Early Americans celebrated a long Yuletide from December 15 to Epiphany on January 6. Europeans started earlier on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day. In every tradition, evergreens have been part of the celebration.      Why do we decorate our homes with boughs of pine and holly?      Evergreens are imagined to have magical properties. Remaining green year-round, they have intrigued people when many other plants were brown and dead. Thus they have...

       Learning about vehicle recall problems is a little easier now thanks to a pilot program by the Maryland Department of Transportation. More than 73,500 recalls have alerted car owners to potential safety problems since the program began in April. Recall information is mailed and emailed with registration renewal notices.      Maryland is the first state to use the program, which sends alerts to consumers via their vehicle registration renewal notices....

     Chesapeake Country isn’t just friendly. We’re also bike friendly.      So says the League of American Bicyclists which, on December 6, recognized Annapolis and Anne Arundel County with a bronze Bicycle Friendly Community award.       Both county and city join 464 biking districts across the country.       “We applaud these communities for making bicycling a safe and convenient option,” said...

      As the days get short and cold, flocks of huge white birds arrive in Chesapeake Bay to spend the winter. They seem to come all at the same time and at night.      When they fly, their wings make a high-pitched sound that caused Meriweather Lewis to name them whistling swans. Their wings do whistle, but they also make a loud honk when talking to each other, and they are quite loud as they slap the water when taking off. Tundra swans have an almost five-and-a-...