When Christmas was just around the corner, Bill Soberanes would often devote an entire column to his holiday memories. Rather than attempt to translate his thoughts, using my words, here are a few of his memories about Christmas published by the Argus-Courier years ago.
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Although Santa now arrives via many different ways of transportation, I miss the days when he came in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.

I’ve found that many people who used to say, Merry Christmas now say “season’s greetings,” “happy holidays,” or have a happy ho ho ho.

Although many people still decorate their homes during the Christmas season, the decorate fences are gone. The reason could be that most people don’t have fences around their homes as they did in bygone years.

Today we have the homeless at Christmas and people are more generous toward them during the Christmas season. Of course most people become more friendly and even more generous.

You are a real old timer if you remember when Petaluma Police Chief Mike Flohr rode around in his Model T Ford and wished everyone a Merry Christmas.

Although Christmas is still big in downtown Petaluma, nothing has replaced Santa’s North Pole at the now-gone Tomasini Hardware Store on Kentucky Street.

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Fast forward to 2011; are these recollection by Bill out-of-date, or have they returned in one form or another? Feel free to add your thoughts and comments.