It's that time of year when journalists get together in groups and start talking about "evergreens."

No. Although many of us will make a trek to the local tree lot in the coming weeks, these conversations don't center on spruces, cedars and firs.

An "evergreen" in journalism parlance is a story that's divorced from the news cycle. Since it's less time-sensitive it can be reported ahead of time. Those of us who cover the courts, in particular, tend to think ahead around the holiday season to a time when court calendars are light on activity and big on days off. When opinions and decisions are sparse, it's nice to have an evergreen or two banked to have enough copy to fill the paper or newsletter or website or whatever the medium might be.