Oh, and I hope you remembered to share with the fire department after they showed up for the alarm.

Postscript: A neat article I came across this morning on the origins and history of Christmas.

God Bless You and Your Family Dear. As always you are in my prayers, and I pray you have a wonderful Christmas time, and a truly great new Year. – Lorica

Also, I’m so glad to be near the end of the incessant, puerile and incredibly inane “Happy Holidays.”

Oh really? Which holiday is that, pray tell? Go on, you can say it, and you won’t melt and your hair won’t catch on fire.

I understand not everyone is a Christian, and that commercialism has inundated this particular holy day of Christianity, but fer cryin’ out loud, get over it! People have the other 364 days a year to spew their hate and venom (also know as “public discourse” if done by a liberal), so give it a rest and enjoy the spirit of the day and let us, too.

With this day also springs new hope for the coming year. With any luck the jackals of Congress will get enough of an earful over their (one of many) vacations and go back to D.C. in no mood to compromise, and the killing “gift” they gave us yesterday won’t pass either or both chambers after being combined and kneaded and butchered.

Now, THAT would be a truly great gift!

Merry Christmas!

the food’s not done until the smoke alarm’s ringing

I think I was eight before I realized that wasn’t the stove timer!