This Side of the Pond

The international news may seem filled with doom and gloom, but that’s not always the case around Christmas. One of my favorite things about the season is watching the kindness and generosity – and, of course, having the occasional giggle at silly ideas.

Such as the 500 wiener dogs (known in my part of the world as sausage dogs) who gathered with their humans in London’s Hyde Park last week, every single one of them wearing a Christmas outfit. I assume the event was not their own idea, but they sure did wear those costumes with panache.

There was Lord William as a turkey, Noodle and Shnitzel a...