By Michael Patrick O’Brien– My wife and I had amazing existential bookends in Arizona near the beginning and at the end of 2024.  In December 2023, we visited Tucson and…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Finding a place for both Jesus and Santa Claus at Christmas time can be challenging.  The secular holiday largely ignores Jesus. The Christian celebration often forgets…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– While doing some research for a novel I am writing, I stumbled on some fascinating facts about the legal history of Christmas. “Legal” may not be…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I’ve never seen chestnuts roasting on an open fire, nor eaten any of them, but every December they make me think of Christmas. That’s because my…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– As a young boy watching the 1971 film Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I dreamed that someday I’d get my own tour of a candy…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I’m not in the habit of making dramatic proclamations about divine intervention in the world.  I do believe, however, that six decades ago, God reached down…

By David Noyce (Guest Contributor)– (Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune recently honored David Noyce for 40 years of service to the newspaper, where he now edits the Tribune’s religion…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– As I have noted previously (see: The 12 weeks of Christmas romance novels), when my agent Joe Durepos suggested I write a novel that included a…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– My recent Disneyland trip probably was not my final visit there. As my hair grays and my wrinkles multiply, however, it may have been one of…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– During a flight to Rome in mid-September 2024, a journalist asked Pope Francis what advice he had about the upcoming United States presidential election. The reporter…