Christmas
87 pieces tagged “Christmas”, newest first.
Merry Christmas!
Wishing God's blessings upon you, your family and our nation. Our regular editions will return on January 2nd.
Merry Christmas!
Wishing God's blessings upon you, your family and our nation. Our regular editions will return on January 2nd.
Christmas 2017: Happy Christmahanukwamadanice?
We began this year with gratitude, renewed purpose and enthusiasm — and it has been a great year for America!
Making Christmas Merry Again
It's refreshing to have a president who avoids political correctness by acknowledging the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas!
We take leave between Christmas and New Year's. We'll return January 3.
Christmas 2016: Happy Christmahanukwamadanice!
For the politically challenged, a PC greeting.
2016: A Rebirth of Hope
The election refreshed our nation, but true hope isn't in politicians.
Nostalgia Ain't What It Used to Be
When Christmas arrived at our household, a time of great joy and celebration, of course, all thoughts of politics, culture and the frequent nastiness of things in general were put aside. Naturally, this was an occasion to immerse oneself into a sugar-plums-dancing-in-your-ears, Jack-Frost-roasting-on-an-open-fire, Hillary-free day, to be enjoyed by everyone in our family, ranging in age from seven months to seven decades or so. Christmas music hummed in the background, red and green lights twinkled everywhere, peels of laughter and mirth rippled through the air, a ninety-pound black Labrador imitated a lap dog, trying out one lap after another — things didn't get better than that. Until, that is, the first present was opened, in this case, by one of the grandchildren.
Celebrate Christ
For those of us who are Christians and grew up in the '60's, the attack on religious expression we are witnessing today is unsettling. The Christmas holidays of the past are now "Winter holidays." Displays of the Ten Commandments, once fairly common in and around courthouses and public parks, have been targeted by radical secular and atheist groups. Often federal courts have ordered them to be taken down or removed.
Christmas: The Gift of You
It's that time of year again, when we all scurry around doing our last minute shopping for that person who seems to have everything already. And as so many of us rush around to make sure that our final purchases can be delivered in time for Christmas by UPS or USPS, it's easy to forget just what Christmas is all about.
Naughty List: University Says Nativity Scenes, Mistletoe Not Inclusive
The folks over at Cornell University are worried about "inclusive seasonal displays." That's academic code for Christmas decorations. Cornell warned students that some "winter holiday displays" are not consistent with the university's "commitment to diversity and inclusiveness."
The Glorious Impossible
Nine years ago this past week my wife was given six months to live. On the same day that we received that diagnosis, I lost my job. I spent the afternoon exhausted, sitting in mud, cradling my one year old in the rain, while I cried. Having left the hospital to get my child from day care, I was too exhausted to get up and go inside. It was a Christmas to remember.
Merry Christmas!
It is my fervent prayer that we turn to the Light of our Creator for wisdom and peace.
Merry Christmas!
Christmas can be one of the busiest times of the year. Our many activities can be meaningful and fun but can also be exhausting and even distracting. How much time do we spend reflecting upon what really happened that first Christmas? Hectic days work against quiet reflection. Additionally, we've heard the story of Jesus' birth so often that it can seem almost incidental to our celebrations.
No Peace or Goodwill
Not for a long time has the world seemed so removed from the angelic proclamation of 2,000 years ago: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Millions have died in countless wars over the last 100 years. People continue to die today as the result of worldwide terrorism and daily shootings in too many American cities.
Washington Irving's Christmas
Back before there was cable TV, Washington Irving won the war on Christmas. The great early American writer had an outsized role in giving us Christmas as we know it. A little background, according to "Christmas in America: a History," by Penne Restad. Back in merry old England, Christmastime in the 17th century was merry indeed, a raucous affair that incurred the displeasure of the Puritans.
A Contrary Christmas Tale: How Germany Won WWII
One of the most enduring symbols of the Christmas season is a pine tree festooned with sparkling ornaments, adorned with crystalline splashes of snow, and circled with twinkling lights. Now picture this tree with a swastika on top where an angel should be perched, and you've transformed it into one of the most horrific artifacts of the modern world — the Nazis' attempt to co-opt a tradition in order to advertise a loathsome political program. Although it took a global alliance to defeat Hitler's armies on the battlefield, the ideology that enthralled Germany for a dozen years refused to be crushed. Indeed, the miasma of National Socialism continues to live and has crept into the cultural fiber of most Western nations, especially the United States.