# 348, December 21, 2004

COLUMBUS: All I know is what I read in the papers. Our churches are working to keep Christ in Christmas, and across the country there’s lawyers that don’t even want Christmas in Christmas.

Schools have given up on Christmas trees, Christmas carols and Christmas presents. Even decorations that are red and green are banned. The stop lights in front of some schools were altered for the month of December to simply flash on yellow.

These schools that caved in to threats from the ACLU should unite, stick together, maybe form their own ACLU… American Christmas Liberties Unleashed. We know that not everybody likes Christmas or what our Savior stands for, but does that give them the right to prevent the other ninety percent from celebrating a favorite public holiday?

Not everyone likes football, but just because five percent prefer ice hockey or figure skating don’t mean football gets kicked off public grounds.

In Washington, President Bush is still searching for someone to trust with our Homeland Security. I have heard from a few of my Indian friends, and they say, “Let us take another crack at protecting our borders.” They know we weren’t very successful keeping from our shores the riffraff 400 years ago, but claim the ole Indian learned a lot from sitting on the wrong side of the treaty table. Maybe you think the Indians couldn’t improve on the security record of the past ten or so years; but how could they do worse?

Wal-Mart announced they are allowing Salvation Army volunteers to collect donations. Not only allowing, but encouraging them. Sam Walton’s offspring say they will match any donations up to $1,000,000. That’s mighty generous, and I suggest you take them up on it. Even if you don’t have a million, give what you can.

It was 5 below here yesterday. That’s cold enough to put you in the Christmas spirit. I’m all for opening one particular present early, the package with the wool socks and rabbit fur mittens. I’ll generously wait till Christmas morning to open the tie box.

Historic quotes from Will Rogers: (on Christmas)

“Well, the Christmas spirit is over now. Everybody can get back to their natural dispositions. If there had been as many good wishes in the heart as there was on paper the devil would have to dig up some new clients.
Christmas will never be a real charity benefit till we learn to eat those Christmas cards. If we spent as much with the Salvation Army as we do with the telegraph companies every Christmas, why the poor would be fat all Winter.” DT #753, Dec. 25, 1928

“The holidays got by without much publicity. Christmas was awful quiet after the excitement of the late election. It looked like there was a lot more interest in (Al) Smith and (Herbert) Hoover than there was in Santa Claus. I guess Christmas is getting kinder old and we will have to scare up something new to take its place. The trouble with this generation is they are getting too wise. That is they are getting too wise about things which they ought not to get wise about, and learning none of the things that might be any good to ’em afterwards. We kid the idea of Santa Claus now, where as a matter of fact it was one of the greatest illusions and ideas we ever had. We lost it and nothing has taken its place. Even to presents, why in the old days just any little remembrance was the very thing we wanted and needed, but now with all this Republican prosperity, nobody can’t give you anything you need, for you already got it.” WA #315, Jan. 6, 1929