The arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich on federal corruption charges sparked more letters to the editor than any other topic during December. But the letters were so similar, it was impossible to choose any single one as a finalist for the monthly Golden Pen Award.

The three finalists picked by the editorial board for The Southern Illinoisan focused on non-Blagojevich themes - the real meaning of the holidays, the proper care of pets and President-elect Barack Obama's diverse appointments.

Now it's time for our readers to pick the winning letter and author from the following three letters. The author receives an inscribed gold-colored pen and public recognition of the achievement in a column written by the editor. The easiest way to vote is online at www.thesouthern.com/goldenpen. It also is possible to vote by mail by noting your favorite letter from this group and sending it to: Editor Gary Metro, The Southern Illinoisan, 710 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale, IL 62901. Votes will be accepted through Friday, Jan. 16. The winning letter and author will be recognized before the end of the month.

Adjust unrealistic expectations of holidays

To the Editor:

Practically everyone loves the holidays and wants them to be a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience.

As a result, we tend to spend a great deal of time and effort engaging in all sorts of activities that create an immense amount of unnecessary stress and worry.

A chief cause of holiday stress is that gnawing feeling that the things we feel we must do are going to outstrip our available time. Shopping, cooking, packing, wrapping and decorating suddenly fill what used to be our free time, in addition to special holiday events and parties peppering our schedule.

Now is the time to readjust our unrealistic expectations. Granted, the media lead us to believe any holiday celebration that does not end up resembling a Currier and Ives print is a failure.

Each of us should be more focused upon what truly matters most to each of us, spending fewer of our valued hours involved in activities and projects that are really not part of our "core" holiday goals.

The holidays are a time to meet up with those individuals whom we love, celebrating our prized time together and appreciating the limited time we get to do so.

May we not forget to include those less fortunate souls, too, who cannot afford to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones or do not have any cherished ones left to rejoice the season with.

Joanne Clayton

Herrin

Think of long-term responsibility before buying a pet

To the Editor:

At this time of year, people are busy getting ready for the first big snow and the holidays. They seem to forget our furry, four-legged friends.

I am one of many (but not nearly enough) people I will call animal rescuers. We try to make a difference.

One day, someone will come and take a lucky dog or cat, and I feel on top of the world.

The next, I find an innocent puppy lying on the ground with not enough strength to raise its head; the owner, knowing it, is out there and not caring in the least. I rush it to the vet and sit with it all night crying tears of love; he licks my tears and dies in my arms.

This is just one sad case. I have healed at least 100 dogs and cats from my home with my own money. When they're healed, I find them good homes at no cost to the new family.

Could you please print something in the paper making people more aware of all the sad, hungry and freezing lives they are destroying? Thank you for your time.

Paula Waldron

Mulkeytown

Obama making smart choices

To the Editor:

Some critics are chiding President-elect Barack Obama for hiring so many people from the Clinton era, when he had campaigned on a promise of change.

I, for one, am glad to see the next president surrounding himself with worthy, experienced personnel. That's a good start.

There is an old adage which says something like, "There's no substitute for experience."

To further define my thinking on this topic, I'm here saying that I did not vote for Obama I found him to be scary. I envisioned him surrounding himself with left-wing liberals, Chicago cronies, etc. I wish him the very best in governance.

Marvin Teel

Christopher