The West University Buzz - December 2025

Lauren, Keli, and Taylor Luce

Junior League: Cookbooks and Connection

by Andria Dilling

Baking Christmas Memories Holiday Happenings Houston, TX Permit No. 2047 PAID

Santa’s Neighborhood Helper

US Postage PRSRT STD

Lazy Latkes

PUBLISHER’S NOTE Our mission at The Buzz is to inspire and connect people in our communities by telling their stories. We hope that when The Buzz arrives in your mailbox, you find something uplifting. I want to thank our readers for allowing us into your homes and trusting us with your stories. And of course we want to thank our advertisers, and our dedicated team, for 24 Buzzworthy years. Together, we have created something truly special. Nothing makes us prouder than the positive feedback we receive from our readers and advertisers. As always, we want to hear from you – share your stories and comments with us. Here’s to the memories we’ve made in 2025, the lessons we’ve learned, and the anticipation of what lies ahead in 2026. michael@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X thebuzzmagazines.com Editor-in-Chief Publisher Editor

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld

Associate Editor Design Manager Staff Writers

Caroline Siegfried John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Sharon Albert Brier Cindy Burnett Andria Dilling Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cindy Gabriel Cathy Gordon Michelle Casas Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Ben Portnoy Cheryl Ursin Meena Dost Andrea Blitzer Leslie Little Jo Rogers

Accounting & Contract Administrator Account Managers

On our cover: Soft Ginger Cookies and Spiced Cashews are holiday favorites for Junior League of Houston members Lauren, Keli, and Taylor Luce.

Cover photo by Nikky LaWell, lawellphoto.com The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2025 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 4

Celebrate the art of gathering

Discover our holiday boxes and more at www.tasteful-gatherings.com WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 5

MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions Flag football fun Thank you so much for bringing more awareness to girls’ flag football [Pulling Flags and Breaking Barriers: Girls’ flag football takes off in Houston by Annie Blaylock McQueen, Nov. 2025]. Annie did a great job highlighting the positives of the sport! The Meraki girls in the article are on cloud nine to be featured as they have fallen in love with flag football.

Whether it is with Meraki or any of the other organizations offering girls’ flag football, I encourage anyone interested to get involved in this fastgrowing sport as we push to become a UIL sanctioned sport! They don’t need to fully commit, schedules are packed already, but flag football is a great way to increase speed and agility for other sports. More importantly though, it is really fun!

Jeffrey Klam, owner, Meraki Sports Project

Touchdown Thank you so much for writing the article about girls’ flag football. It is a great competitive sport and even better, it’s a lot of fun! My team, Standing on Business, and I really want Texas UIL to sanction girls flag football so we can play for our high school teams! Your article showing so many girls all over the Houston area playing and competing in flag football helps us prove to Texas UIL how popular girls’ flag is now and how it’s a growing sport.

I also really appreciate the very nice things you said about me. I love playing flag football and I want other girls to see that there are teams out there and that they can play flag football too! There is a real future for female athletes in flag football and I hope many girls will be inspired to join me.

Mary Margaret Dybesland

to a friendship and the mentoring of a now-FAA certified private pilot.

Carole’s initiative could be a lesson for many. Make an effort to reach out to the curious youth of today, knowing an acorn today can be tomorrow’s oak tree.

Edward A. Vesely

Sky high A huge thank you to Michelle Casas Groogan for the wonderful article Born to Fly featuring my son, Alexandre, and Ed Vesely [Nov. 2025]. Their shared passion for flying has led to a strong and meaningful friendship, and the article beautifully captures how that bond was born and has blossomed. It’s also a reminder of how important mentoring is in the lives of young people.

The article brought me back so many great memories of when Alexandre was younger, and I’m grateful to have it as a lasting reminder of all these special moments. This article will also be something Alexandre can look back on with pride in the future. Bravo!

Michele Tropee Email us at mailbag@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or send to Mailbag, The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet St., Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters or emails addressed to The Buzz Magazines become the property of the magazine, and it owns all rights to their use for publication. Addresses, phone numbers and email addresses will not be published. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and length.

Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.

Encouraging girls I play on the same flag football team as Mary Margaret, Standing on Business. Thank you for the great article about girls’ flag football. I have played flag football for five years and it gets more competitive every year.

I am passionate about the game and grateful for every opportunity it has given me. I look forward to fulfilling my dream of playing in high school, college, and hopefully for the USA National Team.

I am glad to see so many girls playing flag football and I hope more girls will start playing. There are many leagues in the Houston area like Under Armour, NFL Flag, and flag football camps so I would encourage any girl interested in flag football to look up these opportunities. Join us on the field!

Brooklyn Sterling

Helping the next generation soar It is amazing how many people have personally and favorably commented, to [my wife] Carole and me, about your well written article Born to Fly [by Michelle Casas Groogan, Nov. 2025]. Little did we know, so many years ago, that Carole’s first conversation with Alex at a CAF monthly meeting would lead years later to witnessing his maturation from a demure teenager WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 6

What’s your story?

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Have a unique “meetcute” love story.

• Know a Buzzworthy neighbor to feature.

• Have a milestone life event to share.

• Have a special multi-generational story.

• Have a compelling travel tale.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 102.

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lawellphoto.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

22

Inside This Issue December 2025 Bridging Generations with Community and Cookbooks:

4 Publisher’s Note 6 Mailbag: Letters from Readers 10 Done with Doom: How we see the world matters

by Cindy Gabriel

Beauty can emerge in the wake of loss. And perspectives make a difference.

12 Best Books of 2025: Favorite reads of the year

by Cindy Burnett

Book reviewer Cindy Burnett lists favorite reads and Buzz residents share theirs, too.

16 Thirteen Years of Friendship: A Girl Scout Troop’s Senior-Year Adventure

by Tracy L. Barnett

Troop 147007 has learned and grown together since age 7. Now high school seniors, they recently enjoyed a final troop adventure.

18 The House Where Santa Lives: A neighborhood’s beacon of Christmas cheer

by Cathy Gordon Leila Reynolds, 92, creates holiday magic and memories for the neighborhood.

26 Baking Christmas Memories: From intricate cakes to gingerbread cookies

by Annie Blaylock McQueen

Melissa Cozart and her mom, Diane Hanks, create an intricate Christmas cake each year; Georgia Polley bakes gingerbread cookies for her sons to decorate.

28 Christmas Traditions Around the World: How do you celebrate?

by Ben Portnoy

The Junior League of Houston turns 100

by Andria Dilling As The Junior League of Houston celebrates 100, members reflect on meaningful experiences and JLH cookbook recipes that have been passed on through generations.

32 Rumor Has It

by Sharon Albert Brier

34 Buzz Reads

by Cindy Burnett Book reviewer Cindy Burnett recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

36 Travel Buzz: Passport to Joy: 2025 Journeys that Inspired and Transformed

by Tracy L. Barnett

Buzz residents share happy memories of 2025 trips.

40 SportzBuzz

by Todd Freed

42 SportzBuzz Jr.

by Annie Blaylock McQueen

Kidz: Spreading joy through music 44 Buzz

by Jaya Ramineni Tails 46 Neighborhood

by Lucky Lady and Penny Lou

48 Buzz About Town

by Angie Frederickson

Learn about some unique Christmas traditions from around the world.

30 2025 Holiday Happenings: ’Tis the season

by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld Discover festive holiday events.

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54 Back Porch: Lazy Latkes: A Hanukkah miracle (and NYE perfection)

by Andria Dilling

Instead of making a mess frying potatoes in a skillet for Hanukkah latkes, consider a new, “lazy” technique: using a sheet pan and an oven.

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NEIGHBORS

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

Done with Doom How we see the world matters

I

keep thinking about a skit I once saw performed by the late, great Jeannette Clift George, founder of the A.D. Players theater company. In the skit, a woman (Jeannette) walked into a store and spotted a bottle simply labeled Joy. It was sitting next to a bottle labeled Pain. She picked up the Joy bottle and took it to the register. But the cashier refused to ring it up. Joy was part of a two pack. You had to buy the Pain bottle too. Of course, Jeannette only wanted the Joy without the Pain. But the cashier insisted you can’t have Joy without Pain.

This summer in Alaska I was mesmerized by pinkish purplish wildflowers that kept appearing in contrast to the otherwise rugged terrain. The flower’s official name is Chamaenerion Angustifolium. In Alaska, Canada, and the cooler U.S. climates, it’s called fireweed. Why? Because in the aftermath of a forest fire, that sturdy little flower pops up from the scorched earth. In England, they call it bombweed because it emerged from the bomb-ravaged soil during WWII, bringing beauty and comfort in the wake of great loss.

But of course, fireweed (or bombweed) doesn’t just sit there and look pretty. It has work to do. For one thing, it stabilizes and nurtures the soil with nitrogen necessary for other plant life to emerge. It serves as vitamin-rich food for a range of hungry creatures from bees and hummingbirds to elk, grizzly bears, and humans.

Native Americans make fireweed syrup or jelly from the blooms and fireweed tea from the leaves. Fireweed is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic. Even their seed pods produce a white feathery substance that helps pad nests and pillows. Whew. That’s a lot to say about the work of one little flower after a devastating loss. It’s easy to overlook the upsides to the downsides.

Maybe, the end of the world isn’t really the end of the world. Maybe it's the beginning of something new. In between doom-scrolling, I have come upon a fast-growing podcast called Know Thyself, the brainchild of 28-year-old André Duqum. I love it when super young people seem wise beyond their years. Duqum interviews scientists and philosophers, physicians,

and others with incredible curiosity about what makes us humans do what we do. A recent interview was with Oxford fellow Iain McGilchrist, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and neuroscientist.

He’s known for two paradigm-shifting books, The Master and his Emissary (2009), then, more recently, a twovolume, deeply researched tome that took him 10 years to write, called The Matter With Things (2021). HOPEFUL SIGNS The entrance to Homer, Alaska, where fireweed offers a preMcGilchrist studies the cious reminder that beauty can emerge when you need it most. differences between the really appreciate anything…. right and left hemispheres of the human brain.

The ridiculous way our lives are overloaded with He makes the case that for the past 350 years answering the questions and ticking the boxes until or so, the left hemisphere has been given the your life is drained away from you. McGilchrist upper hand in our decision making. He challenges says this approach strongly influences our the notion that the left hemisphere of our brain is approach to education. the more rational, reasonable mature adult side.

The idea of education is putting information into Whereas, he says, we tend to view the right hemichildren...that may be a byproduct of education and sphere as the airy-fairy side that skips around, it’s an important one…but it can’t remotely constipaints pictures, writes poems, and generally needs tute an education. An education is about drawing monitoring by the left side. McGilchrist contends something out, not putting something in. we have gotten the roles reversed.

McGilchrist says the good news is that scientists McGilchrist says the left brain deals mostly and philosophers are starting to come out of their with the material world, the here and now in silos and collaborate more, offering new hope for space and time. It divides, labels, and categorizes our ability to reach our human potential. things. It sees what it sees and doesn’t think I call myself a hopeful pessimist. I see things going there is more. wrong all around me, but I remain hopeful. That’s The left hemisphere is black and white in its thinkbecause I believe, despite what is happening, that ing. It’s either this, or it’s that. There is no time for human beings are a wonderful species. We focus all subtlety or nuance, for a bit of this or a bit of that; the time on what we have done wrong…but we for the coming together of opposites. should be grateful for what we can achieve at our The right hemisphere, on the other hand, is best, which is extraordinary. the intuitive side, experiencing the world around To view the whole interview, search Iain it, taking in multiple streams of thought. The McGilchrist, Know Thyself. right hemisphere wants to sit under a tree and And while you are at it, there are many more ponder while the left hemisphere is in a hurry. fascinating interviews that offer hope. I, for one, Everything in our life now tells us to speed up, to feel like half my brain has just been let out of jail. do things faster and faster and in doing so you can’t

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Cindy Burnett

ARTS

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Best Books of 2025 Favorite reads of the year

A

s the year closes, I enjoy reflecting on my reading from the past year, evaluating what resonated with me. So many fabulous books were published, but I also had more misses than normal. After some intense deliberation, I narrowed down my favorites, those books that I still think about regularly.

Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell (fiction) – When Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision to grab her two young daughters and flee, she knows that leaving is the right thing to do, but she finds that staying away is much harder than the leaving ever was. With no job and little support, she struggles to find a home for her girls and herself as her emotionally abusive husband Ryan launches an unrelenting campaign for her to return home. Navigating the broken Irish housing system, Ciara bravely fights the odds in this compelling tale of survival and the effects of enduring the long-term consequences of emotional abuse. O’Donnell’s vivid prose brings to life the unsettling brutality of gaslighting and coercive partner control where the bruises are not physical.

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton (memoir) – During the Covid lockdown in the English countryside, Dalton stumbles across a leveret (a baby hare) and brings it home. As she learns to feed it and take care of it with little guidance because raising a hare is quite rare, what results is an unlikely relationship between her and the hare, a development that completely changes the way Dalton views the world. This book contains so many beautiful passages that I stopped to absorb and reflect on and helped me evaluate how I move about in the world. I loved Raising Hare from beginning to end.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (fiction) – Most mornings, 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters – to her brother, to her best friend Rosalie, to Joan Didion and Ann Patchett to give them her thoughts on their latest books, and to others.

Sybil’s wry wit and clever sense of humor are present throughout, and the letters she writes and receives are a joy to read. The Correspondent explores the importance of literature, making connections, expanding worldviews through

experiences, as well as the ups and downs of a long life. I loved the reflections on love, loss, parenting, family, and most importantly the passage of time.

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (family drama, mystery) – A family’s world is upended after their car swerves, causing an accident that results in the death of two elderly people in an oncoming car.

Oldest child TOP READS Cindy Burnett shares some of her favorite books of the year, including Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell, The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey, Charlie was in the dri- What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown, and The Whyte Python World Tour ver’s seat and grabbed by Travis Kennedy. the wheel right before The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis the wreck, but the car was self-driving with AI Kennedy (fiction/thriller) – This hilarious and technology. Who exactly is at fault? This irreverent novel stars Rikki Thunder, a member engrossing novel explores culpability in the age of Whyte Python, a heavy metal band who is of technology, and as AI becomes more prevarecruited by the CIA in the late 1980s to go lent, what our role is as humans in a world dombehind the Iron Curtain and help spark a revoinated by machines. Against the backdrop of lution through the power of rock. While this technology, Holsinger also explores family might sound like a strange premise, it is loosely dynamics, grief, secrets, and parenting. inspired by allegedly true events. The Whyte What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown Python World Tour is one of the most entertain(mystery) – In What Kind of Paradise, Janelle ing books that I have read this year. Rikki Brown evocatively wrestles with the effects of Thunder is a gem: naïve, unintentionally progress, technology, and power through the humorous, and a fabulous narrator. Kennedy lens of a fierce and lonely girl and her paranoid weaves humor, heart, history, music, travel, and and extremist father. Jane has spent her entire so much fun into this page turner. life in rural Montana living off the grid with her The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey father. He is evasive about their past and edu(speculative fiction) – This lyrical combination cates Jane with 19th-century philosophical of dystopian intrigue and historical fiction works while leaving her regularly for week-long grabbed me from page one. Set in a 1970s jaunts. When she accompanies him on a trip English small town, the book follows triplet boys that ends in murder, she realizes that nothing is who are the only remaining residents at New as she believed it to be. Brown brings to life the Forest Home, in the care of three women they early days of the internet with vivid detail, crecall Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon, and ating such a tense experience for the reader who Mother Night. Their small and controlled world understands how drastically different things are consists of taking their medicine to fight off an today from how early internet pioneers wanted unknown illness, doing their chores, and playing or expected them to be. This haunting page games. A sense of dread builds in the reader as turner explores right and wrong, extremism, the story unfolds; clearly (continued on page 14) technology, and family.

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(continued from page 12) something is amiss, but

what exactly? The tension ratchets up until the unexpected and highly satisfying ending. While there is a mystery at the heart of the story, so much more is at play – the nature of truth and control, testing the bounds of morality, and the age-old debate over nature versus nurture.

Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story by Jeffrey Kluger (nonfiction) – “Without Gemini, there would be no Apollo.”

This sentence encapsulates the profound importance of the Gemini program on the subsequent Mercury and Apollo programs. In Gemini, Kluger chronicles the history of the Gemini (pronounced Geminee) program from its origins, highlighting both its numerous successes and failures. Consisting of 10 flights over the course of just 20 months, Gemini sent men into space for the first time, but also led to deaths, near deaths, and all sorts of other failures that will have the reader marveling at how a moon landing ever happened at all. Kluger manages to bring a very human element to this riveting story as he details the challenges and dangers faced by the Gemini missions and the astronauts who participated.

Favorites from Buzz Readers: In addition to compiling my list, I reached out to Buzz residents to hear what they loved this year (some were recently published, others were published previously). To my delight, I received so many responses that we did not have space to include all of them. Look out for more favorites from Buzz readers in an online Page Turners column this month.

Sally Mason: “Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (this book also made my list; see above). This book combines family drama along with moral responsibility and what that means in the age of AI.” Michele Carlin: “Theo of Golden by Allen Levi – this unexpected gem was suggested to me by a friend, and I now find myself recommending it to everyone. Theo, somewhat of a mystery man, arrives in the fictional town of Golden, where he quickly establishes himself in the community. The book chronicles each relationship he builds, from the local barista to the bookstore owner to the homeless woman, and how his simple gestures affect them. I love this book because it movingly illustrates the positive impact of small acts of kindness and placing worth on others versus oneself.”

Paige Erwin: “Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – a modern take on Charles Dickens set in the USA. So impressed by the author’s ability to speak in the voice of a teenage boy navigating the challenges of growing up in rural Appalachia. The story highlights the multiple layers and expanse of the interconnections between the economic dependencies of a rural community, the key roles of football and family, the opioid epidemic, and the challenges of overcoming adversity.

I love how Barbara

Kingsolver and her husband are using the proceeds from this Pulitzer Prize winning novel to found and support Higher Ground Women's Recovery Residence.”

Elaine Schroller: “A Month in the Country

by J. L. Carr. If I had to choose one favorite for 2025, this is the one.

Having done in-depth research about WWI for my own novels, I’m drawn to books that explore the effects of war on the individuals who fought. While this story touches on Tom Birkin’s battle memories, it’s about his healing from them while he restores a medieval mural in a tiny church in an even tinier village.

I was so transfixed by Carr’s evocative descriptions that I fin- UNPUTDOWNABLE Buzz resident Celia Anderson selected Broken Country

by Clare Leslie Hall as her favorite book of the year. She says it's a "beautifully ished A Month in the told, engrossing story" that readers won't be able to put down.

Country in one day.”

Kyung Cha (published in 1982), the reader is Stacy Humphries: “The Road to Tender beckoned into a poignant interplay of language Hearts by Annie Hartnett is quirky, funny, and identity, where author Theresa Hak Kyung and unexpectedly touching. I loved the Cha crafts a lyrical exploration that transcends eccentric, imperfect main character and the the confines of traditional narrative. Each sec‘chosen family’ theme that unfolds along a tion unfolds like a delicate origami, revealing hilarious road trip (with help from a clever the layered complexities of belonging and memcat). Even when the story dips into tough terory through a kaleidoscope of voices. Cha’s ritory, humor carries the reader through. If prose, at once haunting and luminous, breathes you enjoy books like Fredrik Backman’s, this life into the fragmented experiences of diaspora, one is for you.” capturing the struggle to communicate that Kelly Hogan: “The Personal Librarian by lingers in the spaces between words. As the Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher pages turn, the reader feels the weight of history, Murray – I love books about women doing the pressure of silence, and the power of reclaimamazing things and without compromise. This ing one’s identity.” one is no exception and such an intriguing subJen Fink: “The Borrowed Life of Frederick ject matter. The author does an incredible job Fife by Anna Johnston. It is a lovely, feel-good writing about the early 1900s, educating us story about friendship, forgiveness, and finding about the time period without muddling the family. The main character’s kindness and sense main storyline.” of humor in the wake of his hardships allows Lori Fisher: “The Correspondent by him to begin again even in his elderly years. I Virginia Evans (also on my list; see above) – I really enjoyed the quirkiness of it!” loved getting to know the main character, Celia Anderson: “Broken Country by Clare through nothing but the letters she has written Leslie Hall has it all! A terrific love story, a parand received. Each letter is dated and addressed ent’s sorrow and twists you didn’t see coming! to various recipients. A very unique reading Dorcet, England with a strong 1960s vibe! A experience.” beautifully told, engrossing story that you won’t Amanda McGee: “One Golden Summer by be able [to] put down!”

Carley Fortune. I am a huge Carley Fortune fan and thought this was her best book yet. She did For more book recommendations and bookish an amazing job of making it a sequel to Every thoughts, see Cindy’s monthly Buzz Reads column, Summer After and at the same time allowing it her award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast to be a stand-alone novel.” or follow @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram.

Chris Cander: “In Dictée by Theresa Hak

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KIDS

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Thirteen Years of Friendship A Girl Scout Troop’s Senior-Year Adventure

T

he mega bed was born of necessity and nerves. Eight Girl Scouts, away from home for one of their first overnight camping trips, discovered they couldn’t push their bunk beds together at Camp Casa Mare. So they did what Girl Scouts do: They problem-solved.

“We made a mega bed,” Alexa Camp recalled with a laugh. “And we all slept together, and it was like 102 outside, so it was boiling in there, but we didn’t move. We had to stick to our guns.”

That was nearly a decade ago, when the girls of Troop 147007 were seven or eight years old, experiencing their first night away from their parents. Now, at 17 and 18, they’ve just returned from their final adventure together – a five-day Royal Caribbean cruise to Cozumel – before dispersing to colleges across North America.

“I still feel like I’m moving on the ship because literally, we just got off a few hours ago,” said Tania Campbell, one of three troop leaders who have shepherded these girls since kindergarten. The mothers and daughters conducted three interviews over three months from their respective homes in Houston, voices chiming in over video chat, beginning in July with a journey back in time, ending on Labor Day with the excitement of their journey still palpable in the afternoon heat.

An Unlikely Beginning It started, as many lasting friendships do, with a moment of mutual uncertainty. At a Girl Scout open house at Horn Elementary 13 years ago, the organization asked for volunteer troop leaders. Alexa’s mom, Tina Villard, and Tania, who had met through Bellaire Young Mothers, looked at each other across the room.

“I’ll do it if you do it,” they decided, as Tania recalls it.

Neither had been a Girl Scout, so there was a lot to learn. “There’s a lot that goes into it,” Tina admits. But being a leader comes with orientation and trainings and lots of paperwork – “making sure that we were doing all the right things through each level that the girls got through.”

Soon after, Erique DeGrange joined them –

a former Girl Scout herself and a teacher who brought invaluable experience to the trio. “I actually don’t really remember not having Erique there,” Tina said.

“Pretty quickly, I think we talked her into being the third mom and the SMILES, SASHES, AND SERVICE Back in 2018, these bright-eyed Horn third troop leader.”

Elementary fourth graders from Girl Scout Troop 147007 helped make the school’s The three women, all fifth-grade graduation extra special – handing out programs and tissues as proud working mothers, craft- families filed in. Formed in kindergarten, the troop began with all Horn students and has stayed strong ever since, even as some members moved away. Pictured, ed a vision that was from left, are Skylar Campbell, Isabelle DeGrange, Alexa Camp, Anneliese both ambitious and DeGrange, and Aria Jin, who are still part of the troop today. achievable. It needed to And, honestly, I feel like half of our meetings be something not too overwhelming – “Maybe were just us catching up on what was happening we meet monthly, maybe not as frequent, but at each other’s schools.” we’re going to meet,” recalled Tania. “We’re Even during Covid-19, when the world shut going to keep this consistent, keep it stable, and down, the troop found ways to maintain their learn throughout this experience.” connection. They met in parks, properly disGrowing Apart, Growing Together tanced, doing yoga and talking. They held virtual meetings that became lifelines during isolaThe Horn years were all about discovery – tion. “I really appreciated having these set times learning songs, geocaching in the park, and their to see people, just to talk about the crazy life first sleepover at Misty Meadows. It was a safe, events that were going on,” Isabelle recalls. joyful space, and none of them imagined how The girls found ways to serve their commumuch they’d need that anchor once middle nity during the pandemic. Aria Jin describes school pulled them in different directions. how she and Eden Harris organized a project When middle school arrived, the troop faced where students made hundreds of cards for its first real test. The girls scattered to four or five Texas Children’s Hospital nurses: “We know different schools. For many friendships, this that during Covid it was really hard for them might have been the end. For Troop 147007, it having so many losses, and so we just wanted to became their reason to continue. show appreciation.”

“I was scared, and I was sad,” Anneliese DeGrange, Erique’s daughter, remembered Learning by Doing about the separation. “We all got phones. We Over 13 years, the troop has tackled projects started texting, and Girl Scouts also helped salthat would challenge many adults. They’ve built vage all these friendships.” sidewalks to make garden paths wheelchairIsabelle DeGrange, Anneliese’s twin sister, accessible at Pershing Middle School. They’ve agreed. “I think Girl Scouts really became an seeded bluebonnets at Willow Waterhole intentional way for us to see each other and keep Greenway that still bloom each spring. They’ve up these friendships,” she said. made blankets for animal shelters, written conThe monthly meetings became an anchor in servation essays, and raised funds through counttheir changing lives. “Because they were so conless cookie sales. sistent,” explained Skylar Campbell, Tania’s “I never would have ever thought I would daughter, “I could look forward to those monthhave done that,” Anneliese says about the sidely meetings where I would see all the same faces.

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walk project. “We put in the sand. We leveled the pavers. It was something I never would have done. But it was actually really fun. And I think it was really cool that I got to say I helped build a sidewalk.”

These weren’t just service projects – they were lessons in perseverance, problem-solving, and leadership. Each girl has achieved her Bronze and Silver Awards, and many are now completing their Gold Awards, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. Isabelle is publishing a children’s book as her Gold Award project.

“I remember when I first conceptualized that idea I was like, there is no way in a million years this is ever gonna actually happen,” she said with a laugh. “But every day that I showed up to work on it I got a little bit closer, and now I’m at the point where I’m having final conversations with a publisher.”

The troop has provided an education that goes beyond what school or sports can offer.

They’ve learned budgeting through cookie sales, saving money over years for big events like the cruise. They’ve practiced public speaking by approaching strangers to sell cookies outside grocery stores. Most importantly, they’ve learned that leadership can be quiet and collaborative.

“I think that Girl Scouts has taught me that being a leader is often more silent than people realize,” Skylar observed. “Leadership isn’t always about just being the loudest; it’s about doing a lot of the work behind the scenes that not everyone sees.”

The Floating City The cruise – a first for almost everyone – was everything they’d hoped and more. The ship felt like “a floating city,” Erique said, with ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, and shows featuring triple axels performed on ice at sea.

But the most treasured moments were the simple ones. “I definitely thought just having free time to spend with these girls I’ve known my whole life, was really special,” Isabelle reflects. “We normally don’t ever get to do that.

And that was something really special that I think I’ll remember.”

They danced everywhere – in elevators with strangers who joined their impromptu parties, at karaoke every night, during ’80s night on Deck Five. They maintained their buddy system, negotiating between Anneliese’s desire to tan and Alexa’s need for shade. They snorkeled together, spotting “Dory” fish and brain coral, dodging tiny jellyfish, and watching flying fish leap from the waves only to be caught by seabirds.

At formal dinner one night, Tania gave each girl a Girl Scout-themed bracelet. “It was in that kind of moment,” Isabelle said, “I was like, wow, this group of girls that have been with me through this organization for almost my entire life, almost as long as I’ve been alive – we’re all going to split up… and it’s imminent, you know?”

FROM COOKIE BOOTHS TO CARIBBEAN SUNSETS Troop 147007 has done it all. After 13 years together, these Girl Scout ambassadors celebrated their journey with a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, capping a legacy of leadership with Bronze, Silver, and now Gold Awards for several troop members. Pictured, from left, are Aria Jin, Alexa Camp, Sloane Smith, Jenna Mirza, Anneliese DeGrange, Isabelle DeGrange, Skylar Campbell, and Eden Harris. These girls all earned their Bronze (2019) and Silver (2021) awards, which count towards prerequisites for the Gold Award. Current Gold Award recipients are Skylar, Sloane, and Isabelle (as of Nov. 2025). The Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award that Girl Scouts can earn.

More Than Friends Ask these young women what they’ve found in each other, and the word that keeps surfacing isn’t “friend” – it’s “family.”

“I’ve always wanted a sister,” Alexa says. “And I just literally looked to my left and saw Anneliese.

My whole life, I’ve wanted a younger sister... And I’m just now realizing, I always had one. It just wasn’t the way that I expected it to be.”

The feelings are mutual. “I literally love her,” Anneliese says of Alexa. “I think about her every day. And I can’t imagine life without her.”

Several of the girls have already designated each other as future maids of honor. They talk about their bond as unconditional, unbreakable, something that transcends the typical boundaries of friendship.

“We just know that we’re always going to be a part of each other’s hearts,” Anneliese explains. “We don’t need to talk or hang out every day. We just know that we’re so important to each other.”

The three troop leaders have discovered the same thing. “These ladies will be in my life for the rest of my life,” Erique said. “And that was sort of an unexpected outcome for me as well.”

“I feel like Erique, Tania, and I are not going to disconnect,” Tina agreed. “I mean, I think there’s been times even during the summer where the three of us would get together, even outside of the Girl Scout stuff.”

They’re already talking about maintaining their meetings, just as friends rather than as a troop. The mothers joke about future reunions, knowing they’ll be “crying on each other’s shoulders” when the girls leave for college.

Camping on Tania’s property near Point

Blank, the girls have learned that even when trucks get hopelessly stuck in mud, even when someone falls face-first into a creek, even when you try to use cow patties as kindling and smoke up the entire campsite with the smell – you figure it out together. You find a solution. You laugh about it later.

“Girl Scouts taught me that really you can do it and it’s fine,” Anneliese says. “It really broadened my horizons by a lot.”

As Troop 147007 prepares to close this chapter, they carry with them 13 years of inside jokes, traditions, and memories. They still end every meeting the same way they always have, standing in a circle with arms crossed right over left, singing a Girl Scout song about friendship.

Someone always gets the hands wrong; someone always ends up in “a puddle of giggles,” as Erique describes it.

But that’s what makes it perfect. That’s what makes it theirs.

“We were very goofy,” Aria says simply, and in those three words lies the secret to their success: They were allowed to fail, encouraged to try, and given the space to be exactly who they were, together.

The cruise may be over, the troop meetings may be ending, but for eight young women and three mothers in Houston, the voyage continues. They’ve built something stronger than any sidewalk, more enduring than wildflowers, more valuable than all the cookies they’ve ever sold: a family bound not by blood, but by choice, time, and “13 years of funny moments,” as Anneliese puts it, that have become the foundation for lifetimes of friendship ahead.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 17

NEIGHBORS

by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

The House Where Santa Lives A neighborhood’s beacon of Christmas cheer Dylan Aguilar

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sk children in this neighborhood where Santa lives, and they might hesitate to say the North Pole. They might be inclined to point to a modest mid-century house in Memorial Forest where St. Nick winks, shimmies, and twinkles from nearly every nook and cranny.

Leila Reynolds’ house.

The 92-year-old – grandmother to four and great-grandmother to three – has lived in this house for 60 years. It’s where she raised her two daughters and son, all now in their 60s. It’s the kind of home that holds onto its warmth, even when the world seems cold and moves faster than it used to, say neighbors.

It’s the place of holiday magic.

Nearly every Christmas season for the past 12 years, Leila has turned her home into a wonderland of crimson and white, a maze of Santas on nearly every surface. A merry museum of sorts. But unlike a museum, this is a hands-on experience.

Neighborhood youngsters spill into her pecanpaneled den, forming a semi-circle at her feet as she passes figurines around, weaving history and heart into tales about each one – carved statute Santas, stuffed ones, animated jolly gadgets that jingle, sing, and dance. She shares stories about Santa and his accoutrements, like his lunch box.

Leila’s Santa Show and Tell is instilled in childhoods. Kids who once toddled wide-eyed from room to room, giggling at the Santa who snores, still pop in over college break.

Leila is the main attraction, say friends and neighbors.

She never lets the magic fade.

“She’s one of the most cheerful people we’ve ever met. She sees the silver lining in everything,” says neighbor Layne Childs, whose three daughters have scurried to Leila’s door multiple years for the Santa experience. “My girls love that everything is so touchable. She has several stuffed ones that sing and move, and they go straight for those. And they always leave with a candy cane.”

“It makes me so happy to see the children giggle and get so excited,” says Leila, a spunky sort who says she never set out to curate a Santa collection. “It just happened!”

Decades ago, she stopped putting up a Christmas tree. But she had a Santa here and

LEILA’S SANTA WONDERLAND Who needs a real chimney when Santa has the key to the house? Leila’s home is bedecked in Santas during the Christmas season, including these surrounding a faux red-brick chimney.

The master storyteller delights children with her full-hearted tales of Santas, that preen in every shape and variety, in her Memorial Forest home.

there. Then friends and family gifted them, and it became a thing. There’s the bulbous Santa gourd. And a jolly face painted on stone by her mother-in-law. Santa flags staring from windows. Santa night lights. Snow globes. Kitchen utensils. A giant Santa Snuggie that she makes

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 18

an adult model for the children, inciting belly laughs.

“It’s Santa everything. Everything! Even Santa soap the kids can wash their hands with,” Leila says. “It’s so much fun!”

Son Miles Reynolds, in industrial sales, trav-

Dylan Aguilar

Dylan Aguilar Dylan Aguilar

HO-HO-HOME COLLECTION Top left: Neighborhood children form a semi-circle at Leila’s feet as she shares her many Santa figurines. Bottom left: Just a few Santas in her collection, soft squishy ones that children love to hold and hug. Right: Leila’s neighbor Carol Gilmore, right, has made the seasonal across-the-street jaunt to Leila’s Santa “museum,” with her twins over many years. Her children, now college-aged, think of Leila as a grandmother.

els the globe for work. But Thanksgiving and Christmas are hardwired into his calendar, says the Ohio resident. Time for Mom and his childhood casa. And the unpacking of Santas.

It was his first birthday when the family moved into that house in 1965.

“After Thanksgiving, we put them all out.

She tells me where to place them,” he says. “I go every year. It’s fun to watch how much the kids love it. I think it’s a great experience for them.

And her.”

Twins Clayton and Deveny Gilmore, acrossthe-street neighbors, are now in college. They grew up on Leila’s witty Santa tales. The true magic of the holiday season, they say, begins when children in the neighborhood receive a handwritten note from Leila in the mail, her lyrical Dr. Seuss-style invitation tucked inside, inviting them to pop over.

“My grandmother wrote me letters, and I remember how special that made me feel to get something addressed to me in the mail,” Leila recalls. “Every child needs that.”

“It did make me feel special, says Deveny, a University of Georgia sophomore. “I only had one grandmother growing up and she lived kind of far away, so Mrs. Reynolds definitely is like a surrogate grandmother to me.”

Ditto, says Clayton, a student at the University of St. Thomas. “I really like her

Santa on a pair of skis. She’s gotten Santas from around the globe. I enjoy going over and chatting with her. She was there our whole childhood pretty much.”

“She puts so much heart and soul into it,” adds the twins’ mother, Carol Gilmore. “She’s

The true magic of the holiday season, they say, begins when children in the neighborhood receive a handwritten note from Leila in the mail, her lyrical Dr. Seuss-style invitation tucked inside, inviting them to pop over. just as sweet as can be. All the neighbors watch out for her to see if there’s anything she needs because we love her. She’s a part of our lives.”

“My neighbors are just the best!” exudes Leila. “When we had that bad freeze a few years

back, they came out of the woodwork for me.

When I had my knee replaced, 12 women signed up for a rotation dinner. These people are like family.”

Li Zhang, Leila’s next-door neighbor of 15 years, places Leila’s newspaper on her porch chair every day, rain or shine. She loves how her elder neighbor signs letters to her children, sketching a miniature picture of herself with a little mop of curly hair. Li has one child in college; another is a high school senior. Both are huge Leila fans with many Santa tours under their belt.

“For her age, she has great mental clarity.

She’s sharp. She remembers my children’s birthdays every time,” Li says.

“She’s the best neighbor we’ve ever had,” says Debbie Davies, who moved here from South Africa. “She’s always written my children, like on Valentine’s, and it’s such a nice personal thing for them to get in the mail. They were young when we moved here, and now they are teenagers and it’s just so nice that they’ve had that experience with her in their lives. It’s part of their childhood that is so special.”

“Childhoods should be filled with wonder,” Leila says.

Hers was.

Little Leila Marian Poppen grew up in Muskegon, Mich. Come winter, her attorney father became an alchemist (continued on page 20)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 19

Emma Knowles Photography

Emma Knowles Photography Emma Knowles Photography

BIRTHDAY BASH Top: Leila and family organized a birthday bash for her 90th a few years back, with a food truck and juggler, among other activities. Neighbors gathered on the lawn for a group picture. Some neighbors presented Leila, a puzzle whiz, with a custom puzzle later, depicting that scene and other vignettes from that day. Bottom left: Birthday queen Leila sits front and center with family surrounding her. Bottom right: The 90 & Fabulous Leila is all smiles on her special day. (continued from page 19) of ice. Under the moon-

light of a cold sky, he turned their backyard into a surface of dreams, an ice-skating rink. He cleared the yard of snow, hosing it down layer by layer, a ritual of patience and precision. Mobs of mittened neighbors swirled about their yard that glistened like glass.

“Oh, what a memory!” says Leila. Her only sibling, Sherman – Sherm, as she called him – was her companion in childhood. “And sometimes, teaser and tormentor!” she quips.

Life opened up, wild and full of laughter, in the alley of their Muskegon home. They played marbles and chase, and invented games with

their own rules, like explorers setting the course.

Leila points to an object in her home, the Snurfer, the forerunner to the popular snowboard.

Seems Sherm possessed an inventive streak that extended far beyond that alley. On Christmas Day 1965, he braced two children-sized skis together for his two daughters’ newest snow time thrill, then had the business acumen to get a patent on it. It became the first mass-produced snowboard. By 1968, there were Snurfer competitions, drawing participants far and wide.

A 10-foot Snurfer sculpture was erected in Sherm’s honor in downtown Muskegon. “He gave a wonderful speech about how community

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is built in an alley,” Leila recalls of its unveiling.

The original Snurfer is displayed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, along with a tribute to Sherm. Leila owns one of the first Snurfers off the production line.

When he died in 2019, Leila’s world dimmed a bit. She scattered his ashes in the alley of her childhood home. “I miss him terribly.”

Former neighbor Suzanne Chaffin knows grief. When she first moved across from Leila years ago, she was deeply grieving her teenage son. The family enacted a scholarship in his name and Leila helped evaluate applicants by reading their essays.

Dylan Aguilar

Dylan Aguilar

Dylan Aguilar

A SEUSSIAN-STYLE SANTA SUMMONS Left: Leila’s Dr. Seuss-style rhyming invitations hit the mailboxes each year, asking children to pop over for the Santa experience. Middle: Skater Santa, one of Leila’s hundreds of figurines, is one of many to pass through children’s hands. Right: Leila’s son Miles Reynolds is the Santa display maestro, helping his mother see to each Santa’s rightful place in the home each season.

“Leila was such a comfort to me. I’d go over and sit on her couch for hours. She was such a blessing in such a dark time in my life. She’s like a mom to me.”

While Suzanne now lives in Cypress, they see each other often. And they share a love of puzzles.

There’s a “Leila way” of doing puzzles, says family. And many in her family follow suit.

To Leila, referring to the puzzle picture is cheating. It warrants a cursory glance when you open the box, then it’s tossed aside.

She sits at her kitchen table, like a general surveying a battlefield, thousands of pieces sprawled before her, timer set, and magnifying glass at the ready. Oftentimes, her beloved Astros are on in the background.

“Oh, that’s the only way to do it,” says the nonagenarian whose penchant for puzzles started as a child.

She and her family organized a block party for her 90th birthday, replete with a food truck, juggler, and a bevy of activities for the kids. A few days later, some neighbors presented her with a custom-made puzzle, a group picture of neighbor and family partygoers, sprinkled with fun vignettes.

Leila’s daughter Nancy Musgrove, the school nurse at Frostwood Elementary, loves that children experience her childhood home and her mom’s storytelling. Nancy started first grade at Frostwood the year they moved into the home. Her siblings attended Frostwood as well. Her daughter, Jenny Musgrove, teaches first grade there.

“I remember that it was that fat gourd painted as Santa that she loved so much. I think that’s kind of what really kicked it off. I remember going to art festivals and stuff looking for fat Santas to add to the collection. And then word got out and she started being gifted all kinds of Santas.”

“It was fun connecting the dots about Leila’s family,” says neighbor Missy Purgason. “My kids started at Frostwood where Nancy’s the nurse and her daughter teaches. We love to brag that we live across the street from school nurse Nancy’s mother, that we know three generations of them.”

The mom of four says her children love receiving hand-written letters from Leila and jokes she sends at Halloween.

Leila’s firstborn Holly Montalbano is a holiday story herself. Leila and husband Miles, long since deceased, welcomed her on Christmas Day, 1957. Thus, the name Holly.

“Childhoods should be filled with wonder,” Leila says.

Her mom was hosting a Christmas party when she went into labor with her. But a newspaper birth announcement misspelled it as Holy, an altogether different meaning when missing an L. “I think she was probably horrified!” Holly says of her mom.

The Midland, Mich. resident is the event director for a nonprofit think tank, a career that keeps her busy. “But we will be with Mom this Christmas, all of us. My daughter and her husband, too. We haven’t all been together as a big family for Christmas in probably 15 years. We are very excited about that!”

While her mother was great at, well, being a mom, she was always community-driven, Holly adds.

Her children grown, Leila worked for the local New Age Hospice, now known as Houston

Hospice. As a new concept in its infancy, “people barely knew how to pronounce it. They’d pronounce it like ‘spice’ on the end,” she says.

She and a partner eventually started their own company, Hospice Development Resources, that helped start hospices in Kansas, Michigan, and Indiana. “That was so rewarding.”

Even before hospice years, she volunteered.

She started working for a group called Taping for the Blind in the late 1970s. She was recorded while reading books aloud, a program under the Library of Congress, created for the blind and print-handicapped. It’s now called Sight into Sound. Leila went from being a reader to president of the organization, adept at fundraising.

She’s still on its board.

One of her volunteer gigs led to finding Santas. At 68, she volunteered for an exchange program, teaching English to students in Xi'an, China. The ancient city wall is a must-see for tourists, built under the order of the first emperor of Ming Dynasty. “And when I climbed up that wall there’s all these dusty little shops, one that has these little clay Santas in it. They went home with me.”

She’s looking forward to Christmas, lots of family, and her Santas to keep her company.

But a fun fact, she says. Of all the houses in the neighborhood, hers lacks a chimney. A small faux chimney, detailed in red brick paper, stands against a den wall, a prop peppered with festive figurines and stockings.

“But, aha! No problem!” she says with a lilt.

“How does Santa get in if I don’t have a chimney, the children might ask? Well, he has a special key, I tell them! I show it to the kids. They look at it, touch it, and you can just see their little minds working! I think they think that’s cool!

“Santa has a key to my house. Of course!”

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FOOD

by Andria Dilling, staff writer

Bridging Generations with Community and Cookbooks

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ven before women could vote, or serve on a jury, or be a CEO, or wear pants, there was The Junior League. Specifically, there was The Junior League of New York, which started a movement in 1901 when one Barnard College student organized a group of her peers to volunteer outside of their homes, independent of their husbands, to address the social issues they saw around them.

From there, Junior Leagues sprang up across the country. In 1923, there were 63 of them, plus dozens of women’s service organizations applying for the designation. These Junior Leagues were progressive before their time: The St. Louis League fought for women’s suffrage, organizing a march outside of the 1916 Democratic Convention. The Brooklyn League created what became the model for free school lunches across the country. In 1923, The Junior League of Dallas published a Junior League Cook Book, an entirely new way of fundraising.

And in 1925, 12 Houston women started The Junior League of Houston (JLH).

Originally, Houston’s League focused on a well-baby clinic, which, founded in 1927, eventually became the Junior League Health Care Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital. Since then, the League has partnered with hundreds of Houston organizations, providing thousands of trained volunteers and millions of dollars in funding – all in service of building a better community.

Those 12 founders would have had no inkling of the impact their organization would have in Houston. In 2000, for its 75th anniversary, the League collaborated with Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, the City of Houston, HISD, and Harris County Hospital District to launch a new generation of well-baby clinics: the SuperKids Pediatric Mobile Clinic.

(This writer fondly remembers sitting on the floor of another volunteer’s home, two tiny babies in carriers with us, working on the publicity for the SuperKids Clinic.) This year, to celebrate 100 years, the League raised $2 million to fund the new Junior League of Houston Volunteer Services Building at DePelchin Children’s Center. Through it all, the League has set the standard for preparing women to be effec-

tive volunteers and leaders in the community.

Those 12 founders also could never have dreamt that their recipes and the recipes of volunteers to come, celebrated in the four Junior League of Houston cookbooks, would be the center of holiday traditions for so many families, and for so many generations.

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The Junior League of Houston turns 100

eggy Roe, a nonprofit consultant, joined The Junior League of Houston when she was 34. “I’ve been a member for 46 years,” she says, recalling that she’s been president of the Sustaining Club (the volunteers who have completed their active years and remain active in the League socially and philanthropically) and, more recently, served on the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, helping with STEADY LEAD Peggy Roe has been a leader in the community and in The Junior fundraising.

League of Houston for her entire adult life.

“I grew up in the benefits of their good fortune. In Houston, it’s Oklahoma, and my husband and I moved to Texas gratitude that generates generosity. for him to go to grad school at UT,” Peggy says. She “The League taught me how to be a good joined the League because, “I knew it would open fundraiser, and to be a good leader.” Since her doors for me all over Houston.” active days in the League, Peggy has led several And that it did. “We went all over the city and nonprofits in different capacities. “Sitting on the learned about all these wonderful projects. It was board of the Junior League, learning the bylaws our job to be volunteers,” Peggy says. “I never and proper meeting protocols, realizing the imporwould have known so much about our commutance of being good stewards of other people’s nity. And it sparked a curiosity for me about what money – those lessons have played into my life as made Houston tick. Why was it such a philana nonprofit consultant and fundraiser ever since.” thropic community? Honestly, I think it’s because Peggy was on the committees for both the people in Houston never took for granted what Star of Texas Cookbook and Stop and Smell the they had been given. They wanted others to feel

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 22

Jacob Powers Photography

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TRADITIONS Peggy Roe always makes the Sour Cream Coffee Cake from The Junior League Cook Book for her family's Christmas celebration; Sharyn Robinson and her daughters Elizabeth Kendrick and Emily Walter make volunteering with the League a family affair.

Rosemary. Her family’s Christmas breakfast always includes the Moncrief Monkey Bread and Sour Cream Coffee Cake from The Junior League Cook Book, published in 1968 and referred to by Peggy and her friends as “Old Yeller.” “My daddy loved that bread,” Peggy says. “When he and my mother would come over, he would take not just a piece, but a big handful of it. That gave me so much joy.”

From Stop and Smell the Rosemary, Roasted Red Pepper Soup and the Wild Rice Medley both star at the Roes’ Christmas dinner. “I like that the soup is colorful and looks Christmas-y,” she says, laughing about the time she brought it, frozen, on the plane to Christmas in Washington, DC, where two of her three children and their families live. “They confiscated my luggage, because it wouldn’t go through security,” she says. “I thought, you’ll take that over my dead body! Thank goodness I got it back.”

Sour Cream Coffee Cake, from The Junior League Cook Book ½ pound butter 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups sifted flour ¼-½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon 4-5 tablespoons brown sugar ¾ cup chopped pecans Grease and flour large bundt pan. Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix sour cream and vanilla together. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Add flour mixture to butter alternately with sour cream. Pour 1⁄3 to ½ of batter into prepared pan. Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts; sprinkle over cake batter. Spoon remaining batter into cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes. Cake will rise, then fall slightly. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sift powdered sugar over top of warm cake if desired.

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ynthia Adkins, executive director at the TIRR Foundation and member of several nonprofit boards, joined the League when she was 22 and teaching second grade at River Oaks Baptist. “It was so long ago, I’m not sure I can count back that far,” she laughs. “My mother and my aunt had put me up, and in that day and time it was completely different. They sent out a ballot to the entire membership and everyone would vote. That’s how it worked.” Today, anyone interested and willing to put in the time can join.

“When we joined, we had a really strict provisional course. We went around the city and

learned about all the different institutions and nonprofits. I remember seeing the Port of Houston. I had never seen the Port of Houston!

I became enthralled with the community,” she says, adding, “I love to help people. That’s where I get my excitement.”

Once Cynthia started her family – both of her grown daughters are members of the Junior League, one in Georgetown and one in Houston – she worked in the Tea Room, and then leadership roles started to come her way. She was asked to chair the building of a new League headquarters.

“I knew nothing about building a building,” Cynthia says. “But it was the most fun thing I ever did in the League. We designed our committee with people in charge of the kitchen, the ballroom. We interviewed a project manager, and he was a great guy. Why he took the job answering to all of us, I don’t know. But he was great. We interviewed a construction firm, a design firm, an architecture firm, and off we went on this crazy journey.” That building still stands at 1811 Briar Oaks Lane and has hosted countless weddings, showers, meetings, and more.

A little-known story: When Cynthia was president of the League, her Tea Room chairman and others put a new Tea Room menu together. “We all looked that thing over and over,” Cynthia says about (continued on page 24)

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MAKE-AHEAD TREAT Donna Perillo and her daughter Lauren make the Crème Brûlée French Toast from Peace Meals. “It is a make-ahead casserole that tastes like dessert,” Donna says. “It’s been our holiday brunch tradition since I tested recipes on the Peace Meals team!” (continued from page 23) proofing it. But when it

was printed, instead of Crab Cakes, the menu read Crap Cakes. “She [the Tea Room Chairman] was mortified, but mistakes happen,” Cynthia says. “We lived with it.”

There are no crab cakes at Cynthia’s family’s Christmas dinner, but there are Garlic Cheese Grits. “From the yellow cookbook,” she says, speaking of the 1968 The Junior League Cook Book. “Then the Milk Punch from that book as well. Sometimes, if I do Mexican for Christmas Eve, I’ll make the Portuguese Chicken in The Star of Texas cookbook. It’s really good, and it feeds a crowd.” She adds that there’s a delicious recipe in The Star of Texas that combines potatoes with Velveeta cheese (Hot Potato Salad).

“Nothing in it is the least bit healthy,” she says.

Maybe not, but it was a delicious sign of the times.

Garlic Cheese Grits, from The Junior League Cook Book 2 cups uncooked grits 1 roll (6 ounces) garlic cheese ½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated ½ cup butter 2 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon Tabasco ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Paprika Cook grits. Add other ingredients, except paprika, and mix well. Pour into large, shallow casserole. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in 350degree oven about 30 minutes. May be made early in the day and heated at serving time. Serves 12.

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lizabeth Kendrick and her sister Emily Walter followed in the footsteps of their mother, Sharyn Robinson, when they joined the League.

“When we were little, we would go to the Tea Room and watch [my mom] serve,” Elizabeth

says. Outside of her job as Director of Change Management for Phillips 66, Elizabeth led the 100th year celebration as Centennial Chairman.

“We’ve had a whole season of festivities,” she says. “We reconnected with our sustainers, and with the agencies and donors we have worked with over the last 100 years. The most recent celebration was a donor recognition luncheon this fall.” Ann Stern, a former League president and president and CEO of Houston Endowment, spoke at the event about the League’s impact and response to community needs.

“At the same time our 12 founders were thinking about what the biggest needs in our community were,” Elizabeth says, “Jesse Jones was building the Houston Ship Channel,” transforming Houston into a major port city. “At the time, the idea of having a well-baby clinic…there wasn’t anything like it. From that point forward, we have continued to progressively support our community. We were caring for children with AIDS before we even knew what that meant.”

Today, more than 90 percent of JLH volunteers work outside their homes. “That’s a significant shift,” Elizabeth says. “These are strong, dedicated women who come from diverse backgrounds, and each have their own reasons for choosing to spend their free time volunteering.”

She adds that the League is not only addressing community needs, but also training volunteers.

“You have to have training to appreciate what different populations in our community look like. So, yes, the League is a wonderful group of women who come together and volunteer and have a good time. But we are working to better ourselves as volunteers, and to better the community. Women leave the League, and they are chairmen of boards, presidents of organizations.”

As impactful as they have been, the Houston Junior League’s cookbooks are no longer in print, and Elizabeth was the League’s last Publishing

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Chairman. “I have a real soft spot for the cookbooks,” she says. “They are such a treasured part of our history. It’s legacy, it’s tradition, it’s the culture of Houston. My mom got her first Junior League cookbook from her grandmother. She gave us our first League cookbooks. I have all of them on my shelf. The cookbooks, and the recipes, bring people together outside of our League walls.”

For as long as Elizabeth and Emily can remember, their family has spent Christmas morning sharing the Sausage Cheese Pie from The Star of Texas cookbook. “Before I knew what the League was, I knew what the Sausage Cheese Pie was!” Elizabeth says.

Sausage Cheese Pie from The Star of Texas Cookbook ½ pound sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices 1 8-inch pie shell, partially baked ½ pound grated Cheddar cheese 3 eggs, slightly beaten ½ cup milk 2 tablespoons bourbon 1 tablespoon lemon juice ½ tablespoon salt 1 ⁄8 teaspoon pepper Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook sausage slices until browned. Drain well and spread over bottom of pie shell. Cover with grated cheese.

Beat eggs with milk, bourbon, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and pour into pie shell. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 6.

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auren Perillo is an attorney and a volunteer at the League. “Joining the Junior League myself has definitely felt like a full-circle moment,” she says. “I remember hanging out in the seating area upstairs [at the Junior League] as a kid and proudly seeing Peace Meals in Barnes

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HOLIDAY BAKING Soft Ginger Cookies from Peace Meals are a family favorite for sisters Lauren and Taylor Luce. They say volunteering at the League is a full-circle moment, as they remember doing homework in the building while their mom Keli was volunteering there.

& Noble.” Lauren’s mother Donna Perillo was a member of the Peace Meals steering committee. “I was a little nervous about joining, because my job is pretty demanding,” Lauren says. Still, she says, “[Meeting] other hard-working women there…has been an incredible part of the experience. I love that I’m getting to follow in my dad’s footsteps as an attorney and my mom’s as a volunteer at the same time. It is really an amazing experience to grow up and be able to do some of the same things I was most proud of both of them for at the same time.”

Earlier this year, Abigail Simpson, the daughter of one of Donna’s Junior League friends, took part in Lauren's wedding. “It’s had an impact on my life already in a million ways.” One small impact that has become a big tradition is the Crème Brûlée French Toast from Peace Meals that Lauren’s family looks forward to every Christmas morning.

Crème Brûlée French Toast, from Peace Meals ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter 1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons corn syrup 1 loaf challah bread, sliced 1-inch thick with each piece sliced in half diagonally 6 eggs 2 cups (1 pint) half-and-half 2 cups (1 pint) milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier (optional) Powdered sugar, for dusting This recipe requires advance preparation. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside. Melt the butter and brown sugar with the corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir until smooth and bubbly. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Arrange the bread slices on top in two overlapping rows, slightly stacking the bread.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-

half, milk, vanilla, sugar, salt, and liqueur until well combined; pour evenly over the bread.

Cover with foil and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake until set in the center, approximately 45 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with the sauce from the dish. Serves 8.

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aylor Luce, 27, and her sister Lauren, 25, both say they grew up going to the Junior League building with their mom Keli. “We did homework there when Mom had her office at the League,” Taylor says, referring to one of Keli’s many high-level volunteer placements, requiring her to maintain an office in the building. “She had a ton of roles,” Taylor remembers. Keli currently serves as the Tea Room Sub-Council Sustainer Advisor, and Taylor is Tea Room Special Events Chair, a full-circle moment as she prepares to chair “Lunch with Santa” this year, remembering all the years they attended as a family. Keli says seeing her girls volunteer with the League is especially meaningful. “To see them building their own connections, finding their own purpose, and understanding the joy that comes from giving back and building a better community…feels like a legacy of service and sisterhood continuing through them.”

Each Christmas, their family gets excited for the Spicy Rosemary Cashews and Soft Ginger Cookies from Peace Meals. Taylor, a business transformation consultant at IBM, and Lauren, marketing coordinator at Pennington Wealth Management, say their family snacks on the cashews all month long. “They’ve become a staple on our charcuterie boards, and the scent alone instantly feels like the holidays,” Lauren says. The girls would leave the ginger cookies out for Santa, adding red and green sprinkles to up the holiday factor.

Soft Ginger Cookies, from Peace Meals 2 ¼ cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 ¼ cup sugar, divided 1 egg ¼ cup molasses Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix the butter and 1 cup of the sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl. Add the egg and molasses, and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture gradually to the egg mixture. Place the remaining ¼ cup of sugar in a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and roll in sugar. Place the balls 2 ½ inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake on the center rack until light brown and puffed, about 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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ne hundred years, 10 decades, and multiple generations of women, following their grandmothers’ and mothers’ leads or paving their own paths. The Junior League of Houston has impacted every corner of the city, the lives of countless beneficiaries and volunteers, and the tables of all of us who turn to the iconic cookbooks not just for recipes, but for traditions.

As 2025 closes and Houston’s Junior League Centennial celebrations come to a close, as we appreciate all the League has done for us personally and for Houston, one question looms large: When can we get our hands on a new generation’s Junior League of Houston cookbook?

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy volunteering, and happy cooking!

Editor’s note: Find all JLH recipes mentioned in this article online at thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 25

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FOOD

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Baking Christmas Memories From intricate cakes to gingerbread cookies ment candy cane, was a success and they were hooked.

“It is a special time we like to spend just the two of us,” said Melissa.

Melissa takes the day off work. Neighbors sometimes knock to sneak a peek at their Christmas cakes and Diane’s friends eagerly await the Facebook reveal.

The pair has endured mishaps in their baking process, such as one time when they didn’t allow for enough cooling time before starting the decorating portion.

As a result, a sliding cake layer came crash- BAKED WITH LOVE Mother-daughter duo Melissa Cozart and Diane Hanks ing onto the floor. With (pictured, from left) share a beloved Christmas tradition of baking their special Christmas cake together each year. It is cherished time together and a sweet tradino time to start over, tion nearly a decade in the making. they pieced the cake Chocolate-Gingerbread Toffee Cake [from 2023 together with extra icing. “No one knew the difSouthern Living],” said Melissa. (Find the link in ference, and we laugh about it every year,” said the online version of this story.)

Melissa. They let the cake thoroughly cool now.

Over the years, their creations have included other-of-two Georgia Polley celebrates a a snowman with chocolate pretzel antlers, a fessweet baking Christmas tradition that is tive cardinal like the ones outside Diane’s winequally treasured in her family. She can trace dow, a Christmas tree cake covered in sugared hers back to a printed recipe from a recipe webcranberries and green icing, and a Bûche De site titled The Most Wonderful Gingerbread Noël with bark-textured frosting.

Cookies with pages she has held onto since One of their most ambitious cakes was a December 2008. white chocolate Poinsettia Cake in 2019. It fea“It was the year my youngest was born,” tured a gold-edged sugar cookie bloom and took Georgia said. “I figured if we are putting out cookthree days to complete. ies for Santa, they better taste good,” she laughed.

Some years reflect the mood of the season.

Every December she prepares the dough herThe 2021 cake was understated outside but rich self but happily hands over the decorating to her inside, they say, a nod to the pandemic days and two sons, Hawkins and Foard. “I love to decide slower time together. which cookie cutter shapes to use, and which “We make a cake,” Melissa said. “But mostly sprinkles to buy and colors of icing and then let we chat. We catch up. It is tradition. Mother the boys decorate,” she said. and daughter doing something fun together.”

As her sons have grown into a junior at Their 2025 cake? The family eagerly awaits to Baylor University and a Stratford High School find out. They flip through the pages of the magsenior, the cookies have grown with them. azine to get ideas. “I have my eye on a

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 26

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very December, mother-of-two Melissa Cozart and her mother, Diane Hanks, roll up their sleeves, tie on aprons, and take on a holiday challenge that has become a centerpiece of their family tradition: creating an intricate Christmas cake made with love by the talented pair.

Not just any cake – the kind you hesitate to cut because it is almost too beautiful to slice.

From detailed, hand-piped tree branches to a charming buttercream Frosty the Snowman, each year’s creation has been a memorable masterpiece for the family.

Each year, they choose a cake to create, and gather with their baking ingredients in Diane’s kitchen in Melissa’s childhood home of 50 years, to spend the day creating their annual Christmas cake.

“Mom makes the ingredient list, and my dad [Victor] helps to procure the materials,” Melissa said. The cakes have over-the-top decorations that look almost too good to eat, but luckily, you can. “Most of the cake decorations are foodgrade and edible. The greenery and berries are fake. Rosemary or mint is gathered from our garden,” said Diane. “Use caution though,” she laughed. “There was an instance of slight lip numbness from some pittosporum leaves. We can laugh about it now.”

While the cake process is a two-person operation, their audience is ready and waiting.

Melissa’s children, Hudson, 17, a Bellaire High School student and Hunter, 12, a Pin Oak Middle student, along with their Hanks cousins Jack, 21, Emma, 19, and Hattie, 13, happily leave the baking to the experts and focus on the best part: enjoying the delicious cake.

The idea was born in 2016 after seeing winter-themed cakes on the pages of a Southern Living magazine Christmas issue. That is where they gather their cake inspiration each year and decide on which cake to make.

As Melissa and Diane flipped through the pages nine years ago, they decided to take on the challenge themselves and copy a lovely candy cane cake.

Their first creation, with white frosting, crushed peppermint on top, and a glass orna-

M

Terrhan McCrosky SWEET TRADITIONS Christmas is for creating traditions, and for these two families, those memories are made in the kitchen each year. Pictured, left: the first festive Christmas cake baked and decorated by mother-daughter Melissa Cozart and Diane Hanks in 2016; middle: gingerbread cookies made by the Polley family; right: Jon, Georgia, Hawkins, and Foard Polley. Even as Hawkins and Foard have grown into young adults, they still enjoy their family gingerbread cookie tradition.

Friends often join in. The prettiest cookies get shared with neighbors. The slightly wobbly ones are saved for Santa if they do not disappear first, she said.

While Georgia says Thanksgiving is one of her favorite holidays, the gingerbread cookies have made her countdown to Christmas.

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t the Hanks home, the cake is unveiled when the entire family gathers for Christmas dinner with all 11 family members. At the Polley home, the cookie plate disappears into crumbs and sticky fingers throughout the days leading up leaving the last for Santa.

This holiday season, the cakes will be sliced.

The cookies will be eaten. But the laughter, the storytelling, and the family memory magic will be what lasts a lifetime.

The Most Wonderful Gingerbread Cookies Recipe Originally found at www.recipezaar.com; now

can be found at www.food.com.

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder 3 ⁄4 teaspoon baking soda 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 3⁄4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 ⁄4 cup dark brown sugar 1 large egg 1 ⁄2 cup molasses 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended. Add the molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest; continue mixing until smooth.

Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until the dough is blended and smooth.

Divide the dough in half, wrap each portion in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Heat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle flour over the dough and rolling pin. Roll the dough to just under 1⁄4-inch thickness, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut out cookies using your favorite cutter.

Place cookies 11⁄2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time for 7 to 10 minutes. (Bake on the lower end of the range for softer cookies.)

Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the sheet until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.

A powdered sugar glaze works well for quick decorating, and royal icing creates a classic look.

Note: Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow it to return to room temperature before rolling.

How to Get Started: Cake Decorating Tips from Diane Hanks When it comes to holiday cake traditions, Diane Hanks says it all began with a simple class. “I took a cake decorating class years ago when Wilton (est. 1929) offered classes at area department stores,” she said. It helped her establish her basic skills.

As Diane and Melissa’s cake-making tradition has evolved, they have upgraded their baking tools. “Melissa brought the real artistry to the table,” Diane said.

Diane’s Starter Kit Essentials • A turntable for smooth, even icing • An array of piping tips • Food storage baggies DIY-ed into piping bags • An offset spatula for that polished finish Diane says their teamwork and creativity are what give each cake its character. “Both of us have an eye for what we want it to look like,” Diane said. “We bring our different styles to the final product.” Another tip? “Freeze the cake layers before decorating,” said Diane. “That helps.”

Diane’s advice for beginners is straightforward: “Start simple. Try something fun. And don’t worry. Perfection isn’t the point!” said Diane.

“If you think you can do it, you probably can.”

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NEIGHBORS

by Ben Portnoy, staff writer

Christmas Traditions Around the World www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/Lukasz-Jasionowski

How do you celebrate?

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’m Jewish, so my family did not celebrate Christmas, but I grew up with one Jewish “Christmas tradition”: eating at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Eve. Actually, this tradition dates back to the late 19th century due to Chinese restaurants being one of the few businesses open on Christmas. Now that tradition looks like it has become a multi-faith event. Last Christmas Eve, my wife and I went to dine at our favorite Chinese place only to find several Christian families dining there, too. So much for my one unique Jewish Christmas practice.

But if Christmas is your holiday, it looks like there are many ways to celebrate besides consuming Chinese cuisine.

I’m aware that most folk on Christmas exchange gifts, go to church, decorate their houses with lights, sing carols, and set up real or artificial Christmas trees. But who would have thought that at this time of the year you should lock up your brooms in a closet? That’s what you do in Norway. On Christmas Eve, the belief is that evil witches roam the night, so you don’t want them to have access to your brooms to fly wherever they might want in order to do their mischief. But then how do you clean up spilled popcorn?

I had heard that Germans practice a custom of hiding a pickle ornament on the Christmas tree. The one who finds it gets a gift or is rewarded with good fortune in the coming year. (Turns out, upon Googling it, it’s actually thought to be a German-American tradition created in the late 19th century.) Wherever the tradition originated, why a pickle? Why not?

In 1974 in Japan, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) offered a package meal “Kentucky for Christmas!” Even though Christmas in no holiday in Japan, it was a hit. To this day, the tradition of having KFC on Christmas Eve persists there. Maybe fried chicken on Christmas Eve this year instead of Chinese.

American kids hang stockings over the fireplace so that Santa can leave “stocking stuffers.”

Kids in other countries prefer leaving shoes, at least for St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6). The children in the Netherlands place their shoes by the fireplace stuffed with carrots or hay for the horse that accompanies Sinterklaas. Santa Claus then

TRADITION, TRADITION Are you in a pickle over Christmas?

obligingly leaves candy or other treats in the shoes. I wonder if a child with big feet gets more stuff than a tiny footed one. In Iceland, the custom is that a badly behaved child gets a rotten potato in his shoe instead of a treat. Who wants stinky Christmas feet?

If you find yourself in Caracas, Venezuela, on Christmas morning, watch out for those going to Christmas Mass on roller skates. The custom, known as las patinatas navideñas, is so well observed that major streets are closed off for the skaters. What does that have to do with Christmas? Probably the same thing as a pickle on your Christmas tree.

And while we are talking of Christmas trees, if you are in New Zealand, forget the evergreen trees. There, a native tree, Pohutukawa, is used.

It is a tree with bright crimson flowers. Branches are cut to decorate for the holiday. I wonder if they bother with poinsettias.

Our neighbors to the south in Mexico celebrate Christmas by setting up nacimientos (artful, detailed nativity scenes), starting Dec. 16. These have finely crafted figures placed carefully in the display. On Christmas Eve, Baby Jesus is added, but you have to wait until Jan. 5, Twelfth Night, before the three Kings may be added.

I particularly like the Icelandic custom of exchanging books on Christmas Eve. Then you pass the evening reading by a fire and snacking on sweet

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 28

treats. That’s my idea of a religious experience.

In Finland, you start Christmas morning with a bowl of rice porridge seasoned with cinnamon and butter or milk. One bowl will have an almond hidden in it, and whoever gets the lucky almond will have good fortune. But in Slovakia, they are a bit friskier. On Christmas, the traditional dish is loksa pudding. It is made with milk, bread, and poppy seeds. The oldest family member flings it at the ceiling. The more that sticks, the more luck the family will have.

On Christmas Eve, Polish families share a religious wafer called oplatek before dinner. But you can’t start the meal until the first star appears. There’s always an extra place setting for a possible unexpected guest to go along with the season’s spirit of hospitality.

An ancient Swedish Christmas tradition is the Yule Goat. It dates to the 11th century when a large goat figure was supposed to protect against evil spirits. In the 17th century, people would dress as goats and play tricks. Alas, it has evolved now into only a Christmas decoration.

I guess I’m a little envious of my Christian friends. This time of year, we Jews do light Hanukkah candles, play dreidel, eat potato pancakes and jelly donuts, and maybe exchange gifts. That’s it. So I kind of wish I had a special pudding to throw at the ceiling or that I could roller skate to KFC for a Hanukkah treat.

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Houston Zoo

ENTERTAINMENT

by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

2025 Holiday Happenings ’Tis the season

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here are so many ways to celebrate the season and make memories with friends and family. Find some festive events here. Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and happy, healthy 2026! Note: Event details are subject to change; please find the most up-to-date information online.

76th Annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade Thurs., Nov. 27, 9 a.m.

Downtown Houston Free The annual Thanksgiving Day Parade will be led by Houston’s beloved sports mascots Clutch, Diesel, Orbit, and Toro as Grand Marshals. The entertainment lineup includes Christian music star Danny Gokey; rising country star Payton Howie; a medley from White Christmas: The Musical by TUTS; dance team the Apache Belles; Kam Franklin, lead singer of The Suffers; local performance group Adams Davy; and more.

Holiday in the Plaza Sat., Nov. 29, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

CityCentre Free Visit with Santa and two of his reindeer. Help fill Santa’s Cadillac with new, unwrapped toys to be donated in exchange for a complimentary photo with Santa. Dance along to holiday classics with the Holiday Show Choir.

37th Annual West U Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Mon., Dec. 1, 5:30 p.m.

Friends Park Free The annual West U holiday event will feature dance performances, vendors, holiday games, selfie stations, face painting, reindeer, and more.

Enjoy holiday music and watch as the Mayor and City Council welcome the crowd before announcing the 2025 Coloring Contest Winners, who will have the honor of flipping the switch to light up the Christmas tree.

Bellaire’s Selfies with Santa Weds., Dec. 3, 4:30 p.m.

Bellaire Civic Center Decorate cookies and take pictures with Santa before his official arrival at Holiday in the Park. Time slots start at 4:30 p.m. Bring your

own camera.

Bellaire’s Holiday in ALL IS BRIGHT The Houston Zoo offers immersive light displays and festive the Park experiences for the whole family during Zoo Lights.

Thurs., Dec. 4, 68:30 p.m. lage sculpture. The Weihnachtsfilm Festival Bellaire Town Square Berlin will also show indie short films with a Free Christmas-theme.

Snow is forecast for a festive evening in Deck the Hall: The Mayor’s Holiday Tree Bellaire, including music from local choirs, food, Lighting Concert and family fun.

Sat., Dec. 6, 4-8 p.m.

12th Annual Southside Place Winter Hermann Square at City Hall Wonderland Carnival Free Fri., Dec. 5, 4-7 p.m.

Kick off the holiday season with The Mayor's Fields outside Southside Clubhouse Holiday Tree Lighting Concert, including live $25/person for age 2+ music, entertainment, and the lighting of The annual Southside Place Winter Houston’s official holiday tree. Grammy-nomiWonderland includes inflatables, train rides, a nated R&B legend Brian McKnight will headpetting zoo, hot cocoa, cookies/photos with Sata line the evening. Activities begin at 4 p.m., with and friends, and a huge pile of snow. All prothe concert starting at 6 p.m., culminating in a ceeds go toward funding improvements to Fire fireworks finale and snow. New: Winter Truck Park.

Wonderland Kids Zone, offering crafts, games, Deck the Park and activities. Families can visit Santa’s Fri., Dec. 5, 5-9 p.m.

Workshop for photos.

Memorial Park Clay Family Eastern Glades Levy Park’s Holiday Festival $10/adult; $5/child; kids 2 and under are free Sat., Dec. 6-Sun., Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Deck the Park – the kickoff to Memorial Levy Park Park’s Holiday Lights, which will remain lit Free through early Jan. – includes holiday activities, Levy Park’s two-day festival features a festive a tree-lighting ceremony (6:30 p.m.), an outdoor holiday market, craft station with Christmas, movie screening (7 p.m.), and festive treats such Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa activities, a family as a s’mores station. photo booth with Santa (pups welcome), live Christmas Village at Bayou Bend music and a special performance by River Oaks Dec. 5-30; timing varies by day. Closed Dec. 8, Dance, and holiday eats and drinks.

9, 15, 16, 24, 25 16th Annual Gingerbread Build-Off Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens Sat., Dec. 13, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. $18 (ages 13+), $12 (ages 5–12); free (ages 4 Levy Park & younger) Free for spectators Discover an immersive Christmas experience Architecture Center Houston hosts the at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. A dazannual, delicious competition at Levy Park. zling bridge brings you into a winter wonderland Competing teams will create 100 percent edible, featuring thousands of lights. Sled down faux architectural masterpieces using gingerbread, snow, toss cotton snowballs, hunt for Santa's candy, and other sweet treats. Spectators can reindeer, enjoy a 3-D video animation, listen to cheer on the teams, play in the kids’ construccarolers, look for unique holiday gifts, and more. tion zone, enjoy lawn games, and more.

Take a photo with Santa (by Dec. 23) for $10.

Carols on the Green New this year: New York-based gingerbread Sat., Dec. 13, 7-8:30 p.m. artist and Guinness World Record holder Jon Discovery Green Lovitch will be creating a 500+ gingerbread vilFree

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Celebrate the season at Carols on the Green with Houston Grand Opera. This year’s event is a festive celebration of Latin American culture.

Enjoy an evening of traditional Spanish songs, carols, mariachi, and more.

PJ Library's Family Chanukah Party Sun., Dec. 14, 2-4 p.m.

Family-friendly brewery in Sugar Land (location provided after RSVP) Free Join PJ Library for a family Chanukah party, including treats, crafts, and snacks. The location has a large playground.

Bellaire Chanukah Festival Sun., Dec. 14, 4 p.m.

Bellaire Town Square $15/adults; $12 for children The Shul of Bellaire’s annual Chanukah Festival includes a delicious dinner buffet, Menorah lighting, live music, face painting, crafts, a surprise entertainer, Judah the Maccabee on stilts, and a Gelt Launcher.

9th Annual Memorial Villages Twinkle Light Parade Thurs., Dec. 18, 6-8:30 p.m.

Parade begins at 6 p.m. at Frostwood Elementary and arrives at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church by 7:30 p.m. for an outdoor community holiday celebration.

Free The annual Twinkle Light Parade will include dozens of festive floats, vehicles, and golf carts parading through the Villages. After, join at MDPC for a celebration including cookie decorating, snow, hot chocolate, a balloon artist, live music, and pictures with Santa.

HMNS Holly Jolly + Trains Over Texas Throughout the season Houston Museum of Natural Science, Level 1 Prices vary by event. General admission: adults: $25; children: $16 HMNS is offering holiday activities and events, including Santa’s Workshop (Sat., Dec. 6), Santa Claws (Sun., Dec. 7), Breakfast with Santa (Sat., Dec. 13), The Polar Express screening (Sun., Dec. 14), Cookies with Santa (Sat., Dec. 20), and Snow Flurry (Sun., Dec. 21), plus holiday favorite Trains Over Texas, a popular special exhibit.

Astros Light Up the Park Through Jan. 4 Daikin Park $20-$45 This new immersive experience presented by Houston Methodist will offer a festive blend of lights, sounds, and holiday joy with an Astros twist. Expect themed Astros- and Houstoninspired light displays and shows; special guests including Astros Santa and Orbit, holiday treats, and theme nights.

TXU Energy Presents Zoo Lights Through Jan. 4 Houston Zoo $26+ Explore a dazzling winter landscape filled with fantastical bursts of color, immersive light displays, and festive experiences for all ages. As the Zoo

transforms into a nighttime holiday spectacular, visitors will journey through vibrant realms like the Enchanted Forest, marvel at the shimmering Iridescent Immersion, and sip hot chocolate by cozy s’mores stations. Santa returns to his workshop through Dec. 23, and new features include Wild Wonder Lights and the Neon Playground.

Space Center Houston’s Galaxy Lights RADIANT Inspired by traditions celebrating the Lunar New Year, the zodiac calendar, Through Jan. 4, and regional plant and animal life, Radiant Nature at Houston Botanic Garden is a Chinese 6-10 p.m. (Closed lantern festival with larger-than-life installations.

Nov. 27, Dec. 10, holidays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Dec. 24, and Dec. 25) Thanksgiving Day, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Christmas Space Center Houston Eve and New Year’s Eve, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., $19.95-$27.95 Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, 1-7 p.m., Experience the magic of the holiday season Martin Luther King Day, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and the wonders of space at Galaxy Lights. View Discovery Green the Apollo-themed lantern activations, take a $18 plus tax (includes skate rentals) walk under the stars through a 200-foot LED Glide under the glittering lights of downlight tunnel and 30-foot-tall light display of the town. Enjoy festive themed nights like Skate Space Launch System rocket, enjoy LED light with Santa or DJ Skate nights. swings under the 747 Boeing aircraft, a crystal Winter Wonderlawn fireworks light show choreographed to an epic Through Jan. 11 playlist, a 40-foot-tall shooting star light display, POST Houston and daily screenings of the original film Holidays Weekdays: $12; Fri-Sun: $19; Children 5 and in Space. Then, gather around a fire pit station under: Free and enjoy hot cocoa and s’mores.

Skylawn, the five-acre rooftop park at POST, Sugar Land Holiday Lights is decked out in illuminated lights and décor this Through Jan. 4 holiday season. Enjoy thousands of lights, two Constellation Field 25-foot Christmas trees, and multiple holiday$18.24+ themed activations with a fantastic view of The 12th annual Sugar Land Holiday Lights Houston’s skyline. After Thanksgiving, take features millions of dazzling light displays, Santa photos with Santa on Saturdays from 5-8 p.m.

Claus (through Dec. 23), a new 9-hole Mini Radiant Nature Golf Course, a carnival (Nov. 28-Jan. 1), a synThrough Sun., Feb. 22, timed entry from 6-8:30 thetic ice rink, vendors, food, and more. p.m. Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, along Cistern Illuminated with select weeknights Through Jan. 18 Houston Botanic Garden Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern $28.50+. Get $2 off admission on Thursday and Tickets vary Sunday nights.

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern will be transInspired by traditions celebrating the Lunar formed into a transcendent spectacle of color, New Year, the zodiac calendar, and regional echo, and optical illusion. Tours will be offered plant and animal life, Radiant Nature this year Weds.-Sun., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m, 3 will celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse. The p.m., and 5 p.m. On select evenings, Cistern floral-inspired portion of Radiant Nature Illuminated will be further enhanced with live includes a field of giant Texas bluebonnets, the performances by Ars Lyrica. vibrant red of holiday poinsettias, a tunnel of Green Mountain Energy Presents Ice at morning glories, and a glowing peach tree.

Discovery Green Editor’s note: See this story at thebuzzmagazines.com Through Feb. 16; hours: Mon.-Thurs., 5-10 for links to all events. p.m., Fri., 5-11 p.m., Saturday and HISD school WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 31

NEIGHBORS

.

by Sharon Albert Brier, staff writer

Rumor Has It Adventurous. Seven flights, six hotels, three countries, and two heroic carry-ons later, Ron Thompson proved that love means mastering airport security with style. His pre-birthday adventure for wife Peggy Thompson covered five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, starting in Lima, climbing up to Machu Picchu, and splashing down at Argentina’s Iguazu Falls – 165 waterfalls in just one mile. In Buenos Aires, they toured Eva Peron’s mansion, where her closet once boasted 400 dresses and 600 hats – Peggy’s luggage suddenly felt modest. The grand finale each year is Peggy's New Year's Eve birthday, when fireworks light up the sky for everyone… but somehow, no one remembers it’s actually for her. Ron does – and he’s got the passport stamps to prove it.

Eruption. Volcanoes, history, and just enough adventure to justify a return trip, Romina Sumpter’s annual escape to Antigua, Guatemala, has it all. She checks into the colonial style El Convento Boutique Hotel, where vaulted ceilings and volcano views make every morning feel cinematic. Between leisurely strolls past the Capuchinas Convent ruins (abandoned after an 18th-century earthquake) and the iconic Santa Catalina Arch, she somehow finds time for “research” at the patio spa – surrounded by lush greenery and a breeze that says, “You’re not going home anytime soon.” Antigua never disappoints – unless you count the moment you have to leave.

The Mob was there. Anita Drink, Earl Gray, Brooks & Dunn, and Luna Sea were just a few of the shady “characters” at the Houston Jr. Forum’s Death of a Gangster Murder Mystery Dinner. Fifty guests turned suspects tried to unmask the killer – while sipping martinis under blinking glasses and roaring ’20s backdrops worthy of Gatsby’s ghost.

Glam chair Susan Fisher and her mob – Karen Darnell, Carolyn Staples, Kathi Guillory, Julia Heller, and Susan Loberg – transformed All Saints Church into a speakeasy. Husbands-turned-“gangsters” David Fisher and Korey Heller swapped mob tales, proving once again that crime and cocktails make excellent company.

Dance, dance, dance. The Racket Club Fall Dance hit all the right notes – 95 years of music, mayhem, and marvelous moves celebrated at the Houston Country Club. Barbara Files

had extra reason to boogie, joined by her daughter Jessica Liff (fresh from Tennessee) and son Jason. Clem and Jamie Barrere marked 30 years of membership with spins worthy of “Dancing with the Stars.” The floor stayed hopping with Connie and Cal Dalton, Rachel Messina and Victor Yang, the Roitschs, the Jubans, the Frels, the Bryants and a chorus MOUNTAIN VIEWS Ron and Peggy Thompson pictured in Peru. line of party pros from About fifty neighbors and friends showed up Roz Cooley, Barbara Hinds, Pat Moon, Diane rocking Rocky Horror tees, neon shirts, and Davis, Sheila Rice, Paul Wobbe, and Mary capes galore. Seen haunting the fun: Linda and Sage and Frank Nadolney. It was all types of Steve Schweitzer, Chris and Kathy Hollister, rhythm.

Juanita and Alex Leon, Natasha Becton, Tiana Girls’ French trip. Gal pals Lindy Shriver and Michael Bonderer, and Mary and Folloder, Suzy Godwin, and Lisa Stephens Jim Gosnell – no tricks, just treats (and maybe began their 18-day adventure in Honfleur, seconds of gelato).

France, channeling their inner Monets at the Was Sir Lancelot there? Probably – but 17th-century La Ferme St. Siméon – where Laurie and Kevin Foxx were too busy living even the butter deserves its own museum wing. their own legend! True castle connoisseurs, they Lindy swears she’d return just for another taste never met a turret they didn’t like. Their royal of that Normandy magic on a warm boule. romp through the U.K. began at Bamburgh From there, the trio cruised through the Baltic Castle in Northern England, where knights, States, sampling mushroom soup, dark rye, and Vikings, and dragons once ruled the lore. From enough wheat beer to float the Regent ship there, they toured Balmoral Castle – the themselves. With five-star service, postcard Highland retreat of the Royal Family, newly views, and laughter as rich as the butter, opened to the public – and finished with a they’re already plotting their next grand swoop at Loch Lomond in Scotland. At escape for 2026.

Cameron House, Laurie took up falconry, sendFrights, friends, and fancy gelato. ing a barn owl and a hawk soaring across the golf John and Joni Zavitsanos once again proved course. With a leather glove hiding a tasty that Halloween is best celebrated with costumes, morsel, she quickly learned the secret to attractcocktails, and a cauldron of Brazilian stew. Their ing a bird’s affection – feed it first, then strike a annual bash mixed spooky spirit with serious flaregal pose! vor – hot dogs for the little goblins, plenty of wine and beer for the grown-ups, and a new star attraction: Constantino Artisan Gelato in decaSee Rumor Has It at thebuzzmagazines.com for dent flavors like Crème Brûlée and Bananas additional photos. Have some good news to share?

Constantino. A front-yard bouncy house kept Email us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. the kids airborne until the sugar kicked in.

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Cindy Burnett

ARTS

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by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for December

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (mystery/thriller) – Best Offer Wins is an unhinged, hilariously entertaining thriller set in the highly competitive Washington, D.C. real estate world.

Margo, who is desperate to find her dream home and willing to find it at any cost, quickly becomes consumed by her search to purchase the perfect house. What results is a fresh thriller with clever plotting and a commentary on status, coveting what others have, and people’s ability to go after what they think they deserve no matter the cost. The story is filled with witty banter and over-the-top machinations. The reading experience is a bit like watching a train wreck in slow motion. This book is a great fit for those wanting a fast-paced, fresh thriller.

Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn (nonfiction) – In Family of Spies, Kuehn chronicles how she learned as an adult that her family was directly involved in the bombing of Pearl Harbor by passing secrets and intel to the Japanese while they were living in Hawaii.

Prompted by a letter from a journalist, she begins to uncover her family's horrific, secretive involvement in a pivotal aspect of World War II. Kuehn examines what it is like to come to terms with the despicable acts committed by her grandparents and other family, something that has always personally intrigued me. How do descendants move forward from atrocities committed by ancestors and cope with the generational trauma that often results? Who should atone and how? Kuehn spent years researching her family’s hidden past, and her determination to tell their story results in a captivating and compelling read. This book will appeal to those who love family sagas, World War II history, and engaging nonfiction.

Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon

by Matthew Norman (fiction) – Both Grace and Henry lost their spouses nearly a year ago.

Grace’s husband died of cancer at age 42, and Henry’s wife was killed in a plane crash. Hoping to help their children process their grief, their

mothers conspire to bring them together.

While both say they are not willing to date yet, they concede that sharing their grief with someone who understands would help so they begin watching holiday movies togeth- WHAT TO READ This month's selections include a clever thriller set in a comer. As Henry begins to petitive real estate location, the true story of how a woman learned as an adult integrate into Grace’s that her family was directly involved in the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a heartfamily (she has two kids warming novel about grief, romance, and the holiday season, a fascinating and thought-provoking climate change novel, and a book of short stories in and a dog), both slowly tribute to Jane Austen. begin to feel somewhat Characters by various authors (fiction) – In normal again. Norman expertly handles grief honor of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, a group and the myriad of ways that it presents, and the of authors come together to write happy-evercharacters are fabulous. Henry and Grace’s witty afters for several of the author’s minor characbanter kept me smiling the entire time I was ters. However, Ladies in Waiting not only pays reading. Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie homage to Jane Austen, it is a fresh, creative celMarathon is a delightfully engaging read for fans ebration of her stories that reimagines the world of holiday movies and romance novels with in which she inhabited. Each entry allows readsome depth. ers to revisit this landscape through the characA Guardian and A Thief by Megha ters who play minor roles in Austen’s classics.

Majumdar (fiction) – Who is the guardian and Emma’s Miss Bates stars in several stories, and who is the thief? This question will challenge Sense and Sensibility’s Margaret Dashwood is the reader throughout the entire tale. Set in determined to have a romantic adventure, while near-future India when climate change has devanother story provides a tale about Colonel astated the country and its population, A Brandon’s first love, Eliza. Pride and Prejudice feaGuardian and a Thief centers around two families tures prominently in the collection with the whose drives to protect each other and survive Bennet family residing in contemporary clash in heartbreaking ways. The book thoughtGreenwich Village in one story, Lydia Wickham fully examines how morality and civility break finding true love when she is older in another, down during a tragic event such as climate and Georgiana exacting her revenge on change. Ma, together with her father Dadu and Wickham in a third. This inventive group of young daughter Mishti, are counting down the short stories will delight readers while also days until they leave for the United States after demonstrating Austen’s timeless allure. Avid being approved for climate visas. Days before Austen fans as well as historical fiction fans will they are to leave, Boomba, a young man down devour this one. on his luck, breaks into their apartment and steals their food and Ma’s purse, which contains Editor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett their passports and visas. This profound and gutalso writes our weekly Page Turners column at wrenching story is a fast read that packs a very thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts an award-winpowerful punch. The audio production is outning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page standing. It is a good fit for fans of literary ficPodcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the tion, thought-provoking tales, and climate ficInstagram account @thoughtsfromapage, and regtion. ularly speaks to groups about books.

Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen’s Unsung

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TRAVEL

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by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Passport to Joy: 2025 Journeys that Inspired and Transformed

T

ravel this past year wasn’t just about seeing the sights. For many Buzz families, it was about celebrating milestones, strengthening friendships, and finding joy in shared discovery. From the sunlit cliffs of Capri to the misty trails of the Dolomites, from a Texas weekend to a German family reunion, these Buzz-area travelers found that the best souvenirs are the stories they brought home.

Capri Celebration – Valerie and Tracy Dieterich Few birthdays are as memorable as Valerie Dieterich’s 50th, which she celebrated in grand style on Italy’s glittering isle of Capri with her husband, Tracy, and four close couples. The group spent four unforgettable days surrounded by turquoise water, lemon-scented air, and the kind of joy that only comes when good friends gather in a beautiful place.

The celebration began with a welcome dinner under a canopy of lemon trees – the perfect prelude to a weekend of “food, fun, and wine,” as Valerie described it. The group spent a carefree day at a beach club, then set sail for a day on the Mediterranean, enjoying the sun and sea together before returning for their “final-final dinner” at their favorite restaurant, Aurora.

There was laughter, toasting, and plenty of reminiscing – the kind of easy camaraderie that years of friendship bring. “Capri is the best place on earth,” Valerie said afterward, and her friends were quick to agree. For Valerie, the milestone trip was as much about gratitude as celebration– a reminder that the best memories are those shared with the people who make life sparkle.

Mother-Daughter Magic in Greece – Tania and Skylar Campbell When Tania Campbell’s teenage daughter Skylar dreamed up a mother-daughter getaway to Greece, she had one whimsical wish: to take pictures with cats. The two ferried from Athens to Paros, where whitewashed streets, deep-blue waters, and sunbathing felines greeted them at every turn.

Days were filled with reading on the beach (“I highly recommend Medusa’s Sisters [by Lauren J.

A. Bear],” Tania noted), endless Greek salads, and matching sundresses for sunset photos.

“Paros delighted both of us for its deep-blue water beauty, outdoor cafés, and cats,” she said.

It was the perfect mix of SUN-KISSED IN CAPRI Cruising the coast of Capri and Positano, Italy, on a motor yacht are Jennifer Allison, Dr. Julie Chen, Valerie Dieterich, Lindley Arnoldy, beauty, simplicity, and and Ann Ayre, enjoying four days of food, fun, and friendship in celebration of connection.

Valerie’s milestone birthday.

For Skylar, a senior at (MHS ’83); a girls’ trip to Casa Dorada with Bellaire High School, the trip was a post-junior Laurie Nuss, Jamie Breslow, and Katie year reward and a time to unwind; for Tania, it Rafferty (all MHS ’83); a stay at Rosewood Las was a rare chance to slow down and savor their Ventanas with Michelle Rogers (Kinkaid ’82) bond before senior year begins. and Yvonne Stocker (MHS ’83); and a finale at As the Aegean sunsets turned the sky pink the Four Seasons Cabo with Jamie Breslow, and gold, they realized that what made the trip Michelle Rogers, and Nora herself – “travel unforgettable wasn’t the scenery – it was each agents traveling,” as she put it with a laugh. other.

“When travel agents travel with friends, Walking the World – Susan Tallman everyone is happy,” Nora said. Her friends love that she handles the details while they “just For Bellaire’s Susan Tallman, Spain’s Camino show up and relax, shop, eat, and drink.” After de Santiago is a path that keeps calling her back. so many shared sunsets and laughs, these trips Years ago, she walked it solo – a journey of quiet have become something of a cherished tradition reflection in an era before smartphones kept – proof that friendship, like fine tequila, only everyone connected. This summer, she returned gets better with time. with longtime friend Kim Jacobson from West U to tackle the Portuguese Camino with a Hidden Treasures Close to group of 10 other women, led by the travel comHome – Virginia Mampre pany Spanish Steps.

Not every getaway requires a plane ticket. For “It was a completely different experience,” travel consultant Virginia Mampre, San she said. “The first was solitary and raw; this one Antonio remains one of Texas’ most rewarding was cushy, communal, and full of laughter.” Two escapes – close enough for a weekend yet full of Caminos, two ways of seeing the world – both, history, flavor, and surprises. “Parts of it feel like she said, “life-changing.” old Spain or old Europe,” she said, pointing to the city’s Spanish missions, centuries-old archiCabo Connections – Nora McMordie tecture, and the ever-charming River Walk.

Some friendships are best maintained under San Antonio’s layers of history unfold from the Mexican sun. Travel advisor Nora the ancient to the Spanish Colonial era and to McMordie (Memorial High School ’83) has the present with modern sculptures, buildings, turned Cabo San Lucas into her favorite and a cross-cultural feel along with restored reunion spot, traveling there several times a year buildings from many eras. The Alamo, of course, with her longtime friends– many of them fellow anchors the story, along with the other four mistravel buffs from her Memorial High days. sions that were named a UNESCO World This year alone brought four different getHeritage Site in 2015 – but Virginia noted that aways: a 60th birthday celebration at Pueblo there’s an ongoing archaeological dig on the Bonito Los Cabos for classmate Laurie Fenner

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ADVENTURES ACROSS THE GLOBE Clockwise, from left: Tania and Skylar Campbell soak up the sunsets and seaside charm of Paros, Greece, on their first motherdaughter adventure; Susan Stallman (in red) shares a laugh with a stone “companion” along the Camino Portugués, where she completed her second pilgrimage with a group of women; and Erin and Shane Kimzey explore the Rhine Valley in Germany during a family reunion that brought together 150 relatives from both sides of the Atlantic. Each journey, in its own way, celebrated connection, discovery, and the joy of exploring the wider world.

grounds, adding fresh intrigue to this iconic site.

The city’s cultural landscape continues to grow, too, with world-class art museums, restored theaters, beautiful parks, and a dining scene that rivals the best. And then there’s SeaWorld, Fiesta San Antonio, and the many fiestas with river boat parades as well as street parades.

“It’s an interesting stop for families, couples, and solo travelers,” she said. And with San Antonio’s population projected to reach five million in the coming years, its growth and energy are palpable. For Virginia, it’s a reminder that sometimes the most fascinating destinations are just down the highway.

A Reunion on the Rhine – Erin Kimsey Some family reunions span backyards; others span oceans. This summer, Erin Kimsey’s extended family gathered in Germany, drawing about 150 relatives – 100 Americans and 50 Germans – to a scenic stretch of the Rhine

River near Cologne.

The reunion retraced ancestral roots with a bus tour to the family’s original village and church, a hike to castle ruins, and an oompah band in a barn. Even the town’s mayor, a distant cousin, gave a welcoming address. “The oldest attendee was 94, the youngest less than a year,” Erin said. “Seeing them together was unforgettable.”

The event was a recreation of a reunion last held 45 years ago – and a reminder that the ties that bind can stretch across continents and generations.

Living Life to the Fullest – Pamela Zane For Pamela Zane and her husband, Randy, every trip is a victory lap of gratitude. Nine years after her pancreatic cancer diagnosis – and amid his own rare eye cancer – the couple continues to travel widely, averaging about one trip per month.

This June, they joined their daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Blake Feinman, and two grandsons, Zane and Knox, ages 11 and 8, on what Pamela calls “the most fabulous trip” to Southern Africa. Her daughter, a teacher and travel agent behind The Petite Cosmopolitan, planned a dream itinerary: Johannesburg and Cape Town sightseeing, safaris in Kruger National Park, and side trips to Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls and Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

“The boys loved absolutely everything,” Pamela said. From feeding elephants and zip-lining over the Falls to fishing in the Delta, every day brought new wonders. “All our guides were exceptional, and our grandsons adored them,” she said. “It was nothing short of magical.”

Face-to-Face with Gorillas – Carolyn and John Johnson For Carolyn and John Johnson, Rwanda offered a once-in-a-lifetime mix of adventure and inspiration. Their sum- (continued on page 38)

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AROUND THE WORLD IN STYLE Clockwise, from upper left: Nora McMordie (Memorial High School ’83) reunites with longtime friends at the Four Seasons in Los Cabos – from left, Jamie Breslow (MHS ’83), Nora, and Michelle Rogers (Kinkaid ’82). “When travel agents travel, everyone’s happy,” she joked; Pamela and Randy Zane and family enjoy a hands-on encounter with elephants during their South African safari, part of a grand itinerary spanning Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls, and the Okavango Delta; Bina and Anil Dara trek Italy’s Dolomites near Borca di Cadore, hiking past World War I trenches and celebrating the local Fešta del Dešmonte; and Carolyn and John Johnson raise a toast in Rwanda with a local vodka maker after trekking to see the Amahoro Gorilla Family in Virunga National Park. Together, their travels reflect a year of wonder, friendship, and adventure across continents. (continued from page 37) mer journey began with

four days in Kigali meeting local nonprofits that are transforming lives through education and community projects – experiences Carolyn described as “deeply moving.” But the highlight awaited in Virunga National Park, where the couple embarked on a seven-mile hike through misty jungle terrain to visit one of the park’s most famous residents: the Amahoro Gorilla Family, a 15-member group known for its calm and curiosity.

“It was like stepping into National Geographic,” Carolyn said. “I still get goosebumps thinking about it.” The trek took them through dense bamboo forests and steep, slippery trails, but every step was worth it when they reached the gorillas. “The patriarch was sitting there so regally,” she said. “You could see the intelligence in his eyes. It felt almost spiritual.”

For Carolyn, the trip was more than a wildlife encounter – it was a humbling reminder of connection and conservation. “To be so close to such magnificent creatures and to know they’re being protected was profoundly hopeful,” she

said. “It reminded me how small we are – and how much we share this planet.”

After their gorilla trek, the couple stumbled upon this little gem: Kari Vodka, a new distillery founded and run by Karen Sherman, a native Oregonian. This award-winning vodka, made from little "unloved" potatoes left behind in the farmer's field, is filtered through volcanic rock, then bottled and labeled by hand by local women. What a win-win!

Prosecco and Perspective in the Dolomites – Bina and Anil Dara High in Italy’s Dolomites, Bina and Anil Dara found their happy place – a mix of fresh mountain air, friendship, and history. Staying in the village of Borca di Cadore with their friend Nancy, a retired anthropology professor who knows nearly everyone in town, they were treated to an immersion in local life: homemade pasta, prosecco toasts, and nightly dinners with friends.

One highlight was their hike to Monte Piana, an open-air museum of World War I trenches at

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8,000 feet. “Seeing and walking through the trenches taught me never to use the phrase ‘down in the trenches’ lightly ever again,” Bina said. Surrounded by snow-capped peaks, she reflected on “the sadness and futility of war.”

Before heading home, they joined villagers for the Fešta del Dešmonteà – the “cows coming home” celebration marking the end of summer grazing. “We breathed in the mountain air every day,” Bina said. “I’m hoping for some lasting benefits now that we’re back home in Bellaire.”

Reflecting on 2025 From birthday toasts in Capri to family reunions on the Rhine, Buzz families turned travel into something richer this year – a way to celebrate life, deepen bonds, and rediscover wonder. Whether the destination was a few hours away or halfway around the world, each journey left behind memories that shine brighter than any souvenir.

Editor’s note: Share your recent Buzzworthy travel stories with us! Email info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 39

SPORTS

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by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz David Shutts Photography

F

or the fourth time in the last five seasons, the Kinkaid Falcons are SPC 4A Football Champions. The Falcons secured this year’s title with a 31-21 victory over the rival Episcopal Knights in the title game. “We had an extremely young team to start the season after graduating the bulk of starters from last year’s team,” said Falcons head coach Nathan Larned.

“We had a revamped offensive line, a new quarterback, new receivers, and, as a whole, it was a pretty green team. Our lack of experience showed in our first couple of games, but we realized this group was also very talented. They grew up in a hurry and did a great job to come on strong as the season went on to win another championship.”

In the title game victory, junior running back Wayne Shanks Jr. led the way for Kinkaid with a lofty 234 rushing yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Shanks, who has collegiate offers from over a dozen major collegiate football programs, rushed for nearly 1,800 yards and 24 touchdowns.

If all that weren’t enough, he also caught another six touchdown passes along the way.

“Wayne is just tremendous and can do it all out of the backfield,” said Larned. “He has great speed, vision, and power. He’s the full package and is also the humblest and most hard-working kid on top of it all. Wayne is the best player on the team and one of the best people.”

On defense for Kinkaid in the SPC final, Tommy Crosswell and Nate Chambers both had big games, with each coming up with critical interceptions in the victory.

The SPC championship also capped off an outstanding season for junior quarterback Ross Wynne, who threw for 1,916 yards and 21 touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter. “Ross is an athletic kid who can make throws from all angles. He was just learning the position this season so I’m looking forward to seeing his growth for next year,” said Larned.

For Larned, the SPC championship marked his 100th victory since becoming the Falcons head coach 12 years ago, while winning eight SPC championships in that 12-year span. “I think our success begins with our community.

Our parents and administration allow us to focus on our job without any interference, which isn’t

SPC CHAMPIONS The Kinkaid Falcons celebrated the SPC 4A Football Championship with a 31-21 victory over the Episcopal Knights in the SPC Championship Final.

always the case at other schools. Plus, we’re able to hire some great coaches and, of course, you need to have talented players.”

I

t was a sensational season in cross country for Memorial Mustangs junior Sophie Peterson, who finished 10th in the state at the UIL 6A State Cross Country Meet. Peterson posted the top 10 finish in a time of 18 minutes flat over the 5K course (3.1 miles).

“I was just so thankful to be competing with so many talented girls and just really happy to see how far I’d come,” said Peterson. “Finishing top 10 in the state was a big goal for me, and I’m definitely looking to place even higher next season.”

No runner placed any higher than Peterson at the UIL 6A Region III Cross County Meet leading into state, where Peterson finished first in a winning time of 18 minutes and two seconds. “I knew going in that I would have a chance at the title, but I was coming off a hard training week and there’s of course a lot of girls challenging for the title. I was happy with the

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way I competed and closed in on the finish, which is always the best way to end a race.”

Peterson’s success this season has been even more rewarding considering previous setbacks she faced, including a stress fracture in her foot as a freshman and then battling pneumonia leading into last year’s state cross country meet. “I think those setbacks just really drew me to appreciate the smaller things in running,” said Peterson.

“Sometimes we take for granted even the ability to race healthy and I think that’s really impacted how I’ve raced this season. It’s made me a whole lot more grateful, and I’m just really excited to see what I can do this coming track and field season.”

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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SPORTS

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by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr. W

elcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

Undefeated champs It was another exciting season of volleyball for the Lady Chargers. The Pin Oak Middle School eighth grade girls’ volleyball team clinched their fourth consecutive undefeated district championship this season, extending a remarkable run of consistency on the court. The Chargers continued to build on a winning tradition that has helped define the girls’ success on the volleyball court in recent years, finishing the year strong. Pictured (back row from left) are coach Crystal Krolczyk, Lorelei Niggli, Amari Lancelin, Michelle Gaw, Laney Ripper, Jentry Byrd, Katherine George, Julia Rodriguez, and assistant coach Shelly Hulbirt; (front row, from left) Isabella Tang, Lila Byrd, Anna Claire Dykoski, Annabelle Chung, Catherine Cune, Jane Butler, Anariel Flores, and Bella Most.

Rising golf star St. John’s School sixth grader Connor Liang (pictured) delivered a standout performance at the 2025 Southern Texas PGA Junior Championship, winning the Little Linksters Boys 11-12 Division with a tournament total of 69, three under par. Liang fired steady rounds of 34-35 to secure the championship by four strokes. The event, held at The Woodlands Country Club, crowned champions from across the region and marked the largest field in tournament history with 299 junior golfers.

Players qualified by earning points through dozens of tournaments hosted throughout the summer in Austin, Beaumont, College Station, Corpus Christi, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, and San Antonio. With the victory, Liang earned a spot on the Southern Texas PGA team competing in the Texas Junior Cup.

Fun in costume The West University Softball Association 8U Fall Breakers Tournament Team proved they were in a league of their own at a Halloween-themed softball tournament held in Baytown. The 8U Breakers are competing in recreation and C-class events this season and are having a great time developing their skills while collecting several wins including their costume contest championship. Registration at wusa.org for WUSA’s 2026 spring season closes Dec. 25. Girls aged 5-14 as of Sept.

1, 2025, are eligible to join. Pictured (front row, from left) are Olivia San Angelo, Kenna Parchem, Evelyn Hohos, Hannah Marks; (back row, from left) Sloane Bormaster, Charlotte Zizinia, Avery Beleiff, Audrey Pule, Emy Harris, and Stella Fehn.

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.

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KIDS

HAPPINESS WITH HARMONY Since she was a child, Jaya Ramineni, pictured here at age 3, had a special bond with her neighbor Ms. Harmony Nagle over their shared love of music. Jaya, now a sophomore at Lamar High School, honors Ms. Harmony’s memory by bringing music to seniors.

by Jaya Ramineni, age 15

Buzz Kidz A

Spreading joy through music

t just three years old, I was introduced to music by Ms. Harmony Nagle, my neighbor. In our apartment complex, she would play the piano for me. This was the beginning of my love for music. As I grew, I picked up the violin in kindergarten, performed in school concerts, and cherished the musical bond I shared with her.

When Ms. Harmony later moved into a nursing home, I would visit her and play the violin for her, just like she would play the piano for me when I was younger. Ms. Harmony loved music and bringing people together, so she would host concerts at her residential home and invite me to play the violin there. She would sing while I played. These moments stuck with me and deepened my passion for

music even more. Eventually, Ms. Harmony passed away, but her memory and musical spirit live on.

In her honor, during my freshman year of high school, I founded Happiness with Harmony, a nonprofit that brings student musicians to nursing homes, hospices, hospitals, and community venues to spread joy, build confidence, and foster connection. Our mission is to bring generations together through music and build confidence within young musicians.

We organize student musicians in our community to perform for audiences in care settings and community spaces. These performances create intergenerational connections, allow older adults to relive memories through music, and help young performers grow in con-

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fidence and purpose.

One concert stays with me. An elderly woman recognized a melody during a performance from her youth and began singing softly. That moment reminded me why I started this: music heals, connects, and unites us all.

Editor’s note: Email Jayaramineni@gmail.com if you have an elementary school-age child who would like to perform at a concert or if you’d like to become a community sponsor. See www.happinesswithharmony.org.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 45

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PETS

Vote for the 2025 Buzz Pet of the Year!

Neighborhood Tails Lucky Lady and Penny Lou, ages 11 and 9, Lab and Australian Shepherd Our names are Lucky Lady (right) and Penny Lou (left), and we love life in West University Place. We enjoy daily walks and seeing our friendly neighbors.

Give us a task, and it is done: Retrieving the tennis ball and treats? 100 percent. Patrolling pesky squirrels? We are on it!

Comforting our pack? Always. We guard our house 24/7! During the day, we spend time eating, napping, following our owners around the house, or catching a Netflix series together. When they depart for work/school, we soothe ourselves by watching TV. Our favorite shows include Lassie, nature shows, and the Golf Channel (to calm us). When we hear our family’s cars pulling into the driveway, we wait by the door to greet them with joy (and a good lick or two). We bark when we are hungry or need to go outside, or sometimes to show our overprotective tendencies. Our advice: Wag more and bark less!

Got a cute critter? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

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Lady

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Cast your vote for The Buzz Magazines’ 2025 Buzz Pet of the Year.

Here is a sampling of our contestants. The winner will be announced on our website, Thursday, Dec. 11. The winner will receive a $500 gift certificate to DOGMAN training and boarding in West University.

Vote at thebuzzmagazines.com/petcontest or scan the QR code.

Want your pet to be considered for a 2026 Neighborhood Tails column? Email a high-resolution photo and 150 words from your pet’s perspective to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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Reporting foreign assets and income Do you keep a foreign bank or brokerage account? For trips back home?

To help parents abroad? Will you inherit assets from them? The IRS requires reports of foreign assets and income, with severe penalties that can exceed the value of unreported items. If you are a U.S. citizen, hold a green card, or meet income tax residency tests, pay attention. Income tax on your worldwide income is only the beginning.

Schedule B of the 2024 Form 1040 reminds every filer about two more forms. Part III asks about financial accounts in foreign countries. If filing FinCEN Form 114 is required, each country must be disclosed. Part III also asks about foreign trusts and reminds the taxpayer of Form 3520.

Unmentioned is Form 8938, to report foreign entities.

The Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, known as FBAR or FinCEN Form 114, must be filed electronically by April 15 (with automatic extension to October 15) if your foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 in aggregate at any time during the year. This modest threshold means even small accounts can trigger filing requirements. Penalties for non-willful violations now reach over $15,000 per violation. Willful failures carry penalties of up to 50% of the account balance or over $150,000, whichever is greater.

Penalties are inflation-adjusted each year.

Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, applies at higher thresholds – generally $50,000 for unmarried taxpayers or $100,000 for married couples filing jointly, though these amounts increase substantially for taxpayers living abroad. This form captures foreign stocks, partnership interests, and real estate held through foreign entities, and is due with each Form 1040 (April 15

unless extended). Penalties begin at $10,000 and can reach $60,000 for continued failures, plus a 40% penalty on any tax underpayment attributable to undisclosed assets.

Form 3520 addresses gifts, bequests, and trust transactions. U.S. taxpayers receiving more than $100,000 from foreign estates or nonresident aliens must file this form with their income tax return. The penalties are harsh – 5% of the unreported amount per month, up to a maximum of 25%. A failure to report a $100,000 foreign inheritance for one year results in a $25,000 penalty.

These reports overlap in confusing ways. FBAR requires disclosure of accounts at foreign branches of U.S. financial institutions; Form 8938 doesn't. Form 8938 requires disclosure of foreign partnership interests; FBAR doesn't. Neither requires reporting foreign real estate held directly, though Form 8938 captures real estate held through foreign entities.

Compliance is expensive. Non-compliance is more expensive. Moving smaller accounts onshore, e.g., $500,000 or less, may avoid the cost of future compliance, but does not avoid prior years’ reporting obligations.

We write wills and go to probate court. Foreign nationals and international families welcome.

Russell W. Hall, Bellaire Probate, Attorneys at Law, 6750 West Loop S. Ste. 920, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.662.3853, bellaireprobate.com/blog

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 47

Daniel Ortiz

NEIGHBORS

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by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

Buzz About Town Bubbles and brews Karen Bunger, Marita and Robert Mikeska, and Ashley Gumbert (pictured, from left) raised their glasses at Bubbles & Brews – A Toast For All, the annual fall gala supporting Camp For All. Supporters packed the Fireman’s Training Center in Brenham and raised more than $500,000 to support the camp that provides a barrier-free camp experience for children and adults with challenging illnesses, disabilities, or special needs.

Gala co-chairs Karen Bunger and Ashley Gumbert welcomed nearly 400 guests who enjoyed dinner prepared by Brenham’s Smitty’s Cafe and Bakery. Supporters heard from Camp For All president and CEO Pat Prior Sorrells and honored Marita and Robert Mikeska for their commitment to the organization.

Kick up your boots Chelsea Collmer, Laurie Sanders, Susan Plank, and Kendall Plank (pictured, from left) donned

James Pharaon Creative

Senator Joan Huffman, Mayor John Whitmire, and Jan Duncan (pictured, from left) attended PetSet’s inaugural Le Brunch fundraiser at Le Tesserae. The event raised nearly $1 million for Houston’s homeless animals, focusing on grants for local shelters and rescue organizations. In the past, PetSet’s largest annual fundraiser was a traditional evening event, but the new brunch format was a huge hit. Le Brunch was co-chaired by Kirby Matocha Edmunds and co-presidents Tama Lundquist and Tena Lundquist Faust; Great Day

Houston’s Deborah Duncan served as emcee.

Supporters enjoyed headliner special guests Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters.

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their finest western attire for the eighth annual Kick Up Your Boots for Kids event. More than 250 guests celebrated at The Ballroom at Bayou Place and raised $400,000 for Dec My Room, an organization that decorates hospital rooms for pediatric and young adult patients to reflect their special likes and interests. Kendall Plank and Susan Plank founded the organization in 2007, leading volunteers to personalize and decorate more than 10,000 rooms in more than 180 hospitals around the nation. David Ackel led the evening as emcee and auctioneer and country artist Mark Chesnutt kept everyone moving on the dance floor. Supporters Aimee and Wynne Snoots and Jen and Matt Brice were celebrated as the evening’s honorees.

Champs for childhood cancer Texas Children’s Hospital

Priscilla Dickson

Help for homeless animals

Scott Basinger, Sidney Faust, Elsie Eckert, and Judi McGee (pictured, from left) chaired the 14th annual Salute to Champions luncheon and fashion show benefiting Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center at Texas Children’s Hospital. More than 400 supporters at The Revaire raised more than $440,000.

Melissa Wilson, Fox26 reporter and mom of a childhood cancer survivor, emceed the event that featured “patient champions” walking the runway in a fashion show, accompanied by “community champions.” Matthew Wong helped kick off the show when he lit the torch alongside a patient champion to lead the models down the runway. This year’s event recognized Lilly and Thurmon Andress, Rachel and Jeff Bagwell, Lisa and Mike (continued on page 58)

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Alexander’s Fine Portrait Design

(continued from page 48) O’Leary, Gayla Gardner,

and Diane and Harry Gendel as legacy community champions.

Daniel Ortiz

Greetings from Torino

Devinder Bhatia, Nancy Valobra, Gina Bhatia, and Franco Valobra (pictured, from left) supported the Italian Cultural & Community Center at the Saluti da Torino luncheon at River Oaks Country Club. The sold-out event welcomed 300 guests for an afternoon of Italian-inspired celebration to provide scholarships for college and masterslevel study abroad programs. Event chairs Cheryl Arolfo Byington and Franelle Rogers and honorary chair Rosanette Cullen led the festivities that raised more than $205,000 and honored Franco Valobra. Performers Miguel Delabarca and Maria Daniela kicked off the event by singing two Italian songs and then turned things over to master of ceremonies, KPRC2’s Owen Conflenti and Mauro Lorenzini, Consul General of Italy. Guests viewed fall fashions from Elizabeth Anthony during the fashion show, played a game of True

or False with questions about Italy, and placed bids at the silent auction.

It’s prom night!

Clint and Nina Rand and Tracy and William Northington (pictured, from left) partied like it was 1999 at the Children’s Museum Houston prom-themed gala. More than 460 guests channeled their inner ’90s selves at The Corinthian for the museum’s annual gala that raised a record-breaking $1,163,000. The event space was transformed into a “high school gym” straight out of a ’90s teen movie, and Will Northington and Ellen Bookout were crowned Prom King and Queen. Event chairs Kathryn and Travis Boeker and Cassandra and Ryan Dalton, underwriting chairs Rebecca and Bill

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Adler and Blair and Barry Kessler, and auction chairs Tracy Northington and Nina Rand created a memorable evening for everyone and Prom Night: Party Like It’s 1999 had everyone reminiscing about the good old days. The Drywater Band kept guests on the dance floor, and the hit of the night was the She’s All That-inspired flash-mob dance to Fatboy Slim’s “The Rockafeller Skank,” performed by the gala co-chairs.

Crushing the PSAT Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School (STE) students Ethan Leger, Mihir Zambre, Ashwin Naik, Seraphim Danckaert, Runo Mukoro, Ethan Wang, and Zohaib Randhawa (pictured, from left) were named National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Students (continued on page 52)

(continued from page 50) by the National Merit

Scholarship Corporation for outstanding achievement on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Leger and Randhawa have been named Semifinalists and are among the highest-scoring students in the state. They will have the opportunity to advance in the competition and compete for scholarship awards.

Mukoro, Naik, Wang, and Zambre have been named Commended Students with test scores in the top 50,000 across the nation.

Natasha Gorel

Employing autistic adults

Building branches John and Mary Eads, David and Denise Baggett, and Wynne and Amy Snoots (pictured, from left) co-chaired 11th annual Houston Botanic Garden luncheon at River Oaks Country Club. The Building Branches event honored The Garden Club of Houston and River Oaks Garden Club for their efforts Daniel Ortiz

Joel and Lisa Strieter, Bilen Ham, and founder Heidi Ham (pictured, from left) hit the red carpet at Spectrum Fusion’s inaugural gala, Spotlight on the Stars: Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Autism. The event was held at The Junior League of Houston and honored Spectrum Fusion’s Media Team, a group of 20 talented autistic adults working or interning as film editors, videographers, copywriters, illustrators, and graphic designers. Spotlight on the Stars raised more than $263,000 to help expand the program and hire additional Media Team members. The night opened with a video produced by the Media Team, followed by a surprise Great Gatsby-themed flash mob. DJ Cory Baum then introduced Grammy-nominated singer and Broadway star Ashley Támar Davis, who performed “Fame.” Emcee Courtney Zubowski, host of Texas & Me, turned the program over to Spectrum Fusion founder Heidi Ham, who shared highlights of the organization’s support of more than 500 autistic adults and their families since 2018.

groups, and outreach efforts. Participants started the morning with a warm-up Zumba session, group photo, and countdown to the race. After crossing the finish line, runners, walkers, and their families enjoyed post-race snacks, vendor booths, and cheered on the winners at the awards ceremony.

Running for families Runners and walkers (pictured) gathered at MacGregor Park for Missing Pieces Support Group Life After Loss 5K and Fun Run. The organization that supports women and families grieving pregnancy and infant loss hosted a chip-timed 5K, 1K fun run, and virtual fundraising challenge. The event was held in honor of Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month and proceeds benefited Missing Pieces’ care packages, support WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 52

supporting the 132-acre Houston Botanic Garden since before its inception. Guests enjoyed a Palm Beach Country Club-inspired luncheon with festive shades of coral, pink, and light orange throughout the ballroom, and raised more than $600,000. Rebecca Gardner, founder and creative director of Houses & Parties and author of A Screaming Blast!, delivered the keynote presentation to the crowd of more than 400 garden and outdoor entertaining enthusiasts.

Be seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

Items are published on a space-available basis. Also share your upcoming-event listings on thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2025 53

by Andria Dilling, staff writer

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Back Porch

Lazy Latkes: A Hanukkah miracle (and NYE perfection)

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ould there be a month more steeped in tradition than December? The holidays – Christmas and New Years and Hanukkah – and all the ways we choose to celebrate them throughout the month are filled with meaning, and more than a bit of nostalgia.

For Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah, latke recipes are one of those things we look to our grandmother (or somebody’s grandmother) for. The hashbrown-like, fried potato pancakes remind us of the Hanukkah miracle that a single day’s worth of oil lit up the temple for eight days.

(Hence, the eight-night Hanukkah celebration.) The thing is: Cooking latkes is oily, splattery, and leaves behind a sticky, smelly mess.

Short of picking some up at Kenny & Ziggy’s (which are delicious) or resorting to hashbrowns in the freezer section, a latke mess is just par for the course. Or so we thought.

Last year in our online cooking column Back Porch Table, we tried a lazy version of the real deal, which amazed my own family and also prompted a Buzz reader to chime in and ask, “Why haven’t I always done it this way?!”

Food writer Rebecca Firkser shared a recipe with Food 52 called “Shockingly Crisp Baked Latkes,” that uses an oven instead of a stove for frying, making quick – and much less messy – work of a generations-old major Hanukkah project. We took her technique and paired it with a very slightly adapted version of Pam Gruber’s latke recipe – the one made famous by her son Ziggy’s restaurant Kenny & Ziggy’s – and we think we have landed on the great Hanukkah latke compromise (miracle?). And if you are looking for a fabulous New Year’s Eve nibble, try these topped with a bit of sour cream, a sprinkle of chives, and a dollop of caviar. You can’t get much better.

Lazy Latkes Avocado oil (or another neutral, high smoke point oil) 2 pounds russet potatoes 1 large onion 2 large eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup flour

behance.net/runamokstudios

NEIGHBORS

2 teaspoons kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper Applesauce, sour cream, snipped chives, and/or caviar for serving Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and pour a generous ½ cup of oil on a rimmed baking sheet.

Peel and grate the potatoes, using a large box grater or a food processor fitted with the grating blade, and do the same with the onion. Place the grated potatoes and onion in a clean kitchen towel TRADITION UPDATE Instead of making a mess frying potatoes in a skillet for over a colander, and Hanukkah latkes, consider using a sheet pan and an oven. press down to eliminate we love at our house, Hanukkah or otherwise. excess water. Gather the edges of the towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Do this a Spiced Homemade Applesauce couple of times.

9 apples (we like to use 3 Honeycrisp, 3 Fuji, Place the baking sheet in the oven for 10 and 3 Granny Smiths) minutes to heat the oil. Meanwhile, place the 2 cinnamon sticks potatoes and onions in a large bowl. Add the 3 whole star anise pods eggs, baking powder, flour, salt, and pepper, and 1 teaspoon whole cloves mix well with your clean hands.

Juice and zest of 1 lemon Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Scoop ¼-cup mounds of the potato mixture carefully Peel the apples, then core and chop them into onto the sheet pan. Use an offset spatula or the 1-inch chunks. Put the chopped apples into a large bottom of a ¼-cup scoop to slightly flatten each pot with a lid. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, mound. Bake for 20 minutes, until the bottoms cloves, lemon juice, and zest. Mix everything and edges are golden. Remove the baking sheet together, turn the heat to medium-low, and partialfrom the oven and use a spatula to carefully flip ly cover the pot. Cook for an hour or so, stirring the latkes. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, occasionally. Once the apples are soft, turn the heat until golden on both sides. Transfer the latkes off, keep the pot covered, and let it sit for 30 minto a paper-towel-lined clean baking sheet and utes. Then, stir the apples with a wooden spoon to sprinkle with salt. break them up. From here, you can leave the sauce If needed, add another ¼ cup or so of oil to chunky, or you can mash it with a potato masher, the original baking sheet and warm in the oven the back of a fork, or an immersion blender. for 10 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining potato mixture.

Wishing everyone a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Applesauce and sour cream are the must-have Christmas, and happy, healthy 2026! accompaniments to latkes. Here is a recipe that

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