50 years ago: “City police report the annual Christmas season complaint – stolen Christmas lights. Mrs. Wayne Jackson reported a string of 12 Christmas lights had been taken from 2615 Columbine. Mrs. John J. Wallace reported five lights had been taken from 21 Bacus.”

25 years ago: “A white Christmas is a dream no more after an overnight blizzard blanketed Southwest Colorado. Drifting snow closed schools in Durango and Pagosa Springs, prompted a local snow emergency decree in Archuleta County, briefly shut down the Durango-La Plata County Airport and blocked highway traffic from the San Luis Valley, closing both Wolf Creek and Cumbress passes. … Overnight storms dropped nearly 5 inches of snow in Durango and 16 inches in the mountains.”

Most items in this column are taken from Herald archives, Center of Southwest Studies and Animas Museum. Their accuracy may not be verified.