Happy Birthday!

My Birthday
As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer.

It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration.

I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation.

The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face......... and I wanted to be with them and share their table. In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything.
They were having a great time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus"... as if the party were in his honor!

At 12 midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and.. do you know .... no one hugged me.

Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left.

Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all you heart.
I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party.

I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invitation will be left outside.

Do you know how you can answer this invitation? It is by extending it to others whom you care for...

I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this year...

See you soon ... I love you !

-Jesus

A question

The Rev. has asked what Christmas means to us all. Let’s take a look. But first, we have to set the stage, if you will. Let’s remove all religion, just for a moment. While were at it, let’s take away race as well. (if you have to have a color, make it orange) Oh wait, lets get rid of your nationality too. Ok, just one more, lets zap out creed. Now that all the striping is done, what do we have left? Just you and who you are.

Ok, that’s better. Now that we are all on the same level field, let’s examine the question again. What does Christmas mean to you, or to us? I could tell you what it means to me, but this is not about me. What do YOU believe?

Snow

I know that a heavy snow fall can be a pain. If you own a business, that snow plow guy wants big bucks for his magic on your parking lot. shoveling is hard on the back. It slows traffic down to a crawl. I know it's cold outside. I understand all of this.

So instead of sitting inside complaining about it, go have some fun! Your kids will like you for it!!!

Just another year...

Oh, I have so much to do. Billy wants his game boy for Christmas, Sally wants that new doll she seen on TV. I have to wrap all these gifts. Oh, that's right, I have to call my brother back and let him know I'll be there for his Christmas Party. Oh, then there's the tree and all of the decorations. Why does it have to snow, it makes these things so much harder. Oh, I forgot about the cookies. I have to make the cookies! When will I ever sleep?


Um, lady!!! Christmas is about Christ.

Today's meaning of Christmas (Final page)

After walking a few steps, Lisa finally snaps out of her madness. As she becomes lucid once again, she stops and turns around. There, on the floor, she sees a group of people kneeling around the body of a pretty young girl. “Oh, I wonder what happened to her”, she thinks to herself. In the very next moment, Lisa realizes what happened. During her fit of rage, she was so deranged and insane that she had no idea what she was doing. The scuffle was only two minutes ago, yet she recalls it like a story she read in a book weeks ago. She recalls the deed as if it was someone else’s atrocious story. Once she comes to the realization of what she has done, she once again loses her mind. She sits down on the floor, in a childlike position, crossing her legs.

Moments later, the police take her away.

Years later, Lisa is found in a mental institution. After claiming insanity for her crime, she was placed here for the next ten years. Her family has moved away, to another state, and has broken off all contact. It has now been three years since she has seen her children and almost two since she has spoken to them.

I go in to interview her, to find out how she is and what she is planning with her life. Within a few minutes, I realize that she has changed. She is no longer the same person who was in that store. She explains to me that she has found God, and he has forgiven her for her deed. I then tell her this….




So glad to see you have overcome them.
Completely silent now
With heaven's help
You cast your demons out
And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you off your cloud
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about
Making your amends to the dead
To the dead

Recall the deeds as if
They're all someone else's
Atrocious stories
Now you stand reborn before us all
So glad to see you well

And not to pull your halo down
Around your neck and tug you to the ground
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about
Making your amends to the dead
To the dead

With your halo slipping down
Your halo slipping
Your halo slipping down
Your halo slipping down
Your halo slipping down [repeated]

Your halo slipping down to choke you now *****

The End.....

Today's meaning of Christmas (Part 3)

As Lisa walks down the Power Isle in the front of store, she thinks about her kids and wonder if her husband is having any trouble with the start of their day. She calls home from her cell phone to check in. After a comforting conversation with her husband, she hangs up her phone. Knowing everything is fine at home; she turns her attention to the sale racks. ‘My son would love this for his stocking’, she thinks to herself. The little $5.00 toy makes its way into her cart. The store is now full to capacity with shoppers, all hungry for the great sales and the thrill of the day.

Moving down the aisle is a painstakingly slow process. Like animals being led to the feeding trough, masses of people slowly work their way through the store. “This is ridiculous ”, she thinks to herself. Lisa is known for her calm attitude. Under normal circumstances, she lets little get to her. But, this morning is not a normal day for Lisa. This is getting to her, very quickly. She feels almost claustaphobic as all the people surround her in the aisle. She feels like her head is in a vice! Like a pressure cooker, she can feel her emotions boiling inside her. Finally, in one brief moment, she screams at the top of her lungs, “come on people! Have your family reunions outside and move on down the line!” Everyone within 30 feet stops and turns to look at her. Everyone is silent, just staring at her in disbelief. “I can’t believe I just did that”, she says to herself. In less than three seconds, like a switch on a wall, her emotions change from anger to embarrassment. She wants nothing more than to crawl into a hole in the wall and disappear.

In a few minutes, people go back to their business. No one will look her in the eye. Everyone around her just looks to the ground as they try to move forward. Finally she sees a break in the crowd. Just to her left, a hole opens in the masses of people, leading straight into a branching aisle. She seizes the opportunity. Like a heat-seeking missile on its way to a target, she heads straight into the hole and ducks into the next aisle.

The aisle is almost empty. She tries to regain her composure, standing there holding onto her cart and crying a little. After a few moments, she looks up to find where she is in the store. She came into the aisle so fast that she didn’t even notice where she was going. She looks around to see what is on the shelves. “Yes!” She says to herself. Unknown to her, she just made her way into the home decor area. “I need some things here anyway.”

After finding her items, she makes her way through the store. Once weaving in and out of aisles, she finally makes her way to the toy section. There she finds more people than toys. Hoping she has fully gotten over her little moment of failure, she presses on into the isles. She’s on a mission. She needs to find those precious Moon Shoes for her son. Every year there seems to be one toy, one request for Christmas that stands out well beyond all others. This year, it’s her son’s need for Moon Shoes.

Slowly she scans the shelves for her item. The toy section is a wreck. It looks like someone came through the aisles with a wrecking ball and smashed everything. Slowly she walks through the isle full of people, scanning the shelves like radar. Finally she spots something about 10 feet ahead. “Could it be them”, she asks herself. She makes her way to the spot on the shelf. There, right in front of her, is one last box of Moon Shoes. One very lonely box in what was once a fully packed shelf of the shoes. She reaches out for the box, when suddenly, to here amazement, another pair of hands quickly snatches up the box. She looks up to whom it was. Standing within inches of her is the one of the girls she was behind outside. One of the very same group of girls that started her day on the wrong foot. She stands there in amazement, just staring at the girl with her mouth wide open. She can feel that overwhelming feeling in her head again, as her heart starts to beat nearly out of her chest. She silently calms herself down and one again looks at the girl. “Um, excuse me, but that was mine”, she says to the little snotty bitch that she now can’t the stand the sight of. “You obviously seen me reaching for it and you took it right under my nose. My son will be very disappointed if he doesn’t get this for Christmas and there’s no more on the shelf.” The girl, with all the attitude in the world, looks at Lisa and says “This is mine, not yours, and don’t think for a minute otherwise”. In one swift movement, the girl then spins around, flinging her hair into Lisa’s face.


This makes Lisa boil inside. Watching this girl go through her motions, and every word that she spoke, has Lisa virtually bleeding from her ears. Her heart races, her eyes are the size of silver dollars, her hands are shaking and her head feels worse than the last blow-up. Suddenly, she snaps. She runs towards the girl. With all the power she has, she hits the girl on the side of the head with her head with her open hand. The girl screams and spins around towards her. Lisa then grabs the girl by her hair and pulls her to the floor. The two are pulling and grabbing at each other, with everything they have. In typical female style, they pull and hank on each others clothing, hair, face and whatever else lends itself at hand. Then, Lisa finds herself on top of the girl. Without thinking a thought, with her open hand, she smashes the girl in her nose as hard as she possibly can.

The girl starts shaking and twitching. Like she’s having a seizure, the girl shakes violently. Then, within seconds, the shaking stops and the girl’s body lies still on the floor. Lisa gets off of the girl and walks over to what was once the girl’s cart. Without showing even a sign of emotion, Lisa takes the box and puts it into her cart. She then starts to walk away from the scene, almost in a trance. The aisle is filled with people who witnessed the crime, but no one will stop her as she walks away. By now several people are on the floor with the snotty girl, tending to her aid. This will prove futile, as she is dead.

Today's meaning of Christmas (Part 2)

It is a cold morning. The kind of morning when you want to sleep in, stay in your nice warm bed. But there was no bed for Lisa. She was standing in a long line, outside her local Wal-Mart, waiting for the doors to open. She was with 2 friends. Jenny, who was a few years younger and full of energy, and Joann, who was older and quite calm, even old fashion. There they stood together in line with people they did not know. Many people. The group in front of them, 3 or 4 at least, were getting on Lisa’s nerves. A group of girls that reminds her of the stuck up type she was in school with many years ago. Lisa was not the most popular is high school. She was part of a small group of average kids who really didn’t fit in all that well with the jocks and cheerleaders.

As the three stand there in line, listening to the group in front of them, Lisa looks at her friend Jenny and rolls her eyes. Without a word being spoken, she just told Jenny “oh listen to them. ‘It’s all about me, I love me!’ Those chicks are pissing me off!” Jenny replied with a soft chuckle, as she shivers in the cold. The three of them turn to each other a talk quietly to each other. Jenny said “I can’t wait to get inside, this is nuts!” “Yea, what were we thinking”, said Joann.

By now, so many people had arrived that the line went well past them. The end was nowhere in site. The three had threatened to walk back to the car to warm up, but decided that it wasn’t worth the longer wait. After all, they have made it this far. Why take the chance on loosing that great deal on the kids’ Christmas presents. Suddenly Lisa sees movement in the line ahead of them. She said to her friends, in a desperate voice “oh please let be the doors opening!” Her wish had come true. People had starting filing into the store. As the line moves closer to the doors, Lisa and her friends go over the game plan once again. “Cell phones on? Check! Now remember, if you find something on my list, call me”, said Lisa to her friends.

Finally they make it do the doors. Once they enter, they find a mass of confusion. People are running around in a craze, dashing for carts and asking for help to find items. The three go over the plan one last time, then split up in different directions to enjoy the shopping utopia.

Lisa is on her own now. In a store full of people, she feels ironically lonely. She walked over to the shopping cart area only to find it full of angry shoppers ripping and tearing at the train of carts, attempting to separate them. Lisa is not the aggressive type. She would rather back down from a situation than play a leading role. As she finds her way to a shopping cart, she is met with hundreds of militant people, all wanting to get their hands on what has now become a precious commodity. Finally she is within reach. She extends her arm to grab one, but another overtakes it. She grabs the next one in line, holding and protecting it like it’s her first-born child.

Lisa thinks to herself, as she walks away, “the hardest part is over, on with some shopping baby”! If she only knew what was to come!!!!

Today's meaning of Christmas (Part 1)

Lisa wakes to the alarm clock ringing in her ear. Almost unconsciously, without thinking in the least, she reaches out and presses the snooze button. Exactly 9 minutes later, the alarm clock once again screams at her. She once again reaches for the snooze, this time thinking to herself how early it must be. She quickly drifts back into her slumber, until once again, 9 lightning fast minutes later, her alarm clock goes off again. She leans over and turns the clock off, finally opening her eyes to see the time. 3:19 AM. She thinks to herself “what am I doing?” Then, suddenly she quickly recalls the reason for her early waking. She thinks to herself “oh my gosh, I almost forgot. It’s Black Friday!” In almost one full motion, she quickly jumps out to bed and heads to the bathroom to start her day.

After her quick shower, she calls her friends to make sure they are also awake and ready for the big day. Black Friday has become a tradition for Lisa and her friends. Every year they set off as early as possible to get the best deals on Christmas presents for everyone they know. They spend almost the entire year planning the event. With lists, maps, schedules and plans in hand, they plan to set off in search of the best deals found all year.

Lisa goes back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. As the hairdryer runs at full speed, thoughts of shopping and fun are in her head. As her husband and kids still sleep peacefully, she hurries to finish brushing her teeth. She then heads back into the bedroom to find finish getting dressed. Her husband’s alarm clock starts to ring as she is putting her shoes on. “Have a good day, honey” she says to her husband, who is barely awake and somewhat confused as to why his wife is up and dressed before him. “It’s the annual fun day”, she reminds him. As he sits up, looking at his wife who is all but done with her shoes, he says to her “I forgot it was Friday. Rather you than me babe. You wouldn’t catch me going out today for anything else then work.” Fully understanding her husbands loathing for Black Friday, she simply says to him “have a good day a work..” She then reminds him of the details needed to get the kids off to school.

Within minutes she is in her car driving to the designated meeting place. By 4:30 AM, they all are assembled and ready for their trek into shopping hell. First stop is Wal-Mart, they open at 5:00 AM. Upon pulling into the parking lot, Lisa and her friends are greeted by hideous site. It’s only 4:45 AM and the line at the front door stretches well past a football field long. A line filled with greedy shoppers, planning the same event as Lisa and her friends, all wanting to take advantage of this once a year episode, are standing in the way of Lisa and the front gates to haven on earth. As they finally park the car in a no parking zone, as the lot is full, Lisa and her friends walk the length of the lot toward the mass of people who are already waiting. She is somewhat disappointed with the crowd, but presses on. Once she arrives to the end of the line, she notices that the people around her, including her friends are agitated at best.


(to be continued….)

Santa and Jesus in a fight

"American Origins: (As sent to me by Brian Dodd)
Quote from ENCARTA 95

The American version of the Santa Claus figure received its inspiration and its name from the Dutch legend of Sinter Klaas, brought by settlers to New York in the 17th century.

As early as 1773 the name appeared in the American press as "St. A Claus," but it was the popular author Washington Irving who gave Americans their first detailed information about the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas. In his History of New York, published in 1809 under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving described the arrival of the saint on horseback (unaccompanied by Black Peter) each Eve of Saint Nicholas.

This Dutch-American Saint Nick achieved his fully Americanized form in 1823 in the poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas by writer Clement Clarke Moore. Moore included such details as the names of the reindeer; Santa Claus's laughs, winks, and nods; and the method by which Saint Nicholas, referred to as an elf, returns up the chimney. (Moore's phrase "lays his finger aside of his nose" was drawn directly from Irving's 1809 description.)



The American image of Santa Claus was further elaborated by illustrator Thomas Nast, who depicted a rotund Santa for Christmas issues of Harper's magazine from the 1860s to the 1880s. Nast added such details as Santa's workshop at the North Pole and Santa's list of the good and bad children of the world. A human-sized version of Santa Claus, rather than the elf of Moore's poem, was depicted in a series of illustrations for Coca-Cola advertisements introduced in 1931. In modern versions of the Santa Claus legend, only his toy-shop workers are elves. Rudolph, the ninth reindeer, with a red and shiny nose, was invented in 1939 by an advertising writer for the Montgomery Ward Company.

In looking for the historical roots of Santa Claus, one must go very deep in the past. One discovers that Santa Claus as we know him is a combination of many different legends and mythical creatures.

The basis for the Christian-era Santa Claus is Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna (Izmir), in what is now Turkey. Nicholas lived in the 4th century A.D. He was very rich, generous, and loving toward children. Often he gave joy to poor children by throwing gifts in through their windows.

The Orthodox Church later raised St. Nicholas, miracle worker, to a position of great esteem. It was in his honor that Russia's oldest church, for example, was built. For its part, the Roman Catholic Church honored Nicholas as one who helped children and the poor. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of children and seafarers. His name day is December 6th.

In the Protestant areas of central and northern Germany, St. Nicholas later became known as der Weinachtsmann. In England he came to be called Father Christmas. St. Nicholas made his way to the United States with Dutch immigrants, and began to be referred to as Santa Claus.

In North American poetry and illustrations, Santa Claus, in his white beard, red jacket and pompom-topped cap, would sally forth on the night before Christmas in his sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer, and climb down chimneys to leave his gifts in stockings children set out on the fireplace's mantelpiece.

Children naturally wanted to know where Santa Claus actually came from. Where did he live when he wasn't delivering presents? Those questions gave rise to the legend that Santa Claus lived at the North Pole, where his Christmas-gift workshop was also located.

In 1925, since grazing reindeer would not be possible at the North Pole, newspapers revealed that Santa Claus in fact lived in Finnish Lapland. "Uncle Markus", Markus Rautio, who compared the popular "Children's hour" on Finnish public radio, revealed the great secret for the first time in 1927: Santa Claus lives on Lapland's Korvatunturi - "Ear Fell"

The fell, which is situated directly on Finland's eastern frontier, somewhat resembles a hare's ears - which are in fact Santa Claus's ears, with which he listens to hear if the world's children are being nice. Santa has the assistance of a busy group of elves, who have quite their own history in Scandinanvian legend.

Over the centuries, customs from different parts of the Northern Hemisphere thus came together and created the whole world's Santa Claus - the ageless, timeless, deathless white-bearded man who gives out gifts on Christmas and always returns to Korvatunturi in Finnish Lapland.

Since the 1950s, Santa has happily sojourned at Napapiiri, near Rovaniemi, at times other than Christmas, to meet children and the young at heart. By 1985 his visits to Napapiiri had become so regular that he established his own Santa Claus Office there. He comes there every day of the year to hear what children want for Christmas and to talk with children who have arrived from around the world. Santa Claus Village is also the location of Santa's main Post Office, which receives children's letters from the four corners of the world. *

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--------- (Insert rant here) -------------

The small branch above is proof that Old St. Nick is not real, rather a fictitious idol created through a series of events over hundreds of years. Yet he is so deep rooted in today’s American culture that he has become a household “word”. So overwhelmingly well known that everyone has heard of him, and most practice the tradition with their children. My oldest has only in the past few years grown out of the belief, and my youngest is very much a believer. The “Santa Lists” that lie here on my computer desk are the proof of his credence. But, even though Santa is a big part in our children’s Christmas, the birth of Jesus is known to be the real reason for the holiday. You can have both, if you just believe!
----------------- (End rant here, begin the rest of your day) --------------------

Have we truly lost our way?

When I was a little boy, I used to love Christmas. I mean, don’t we all as a child? The lure of this big fat guy that brings presents into your home, along with all of the holiday cheer, is something to look forward to every year. The deception your parents used concerning the whole “Santa Clause” thing makes every child smile from ear to ear. I did not grow up in a truly religious atmosphere. My Mother was basically rebelling against her Mother, for being forced during her upbringing to breathe, eat, and shit religion. My Grandmother is probably the most religious family member I can think of, but she is also the most deceitful. Growing up, every Christmas day, after we all opened and enjoyed our presents, every family member was expected to be at Grandma’s house for the big gathering. Nothing else mattered to her. She was going to have all of her family at her house, no matter what the cost.

But well before the big annual gathering at Grandma’s, there was the all-important Christmas day. Every year my sister and I each had a huge pile of presents to open, dropped of in the night by the loving Santa. I will always and forever remember the year I got my Big Wheel. Somewhere I have a picture of my face just after laying my eyes on this monster. I rode that thing around the block for years. Another moment that will live forever is when I got my highly requested BB Gun. Well, that was what I asked for and what I thought it was. My father then explained to me that it was a .22 Caliber rifle. Dad and I spent many of days up in the ‘armory’ shooting our weapons. This is where the respect for weapons was all but beat into me.

So many other moments come to mind. But one thing was constant during my childhood. We always had a heap of presents to open Christmas morning. Unfortunately, as I grew older and was introduced into reality, I came to learn that my parents went well into debt over the years while making sure us kids had a ‘good Christmas’. I came to the understanding that the house we lived in, a half-a-double as it’s commonly referred to, was refinanced many times over the years to pay off all the credit card bills. The very same credit cards that made our Christmas so bright, had also made my parents very much in dept. Shortly after I had moved out into my first apartment, my parents claimed bankruptcy and lost the house. This home, where I met so many friends, had been taken away.

Now that I am grown up with my own family, I have paved my own path in life. I don’t consider myself to be like any of my family members. I’m not a Bible thumper (for lack of a better word, and no offense intended) and I’m not an atheist. I’m just me, who I think I should be, in this world of indifference. My son has a Santa List that he adds toys to as he sees them on TV. The list is long, as he writes down every freaking thing he sees. My daughter, whom unfortunately, through a number of bad choices by many people, has only enjoyed Christmas in her Fathers home for a few years. Her list is almost non-existent because she is used to near nothing and expects even less. Yet, at the same time, she’s spoiled rotten. How the hell does that work?

What I want to understand is when the true meaning of Christmas got lost? When exactly was the birth of Jesus replaced by the process of buying gift for people just to make them smile on this one day of the year? I often watch the TV station that my son or daughter is watching. This time of year, the stations are filled with commercials selling the latest toys or gadgets. These would be the same, yet totally different things that I requested, if not needed, when I was growing up. To a young child, this is what they are told to expect. This is how they have been brought up. But, for us adults, what the hell are we thinking? To make the kids smile is great! I only wish I could make every kid in the world smile every day of his or her life! I made many kids smile this year by coaching a baseball team. They loved me, because I can operate on their level. I got down on my knees to speak to them. I once let the whole team pile up on me. I had a great time, and I know some kids did too. But, why must we all go out and spend thousands of dollars to once again make them happy on Christmas day? Has this become more consequential then celebrating the Lord’s Birthday?

The same philosophy can be used, even if you are not a Christian. Hanukkah, just as on example brings many of Jewish believers into the stores. It seems to matter not what religion you follow, but how much money you can spend. The retailers and toy manufactures alike are riding this wave for everything it’s worth. They exploit the average working family, by sending messages to children around the world of how great this toy is, or how your child would have so much fun playing with that. What’s hot this year? Try googleing “Moon Shoes”. My son believes he will practically fly with these babies! And, for a mere $40.00, he will try.

I may be seen as a hypocrite this year, as my attic already has many of Santa’s gifts ready for wrapping, but I have an idea for next year. Let’s somehow tell the kids that Christmas is going to be a few days late. This will enable us all to go to our respected churches and celebrate the season for its true meaning. Then, a few days later, after the prices go down, after the rush is over and everyone else is standing in agonizingly long lines to return the gifts that they didn’t want or didn’t fit, we can buy all the kids gifts and make them smile once again.

Look for another rant tomorrow!

December 4th 2005

Something I seen today has inspired me to create a new blog. The title says it all..... For the next month or so, as time permits, I plan to post a new story about how we all have lost the true meaning of Christmas!

Post number 1:

I was in the local convenient Store today. As I was paying for my items, I seen this little tree by the counter. It had a face on it and hands. The left hand had a little sticker on it that said "press here", so I did. This cute little animated tree swayed back and forth, singing this little song, in a little girls voice, about how she was the happiest little Christmas tree ever. I thought it was very cute and wanted to get it for my kids, so I asked the obvious question: "How much does this cost?" $24.99

Twenty five bones for a little animated freaking tree! What the hell. This thing will be on a sale rack in some wholesale store by February, and probably for less then $5.00. And, the $5.00 sale will most likely still be making a profit. Totally ridiculous!!!