There’s enough to stress over during the holiday season without having to worry about getting sick. But this is the time of year when cold and flu season starts kicking into gear, a fact I am painfully aware of right now. I’m a week into a head cold I’m certain I picked up at a friend’s holiday party. And, yes, I am irrationally blaming the host for my illness.

The next couple of weeks are going to be filled with holiday gatherings. Get ready for the handshakes, hugs, kisses, and shared serving utensils. In other words, a big old swap meet for germs and colds.

With that in mind, we’re here to help. Our Ashley Adams spoke with Dr. Debra Powell, chief of infectious diseases at Reading Hospital, for this story featuring tips that will help you stay healthy over the holidays.

A lot of it’s common sense — wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, don’t touch your face, make sure you’re up to date on your vaccinations, stay home if you’re sick. But it’s never a bad idea to remind yourself of the precautions you should take during cold and flu season.

Here’s wishing you a holiday season full of good cheer and free of cough and congestion!

Patrick Berkery,

Senior community editor, The Keystone

We make New Year’s resolutions each year with the best of intentions. Then, by mid-January, many of us resolve to never make a New Year’s resolution again.

With the new year almost here, we’d love to know: Have you made any New Year’s resolutions that have actually had a positive impact on your life?

Reply back and let us know (and please let us know where you’re from).

Bethlehem Is Ready for Its Hallmark Channel Moment

[Hallmark Channel]

Start making watch party plans, Lehigh Valley: Bethlehem is about to have a basic cable Christmas moment. A new holiday movie from the Hallmark Channel, “Miracle in Bethlehem, PA” will debut Thursday at 8 p.m. on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

While the Hallmark Channel has previously used exterior footage from towns like Ephrata and Lititiz for establishing scenes in Christmas movies set elsewhere, this appears to be the first time the network has set a film entirely in Pennsylvania. “Miracle in Bethlehem, PA’’ wasn’t shot anywhere near the Lehigh Valley, though. The movie was filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In the movie, a successful and fiercely independent woman named Mary Ann adopts a baby girl to raise on her own just before Christmas. Due to inclement weather, Mary Ann and the baby get stuck in Bethlehem for the holidays without a place to stay. With no rooms available at a local inn (nothing available at WindCreek? Hotel Bethlehem?), her only option is to stay with the innkeeper’s brother, Joe, a free-spirited bachelor who lives in a house that he treats like a barn. As Mary Ann learns the value of community by spending time with Joe’s family and participating in the local church’s Christmas events, Joe starts getting his act together with new motivation, and the two begin to see each other in a new light.

Will they or won’t they? Tune in Thursday to find out!

3 Things to Know Today in PA

In the wake of Monday’s announcement that Pittsburgh-based US Steel agreed to sell itself to the Japanese company Nippon Steel, our Sean Kitchen spoke with the Pennsylvania director with the United Steelworkers, who called US Steel’s decision to sell “the ultimate betrayal.” You can read more about it here.
More on the US Steel sale: Sen. John Fetterman has vowed to block the deal, saying “I am committed to doing anything I can do, using my platform and my position, to block this foreign sale.” Get the full story here.
The storm that barreled into the Northeastern US Sunday and Monday dropped more than 5 inches of rain in parts of Eastern Pennsylvania, leaving power outages and flooded roads in its wake. Click here to see images from the aftermath of the storm.

Finally…

[Shutterstock]

Did you know that one of the most beloved holiday standards of all time has a strong connection to NEPA?

Songwriter Dick Smith wrote the lyrics to “Winter Wonderland” with his hometown of Honesdale in mind. Smith was thinking of his childhood winters playing in the snow in the park across the street from his house when he wrote “In the lane, snow is glistening/A beautiful sight/We’re happy tonight/Walking in a winter wonderland.” His widow also said that Smith drew some inspiration from staring out the window from the West Mountain Sanitarium in Scranton, where he was being treated for TB in the winter of 1934, and watching children playing in the snow.

Sadly, Smith passed away from TB shortly after “Winter Wonderland” was released in 1934. He was 34.

A historical marker was unveiled in 2021 in front of Smith’s childhood home at 922 Church St. in honor of his classic composition.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery. The Keystone Newsroom is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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