Check out our December newsletter!
NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 Info@NortonAccountingServices.com DECEMBER 2022 NORTON NEWSLETTER EASE OF MIND • AVAILABILITY • FLEXIBILITY • INDIVIDUAL APPROACH • EXPERIENCE • TAX SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
I’ve been talking to a lot of real estate investors these past few months about the outlook for real estate in the coming year. Most of them are looking forward to the buying opportunities due to the continuing falling real estate prices. Some, including realtors, are concerned with the slow down in real estate sales. Here’s a summary of what I see and am hearing from these investors. Expect interest rates to continue to climb in the coming terms and insurance cost to remain high due to inflation. Meanwhile, rents will remain steady due to inflation pressures and the lower supply for housing in general. FROM THE DESK OF Bob Norton
It’s a Time-Honored Tradition The History Behind Our Favorite Christmas Decorations
Every year, Americans across the country gather on Dec. 25 to celebrate Christmas. It’s a time often spent opening presents, eating delicious holiday favorites, and spending time with those we love most. Before bringing everyone together for the festivities, we need to decorate the house. That means hanging lights inside and out, putting up a tree, and of course, hanging ornaments. Have you ever wondered where the Christmas ornament tradition began? To fully understand the history behind Christmas ornaments, we need to travel back to the year 723. Saint Boniface was walking through Germany one night when he came across a pagan gathering. Pagans danced around a decorated oak tree as they prepared to sacrifice a baby in honor of Thor — not the one you recognize from the Marvel movies. Boniface stepped in and chopped down the oak tree in the name of Jesus Christ. Behind the oak tree was a much smaller fir tree. Boniface explained to those gathered that the fir tree symbolizes the one true God. He then gave a short sermon and converted the former pagans to Christianity. Of course, this story is only a legend. There’s no telling how much truth is behind it, if any. Another story states that the beginning of Christmas trees and ornaments dates back to 16th century Germany. At this time, Christians were just beginning to decorate their trees or pyramid-shaped stacks of wood in anticipation of the Christmas holiday. The protestant reformer, Martin Luther, walked home on a snowy evening after giving a sermon. He noticed the moonlight shining off the snow, resting on the trees. He was enamored by the beauty and wanted to share this sensation with his family. He decided
For flippers, wholesalers, and realtors, expect
a slowdown in your business and lower profits for 2023. For landlords, you will find opportunities to buy cash flowing properties in the coming year. All investors can find opportunities with creative financing for acquiring and selling properties, as these methods will make a difference in your bottom line. Look into buying subject-to the existing financing to help homeowners that need to sell when
they are upside down. Also, for selling, look into lease- options to help buyers that cannot access bank loans. And, focus on cash flow. –Bob Norton
Continued on Page 2 ...
985-640-6072 • 1
... continued from Cover
the best way to do so was to place lit candles on his Christmas tree to give off the appearance of snow dancing in the moonlight. Some sources state that Martin Luther may have been the first to use a fir tree to decorate his home for Christmas. When people first started decorating their homes with Christmas trees, they used various items to act as ornaments. Paper flowers, cookies, and nuts showed that spring and new life would return in the upcoming months. Other baubles were hung simply to add color to the decoration. Traditional ornaments gained popularity in the 1800s after a depiction was released of Queen Victoria celebrating the holiday with her family around a decorated evergreen tree. From that point on, Christmas ball ornaments were the most sought-after Christmas decoration. By the 1890s, Woolworth’s Department Store had sold American shoppers $25 million worth of German- imported ornaments made of lead and hand-blown glass.
new ornament for each family member every year. If you want to do something really special for your kids that will create lasting memories and treasured keepsakes, try to make your ornaments each year. You can design them from scratch or buy a pack of plain Christmas ball ornaments and paint them with whatever you like. Make an event out of it, and your entire family will surely have the time of their lives.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a very merry Christmas!
Since then, ornaments have been released in all shapes and sizes. For many families, it’s become a Christmas tradition to pick out a
Besides ’80s hair, it’s hard to imagine what Prince, Dee Snider, and Tipper Gore have in common. But they all played a pivotal role in the parental advisory stickers that eventually dotted CDs for decades. Parents once had to listen to their children’s preferred music to determine whether or not it was objectionable — but that all began to change in 1985. The star-studded saga started when then-Sen. Al Gore’s wife gave her daughter a copy of Prince’s smash-hit album “Purple Rain.” But she was shocked by the lyrics of one song, “Darling Nikki.” Unlike most parents, Tipper Gore had the political connections to take action. She co-founded Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) with other so-called Washington wives. They promptly began a crusade to put warning labels on explicit record albums. The PMRC contacted individual record labels and requested a classification system with different markers for violence, profane language, and sexually explicit content. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) extended an olive branch by suggesting a generic one-size-fits-all advisory label. But PMRC refused and used their connections to secure a hearing in Congress instead. The Celebrity-Ridden History of Parental Advisory Labels Too Hot to Handle
a televised spectacle when musicians
appeared on Capitol Hill to defend free speech. Avant-garde rocker Frank Zappa declared the hearings a waste of time and that politicians’ wives abused their power. Meanwhile, Daniel “Dee” Snider, lead singer of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, arrived sans lipstick to speak eloquently about how lyrics are open to interpretation and often impossible to classify. But the star witness of the hearings turned out to be the mellow singer-songwriter John Denver. With his clean-cut image, Congress had assumed he would support the PMRC’s demands. Instead, he presented an impassioned monologue about differing opinions on what can be considered offensive and warned Congress of the dangers of censorship. Ultimately, neither side got what they wanted. The RIAA moved forward with an industry system of generic warning labels that read “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content.” Ironically, the prominent sticker became a badge of honor among many music fans and an effective marketing tool for record labels. These days, warnings still appear on streaming services, but with CD sales at rock bottom, those infamous parental advisory labels are essentially a relic.
The goal of the hearing was not to pass any law; it was to put pressure on the RIAA to change its tune. But the event became
2 • NortonAccountingServices.com
How the Grinch Stole Our Hearts
Behind the Timeless Christmas Tale
As regularly as Rudolph does, the Grinch appears on our television screens every December. Despite his negative attitude and nefarious intentions, the protagonist of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” remains a family favorite more than 60 years after the animated TV special first aired. The Grinch’s transformation into a cultural icon began with a 1957 children’s book. Author Dr. Seuss had recently experienced great success with “The Cat in the Hat” and was a hot commodity. He published “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” later that same year, and the black-and-white book was an instant smash. The story might have ended there if Dr. Seuss had his way. Dr. Seuss was protective of his creations and didn’t trust them in anyone else’s hands, but his filmmaker friend, Chuck Jones, eventually persuaded him to reconsider. Still, the story required some changes. Jones assigned the Grinch his signature green color, and the Grinch’s dog, Max, was given a more prominent role to increase the special’s runtime. But the songs were the most important of all.
Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is a hilariously clever song and a highlight of the program. The filmmakers also secured a big win in the voice talents of horror movie legend Boris Karloff, who provided an alternatingly sneering and tender tone to the production. Thanks to its full animation technique featuring 25,000 drawings, Variety says “The Grinch” may have been the most expensive television special made until that time. Later, Hollywood upped the ante with a live-action adaptation in 2000 and an animated full-length film in 2018. Both movies were box office successes, but neither has overtaken the 26-minute TV special as our favorite way to enjoy the Grinch. Why does the Grinch endure? Dr. Seuss based the character on himself, so it may be that there’s a little bit of the Grinch in all of us. Unlike that other well-known holiday-hater Ebenezer Scrooge, he gives those who aren’t full of Christmas cheer a favorable mascot. The Grinch’s wild schemes and comical complaints are more fun than menacing, and his story produces a reliably happy ending. As its greatest gift, an annual viewing can leave even the most hardened Grinch feeling as if their own heart has grown a size or two. Whoville Roast Beast Inspired by TasteMade.com
The TV special contains nine total musical numbers, the most famous featuring lyrics only Dr. Seuss could have written. “You’re a
Take a Break!
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup brown sugar • 1 tbsp paprika • 2 tsp black pepper • 2 tsp salt • 3 tbsp olive oil • 1 5-lb bone-in rib-eye roast • 3 tbsp butter • 2 heads of garlic, halved
• 2 bay leaves • 4 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs • 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 12-oz bottle of stout beer • 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 2. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, and olive oil. 3. Place roast in a baking pan and coat with spice mixture. Let marinate uncovered in refrigerator for 1 hour. 4. Place pan on stove over high heat. Brown the roast on all sides, then add butter, garlic, and herbs. 5. When butter melts, add broth, beer, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. 6. Transfer pan to oven. Braise until meat is tender, up to 2 hours. 7. Remove roast from pan and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, strain pan juices and put back into pan and boil until reduced by half. When finished, slice roast and serve with pan sauce.
Celebration Decoration Family Gathering
Gingerbread Hearth Holiday Icicle
Midnight Mittens Present Roots
985-640-6072 • 3
THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
Norton Accounting Services, LLC
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 Info@NortonAccountingServices.com
1527 Gause Blvd. Ste. 132 Slidell, LA 70458
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
From the Desk of Bob Norton PAGE 1 Why Do We Use Christmas Trees and Ornaments? PAGE 1 The Strange Story of Parental Advisory Labels PAGE 2 You’re a Mainstay, Mr. Grinch PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Whoville Roast Beast PAGE 3 How to Impress Visitors This Holiday Season PAGE 4
Impress the Guests With These Holiday Hosting Tips
and drinks. If you don’t know what they are, ask ahead of their visit! Your guests will appreciate your conscientious gesture and have a much more enjoyable time if they can eat their favorites while visiting.
Prepare a guest room. If your guests are staying with you, you need to prepare
somewhere for them to sleep. Make sure you make up the bed, have plenty of pillows and blankets on hand, and provide adequate closet space for their clothes. Even if they aren’t staying in a traditional bedroom, their sleeping area should still be ready when they arrive. Clear off a table for them to use as a nightstand and put sheets on the couch or mattress where they’ll sleep. Use real dishes. When we have company over for a meal, especially a large gathering, it’s usually easier to use plastic or paper options — saves on cleanup, too! The holidays are not necessarily the time for this shortcut. Break out the fine china if you have it, or use regular dishes for your guests. It’s okay for the kids to have paper plates, but if you want to make a good impression on visiting adults, nicer dishes will dress up the table setting and meal.
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and soon, we’ll share laughs while enjoying the festivities with our loved ones. Before the celebrations begin, you must prepare your home for visitors, especially if they stay overnight. It can be stressful whether it’s your in-laws, best friends, or distant cousins coming to stay with you. You want to leave a good impression, but how do you ensure everyone’s needs are met, including yours? Here are three tips for setting yourself up for a successful holiday, regardless of who stays with you. Stock up on your guests’ favorites. Have you ever stayed with someone who didn’t have extra food for their guests? Don’t put your guests in this situation. Load up your pantry, refrigerator, and cupboards with your guests’ favorite foods
4 • NortonAccountingServices.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4www.nortonaccountingservices.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator