Column: Thanks for Listening

Who the heck robs a Salvation Army store just before Thanksgiving?

Not that there is a good reason to ever steal from any store, but I imagine even in robber circles (circles of undesirables who rob places and then get together to talk about the ups and downs of criminal life; I picture them sitting at a Denny’s or a White Castle around 2 a.m.) that robbing a Salvation Army is frowned upon.

Whoever this kid’s mother is should give him a smack right upside the head for this kind of behavior. Oh, sorry for rambling, but this was really unbelievable.

I think you should get an extra year in jail for something like this. Oh, and, robber dude, if you are reading this, please just give back the money to the Salvation Army and go on about your life. You will feel better about this and your conscience will be all whole once again. If you believe even a little bit in karma, now is the time to give back and straighten that whole yin-yang thing out.

Really, you will feel better in the long run. I am just saying.

‘We Can Work It Out’

The Beatles Tribute band “American English” is coming next Friday, Dec. 3, to the Albert Lea High School auditorium. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be an absolute blast.

Thornecrest Retirement Community and the Freeborn County Humane Society are the sponsors of this fun event. Tickets are available at Candy & Jewels Consignment, Doyle’s Hallmark, Plymouth Shoes, KATE Radio, Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau, and at Thornecrest. I cannot wait!

Holiday tunes

So today is Thanksgiving and you know what that means … Holiday tunes that do not stop for over a month. I love Christmas tunes and the older, more traditional songs, I really love. My favorites are White Christmas, Silent Night and Johnny Cash’s “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Actually any holiday song sung by Johnny Cash is amazing. What songs do you love the most?

Don’t make Black Friday blue

Tomorrow is Black Friday. It is the busiest shopping day of the year. People get up at 3 a.m. just to get ready for this big shopping extravaganza.

Please do me a favor tomorrow and be kind to everyone. One gift everyone can give each other this holiday season is the gift of understanding. All that it will take is to count to 10 before saying an unkind word or to make a begrudging smirk.

It is not that hard to be kind to others, in fact it is fun. Everyone is carrying some kind of a burden, and no one knows what each other person’s burden is, so take the time to be nice and hopefully that same respect will be paid back to you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Tribune Publisher Scott Schmeltzer’s column appears every Thursday.