HOLIDAY EGGNOG Inspired by TastesBetterFromScratch.com Ingredients Directions whipping cream • 2 cups milk • 1/2 tsp nutmeg • 1 pinch salt • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract • Cinnamon and whipped cream, for garnish

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

214.292.4225 www.AaronMillerLaw.com 1400 Preston Road, Suite 118 Plano, Texas 75093 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Aaron’s Christmas Takes On New Meaning

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Make Decorating Your Christmas Tree Less Stressful

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How Rudolph Became a TV Institution

DIY Holiday Eggnog

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Facial Massage for Beginners

THE BENEFITS OF FACIAL MASSAGES And How to Perform One at Home

skin. Next, choose a massaging agent, such as a gentle facial oil, serum, or moisturizer.

Our faces are filled with muscles that we use every day to talk, eat, express our emotions, and more. It makes sense that these facial muscles could benefit from some relaxation and loosening up. Getting a facial massage may seem silly the first time you try it, but this practice has some surprising benefits. Facial massage is common in many skin care routines throughout the world but not used by most Americans. In addition to reducing stress, facial massage can make your skin look better by improving elasticity, relaxing wrinkles, preventing acne, and stimulating collagen production. It can also help with sinus and jaw pain.

Know the rules. When giving yourself a facial massage, there are a few no- nos. First of all, you should never massage over a breakout because bacteria can spread on your skin quickly. When massaging, ensure you are moving your skin but not stretching it. Lastly, always work against gravity and rub your skin upward, never downward. Get down to business. There are countless ways to massage your face. You can try rubbing your middle and ring fingers in circular motions, dragging and pressing your knuckles into your face, gently pinching your skin between two fingers, or tapping your fingers in “piano key” type motions. You can also try a face roller or a flat gua sha tool. As long as you’re not leaving marks on your face, experiment and see what feels good.

So, how can you get these benefits without hiring a professional? We have some tips.

Prepare your skin. Before beginning your massage, make sure to wash your face and remove any makeup. You don’t want to rub dirt or debris into your

With these tips, you can be on your way to a more relaxed and healthy face. Give facial massage a try today — the only thing you have to lose is stress.

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