Dear Gala Guru

As the first delicate blossoms push through the soil and birdsong returns to fill the morning air, Easter arrives at the perfect moment, when we most need its promise of renewal. This isn’t just another holiday marked on calendars; it’s a profound reminder of life’s resilience and the hope that emerges after difficult seasons. For […]

April 14th marks National Pecan Day, when America’s only native nut finally gets its moment in the spotlight. While almonds and walnuts arrived as botanical immigrants to our soil, pecans have been waving their tiny American flags since before there was an America. Here’s a mind-cracking revelation: Pecans aren’t nuts—they’re drupes, making them fruits! That’s […]

Mark your calendars for April 7th, when National Beer Day transforms ordinary mortals into foam-crowned connoisseurs. While historians may tell you it commemorates the end of Prohibition, we all know it’s just an excuse to philosophize over a pint about why the foam always slides down the inside of the glass but never up. Around […]

Taco ’bout something important.  February 24th is National Tortilla Chip Day, and if that’s not worth celebrating, I don’t know what is. These crispy triangles of joy have been the unsung heroes of our snack drawers and party spreads for generations, faithfully showing up at every game day, movie night, and impromptu snack attack. What […]

Dear Gala Guru, My job does not make me happy. It is a dead end.  I hate turning off the alarm and going back to the office.  It is toxic where I work.  Office gossip runs rampant, and no one is happy.  The boss is not a leader. I do not feel as though I […]

There’s a particular kind of courage in loving someone. Not in the grand gestures or the Valentine’s cards or the carefully selected flowers and chocolates – though these have their place. The real bravery lies in the everyday choice to keep loving, even when love isn’t feeling particularly magical. Love lives in the small moments […]

Dear Gala Guru, I have a problem. I have done nothing but eat since Thanksgiving, celebrating all the parties and holidays. I recently stepped on the scales and am horrified to find I have gained 15 pounds. I realize I did this to myself, but now I am panicked. I need to get back to […]

Dear Gala Guru, Every year, I volunteer to plan our Paradise community’s annual party, “Summer Serenade. ” It is a black-tie dinner and dance. We are all retired and over the age of 70.  I am responsible for selling the tickets, collecting and sending the meal choices to the catering team, and paying for the […]

Dear Gala Guru, I am a grandmother of six, and every year for Christmas, I send each grandchild a card for Christmas along with a check for $100. I have been doing this for 15 years now. In the beginning, I would get a sweet thank you note.  But the notes have dwindled as they […]

Dear Gala Guru, Now that the holidays are over, I am taking inventory of some of my presents. There are several that I will never use and just don’t like. What are your thoughts on returning the gifts to the store or re-gifting them next year? Sandie Relax—you’re not alone. We’ve all unwrapped a gift […]

As we pack up the Christmas decorations, I think it’s only natural to feel a twinge of melancholia as the season’s excitement is over for another year. The parties have subsided, the relatives and guests have returned home, and it’s time to consider the year ahead. Starting with all those dreaded New Year’s resolutions, especially […]

A Shoebox Christmas My 88-year-old Mama’s eyes take on that far-away look when she tells this story from her childhood Christmases in Georgia. Her words transport me to a time when love and simple joys meant everything, especially for a sharecropper’s daughter whose family knew the meaning of “making do.” Every October, after the cotton […]