What I think about Christmas

I was sitting here listening to the news, and the POPE stated that Christmas is too commercialized. Really, you think so.. they started putting Christmas decorations out before Halloween this year. I guess as I get older I find that for me, it is definitely less about what I am going to get, but more about giving to the people who are important to me.

When and why did Christmas go from being a religious holiday to a commercial holiday that barely allows you to see the reason for the season? When I did a little research, I was dumbfounded about the relatively short period of time that Christmas has actually been celebrated here in the United States.

What I discovered was that at times the various reformation and puritanical groups actually outlawed Christmas. Then when there was great upheaval because of the differences in the classes it was not celebrated.

It only started to become popular in the 1820’s here in the US when the “Twas the night before Christmas” story came out. Then it slowly grew in popularity in different regions of the US, until it was finally made a Federal Holiday in 1870.

Now it is the main economic stimulus each year for many nations. A quarter of all personal spending in the US occurs at Christmas time. So there is no wonder that there is very little mention of the birth of Jesus in the entire media blitz. Imagine the economic loss if folks weren’t guilted into over spending and giving presents to folks that they barely liked.

I just know that my enjoyment is not from presents, but from the time I get to spend with my family and friends.

I would like to say that I am somewhat hypocritical since I LOVE SUGAR COOKIES. The best sugar cookies are made at the Christmas holiday.

So if we could have a cookie holiday which allowed you to hang with all of the important people in your life, then I would be all for it.

New Christmas Tradition

Someone sent this to me and it made a ton of sense. I cannot and wil not take credit for writing this, but its a great idea.....


Here's an interesting and worthwhile idea.

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- and each item is one more nail in the coffin of American labor.

This year can be different. This year Americans should give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift-giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is! It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon, or barber?

Gym or yoga club membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American-owned detail shops, and car washes, would love to sell you a gift certificate, or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half-dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day. Or even a local masseuse!

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit it into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes. Check out crafts fairs.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner-operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play, or ballet ,at your hometown theater?

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand foreign-made lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy, or delivery person, and babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets and seeing our hard-earned wages go outside the country. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities ....and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. Remember a local charity!

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition. Enjoy family get-togethers, church services, caroling, as in past Christmases ....but put more emphasis on the REASON FOR THE SEASON .....and less on material gifts.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper, and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other .

Veterans Day!

Veterans Day.

As I sit here thinking about what Veterans Day means to me, I start to get goose bumps.  I have served, and I don’t think I did anything special, some people may think differently, and many have sacrificed a lot more than me. But it allows me to have a perspective that some of the best folks in our country and in our world are, or have been members of the US military.

Veterans Day is not a hollow day, made for the greeting card industry. It is not a holiday that was designed to help boost retail sales, and make kids and folks want items that they really don’t need. It is a day that was set aside to honor Veterans, and “show pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service”, President Woodrow Wilson.

So to me it means that we live in the greatest country in the world, and as a family or community we may not all agree all the time with the actions of our politicians. But as a family and a community, we can overcome all obstacles, and the military and our veterans are just the best example of our citizenry who are willing to sacrifice everything they have for the betterment of the world we live in.

So Thank You Veterans! I will in my own private way celebrate and honor your love of country, your patriotism, and your willingness to sacrifice for your belief in God and Country.

God Bless You, and thanks for keeping me and mine safe!

The Space Race is Dead!

Lately we have been asking Alysse what she wants to do with her life. We get some blank stares, and a quick “I don’t know”. Which is probably true, since she isn’t quite 13 yet. But should she know?

I realized that I knew what I wanted to be from the time I was in second grade! An astronaut! Oh yeah, and I almost made it, and then reality set in.

But what that desire made happen was my interest in all things mechanical, which in turn made me do fairly well in math and science. Which means that I can do a geometric proof that proves that everything I have is due to NASA?

So here it is my second blog post and I am already going to say something political. I will try to be non-controversial, and I won’t even mention political parties. But I really think that our politicians are bungling this whole space exploration thing.

My reasoning is this, we used our government to subsidize and make our space program one of our greatest achievements. It inspired me, and probably a whole bunch of folks to want to be astronauts, and in the end we all became technical nerds and engineers. But the return on investment is measurable, in technology as well as intellectual power.

However, our politicians have now deemed it a waste of money. It’s OK to spend billions in military spending to occupy foreign lands. It’s acceptable to spend billions to bail out foreign banks. It’s acceptable to bail out companies that were supposed to be working in the “Capitalistic” fashion, and then these same companies used the money to pay bonuses.

So we are left hitching rides from the Russians, and the Chinese are doing all of the same things that we did 50 years ago. So where does that leave us? What inspires our youth? Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian? Ask these same children and young adults who Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, and Buzz Aldrin are, and I can almost guarantee that you will get a blank look.

So if the fact that we spend more money on subsidizing foreign governments than space exploration upsets you, maybe you should send your congressman an email, and let them knows that we need to do something to inspire our children to greater heights. Literally and figuratively.

Here I am!

I am gonna take a run at this BLOG stuff?