About a week before Christmas, I was in the grocery store and came across a product I'd been discussing with my daughter, Melani.

Melani lives in Vancouver and hadn't been able to find this product in her grocery store, so I took a cellphone photo of the display showing the brand to text to her. I'd no sooner taken the photo when a clerk comes up and asks if I took a photo. I said yes and he scolded me, saying that without prior permission from the store manager photographs were not allowed.

I was taken aback - I've snapped photos in that and other stores many times. When I posted a comment to my Facebook page regarding the experience, I received dozens of responses. Others have had similar experiences in big-box stores, and some who've worked retail confirmed a number of stores that prohibit photographs.

In today's connected and social society, taking photos with cellphones of unique products - or as one of my friends remarked, checking with a spouse via text with a photo to make sure that it's the right item - is expedient. Perhaps the retail industry might want to revisit what I think is an outdated culture of preventing competitors from stealing product placement information with covert ops.

And among all who addressed the topic on Facebook, nary a one could recall ever seeing a posted notice at any store that photographs were not allowed. Maybe the signs could be placed right by the security cameras that monitor our every move while we're in the store.

I spent several years living in my husband's homeland of North Dakota where winter is taken seriously. This kind of arctic cold really is a matter of life or death if you're not prepared. The first winter in North Dakota I was attired in Idaho winter wear. By the second winter I threw fashion by the wayside and was bundled in moon boots, a down coat, scarf and knit face mask. My vehicle was fitted with a block heater and plugged in when not being driven. Here we get the Arctic Express in short stretches, thankfully not for long months at a time. Respect winter, my friends.

This Main Street column has been appearing weekly since 1990, first in the Post Falls Tribune, then the Coeur d'Alene Press, the Spokesman Review and back to the Press. At the end of each year I'd tally the number of people whose names appeared in the column, including birthday shout outs. The last year of a tally was 2006 and there were 718 people in print in Main Street. Now birthdays alone top the 2,000 mark so no more tallys. But suffice it to say I genuinely appreciate the huge number of people who do the things it's an honor to shine the light upon here each week.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,

We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

Resolve to be a blessing in someone's life every day in 2015.

New Year's Eve birthdays belong to Cheryl Freeman, Kalia Baltzell, Sarah Chase, George Holcomb, Phyllis Koepsell, Shaun Leary, Sandy Thompson and Crystal Dean.

On Jan. 1, aka New Year's Day, Edie Miller, Jan Leaf, Kathy Edinger Dingman, Linda Jordan, Kevin Johnson, Steve Schiller, Johanna Johnson, Jessica Hammond, David Attridge, Dianna Owens, Linda Cook, Holly Childers, Katrina Boyer, Johanna Johnson, Declan Jones, Cheryl Shepherd, sisters Shaun Willams and Shana Crimp celebrate the first Main Street birthdays of 2015. Nicole Barnes, Jerry Roth and Dion Unruh bundle up the birthday wishes on Friday.

On Saturday Katie Soy, Jeff Block and Erika Umphenour celebrate. Idaho's first lady Lori Otter shares a Jan. 4 birthday with Darrell Whitesitt, Debbie Ferguson, Norman Tucker, Bert Storlie and Brandon Sutich. Wish a happy birthday on Monday to Marty Hayes, Jamie Lynn Morgan, Sherri Patton, Phil Eager, Thad Bolek, Timothy Barrett, Dirk Darrow, Bobbi Doupe, Rick Gunther and Debbie Raeon. Putting on their party hats on Tuesday are Gary (GA) Allen, Colton Peugh, Kris Cederburg, Judi Caceres and Kellie McCracken.

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. She's been voted Best Local Writer by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal multiple times. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.