On the YouTubes: We Watch the Reston Association Videos So You Don't Have To

Christmas just came early, as the RA just delivered a special present via the You Tubes machine: the December edition of Reston Today. RA President Kathleen Driscoll McKee substitutes for the mellifluous Andy Sigle, letting us know right off the bat about yet another holiday gift from the RA: the bill for the annual assessment, which is being sent to Reston homeowners via uniformed federal agents a month earlier than usual. "Expecting a lot of mail this month?" she asks, warning us not to shove the assessment under the sofa cushions with all the cheery holiday newsletters from Aunt Ethyl and whatnot.

But that's not all! We learn how RA clears snow from the pathways whenever we get more than two inches of the stuff, using small plows called "the bombs." Sweet! They point out that the RA often gets paths cleared before VDOT can plow the roads, which has definitely been our experience. Just don't forget to do your "civic duty" and shovel your own sidewalk, is all.

Finally, we learn more about the awesome Civil War trenches and battles fought in the area, thanks to the Hunter Mill Defense League, which has a new DVD and self-guided tour booklet available, plus some rad pictures of artifacts found in the area on its "web site" -- though sadly, those relics don't include a 19th century lists of rules about what colors to paint your ox shed or whatnot.

And just like that, another 4 minutes and 54 seconds of our lives we could have spent shopping or hanging earth-toned lights on our homes is gone, our fleeting moments of mortality vanishing like sands through the hourglass. Happy holidays!