Sometimes, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is very short, ar at least seems that way. Like this year.

Yesterday, after church, the Praise and Worship leader asked those of us who sing what we wanted to do for the Christmas program. After all, we only have one day a week when everyone is available for rehearsal (Sunday evening) and there are only two more of those before Christmas… so we decided to brush up on Carol of the Bells along with the traditional songs.

With that in mind, and the closeness of Christmas getting more prounounced every day, I offer these two messages:

First, to my friends on the right, who adhere to the mantra “Common Sense, Please”:

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

And, to those who wander in here from the left-leaning areas of the world, where common sense isn’t:

Best wishes for a stress-free, non-addictive, gender-neutral, socially responsible and environmentally conscious winter solstice holiday. These wishes are sent without regard to race, gender, religion, creed, color or economic strata. The wish granting party, hereinafter referred to as “I” does grant the wish receiver, hereinafter referred to as “you” the freedom to accept or reject these wishes as determined by you on your own terms; that is, with regard to how you practice your religious or non-religious traditions of this time of year with the proviso that your practices are not to interfere with or abrogate the traditions of those around you who may or may not share the same traditions as you. Also, it is understood that these wishes are not an implicit permission to force others to share your religion, nor is it permission to allow others to share their religion (or lack thereof) with you. Additionally, these wishes are extended insofar that a fiscally successful, medically uncomplicated and personally fulfilling recognition of the generally accepted calendar year of 2009 would be enjoyed by you, but not without realizing that not all people recognize the same calendar and certainly not without recognizing the contributions of other cultures and societies as they have contributed to the time-measurement device known as the “Judeao-Christian Calendar System” which generally accounts for a one-year term involving twelve individual and inherently different months grouped in a repeating pattern for traditional reasons. (Disclaimer to note: This greeting and the additional wishes are subject to clarification or withdrawal, depending on the recipients’ attitude. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes, nor does it require the wish recipient to actively engage in the fulfillment of said wishes. The wisher assumes no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings and/or wishes may or may not have incurred upon those who are not caught up in the spirit of the holiday or, for whatever reason, simply do not celebrate this time, other than to tell you to put a band-aid on your owie and call a waaaahmbulance. Losers.)

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Are YOU wearing red to show your support for our troops?

Today on The O Word on BlogTalkRadio we talked about history, heard President Roosevelt’s December 8, 1941 address to the joint session of Congress, talked about CPT Rob Yllescas, Squatters in Foreclosed Homes, Arizona Speed Cameras, the District of Columbia wanting Congressional Representation, the Supreme Court and Obama’s citizenship, WWII Code Talkers; and we heard from AnnieB, prying1, and sixgees4u. Catch the show in archive and rate it!

Quick reminder for those able to get there – Handel’s Messiah will be performed by the Rancho Music Association at Temecula United Methodist Church, 42690 Margarita Rd., Temecula, CA 92592 on Sunday, December 7th, 2008 at 4:00 pm (PST) – get there early for the best seats. Admission is free, a good-will offering will be taken. More detail is available here.

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Much as I hate to admit it, I need to thin the list of blogs on my blogroll. Of course, as long as blogrolling.com is down for the count, I won’t be able to anything with that list, but my back-up list is going to be much shorter before the day is done – today’s round-up has shown me several blogs that have fallen by the wayside.

I mourn the loss of each of these blogs, as I picked them for their content and the personality of the author; the fact they have lost interest or have moved on is perhaps part of the self-vetting of the “new media” that we are a part of. Not a bad thing, but not something to look forward to, either.

Life moves forward.

I know – I’m a day early. TMBWitW has had a slight schedule change for this week, she’ll be working from home tomorrow instead of today, so I thought I would do my round up today. If this throws you off, please come back tomorrow and laugh at my mis-print in the title.

First Things First:
As you recall, I have been following the blog of the Yllescas Family. On Monday, Captain Rob Yllescas succumbed to injuries received from an IED in Afghanistan in late October. Please let his wife, Dena, and their families know how much the service of Rob means to you, your family, and the country. Services will be in Nebraska, time and date will be published on the blog.

Help a young Marine clinging to life – see the details at Texas Fred, help pass the word around – you neve4r know if you have a reader in the D/FW area, or if you can maybe help out somehow.

Elect Conservatives:
The only way to avoid the Democrat’s ideal of socialism everywhere (“it works, it just hasn’t had the right people in charge yet…”) is to elect conservatives from the bottom up. cookiecrumbexpress has the start.

Delusions of the Media (or, “India can’t Happen Here”):
When is a gun-wielding, explosive throwing, damage-inflicting person who is targeting people of particular citizenry not a terrorist? Check out Cube’s entry on the BLOG to find out. BlackFive has a piece about the elitist media fooling themselves. Gateway Pundit writes about the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. Dumb Looks Still Free has a “Stuck On Stupid” list for your perusal. Making a “no-bite” agreement with a snake will get you bit – details on Third Wave Dave.

Love Story:
Tissue alert – Ray writes about his Love, Von, on Do The Right Thing.

Wednesday Hero:
Honored by Old Soldier, Mail Call! Supporting the Troops

Travel Story:
The casino on the way home lured in An Ol’ Broad! A different kind of story, but it explains so well what those who are returning from less-than-friendly areas go through on the Sandgram.

Confusion:
Locker Room Mixups at Amazed In His Presence, obvious answers to those nagging questions at The American Apologist, confusino as to what a “gift” really is on Evolution Right

Guns Don’t Kill People:
American and Proud has a story all too common – a returned hero is killed at home. Rob talks about the causes – and the prevention. The Bull speaks out about crime in St. Louis. Texas Fred has a story where guns would have come in handy…

Our Heroes:
RGRoland has a picture of some heroes.

Being Themselves:
Charming Just Charming, Richard, Alaska Steve, Mary’s World, Akinoluna

The Department of the Silver Lining:
Has the Shine Dulled? Jenn of the Jungle and Bloviating Zeppelin have part of the discussion. Political Pistachio has another angle – just how much of the Constitution is the president-elect willing to ignore? mdconservative^® asks how Obama got hold of Republican wording during his meeting with the governors on Conservative Intelligence Report. More discussion on ARRA News Service.

The Importance of Being Earnest:
Thought of the Day from Andrew Tallman. Jury Duty for the wife of an active-duty Marine on Write on the Right – who, by the way, is on Okinawa…

You Think Our Politics is Bad…:
…at least most of the time, your vote is counted! Check out LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot for an ugly alternative.

“Have An Accident?” “No Thanks, Just Did.”:
How NOT to rescue the pilot on Pitchpull.

Things That Offend muslims:
Amboy Times adds to the list – statues?!?

Settled In:
Samantha West has gotten settled in and hooked up once again.

Depravity of Humans:
Our Sovereign Joy asks how low can we go?

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

The Captain passed away earlier today.

To the Yllescas family: Thank you for the service of your husband, son, brother, father – he is a man among men, and he will be missed. Please accept the condolences of a grateful nation.