MERRY CHRISTMAS–yes I said it.

I said it and I refuse to apologize for it.  And what’s more I’m dad gummed tired of being made to feel like I have to be sorry for saying it.

I find it interesting that all those groups who have screamed for years about tolerance, understanding and inclusion have suddenly become so intolerant, narrow minded and exclusionary.

Lately, I’ve seen multiple news reports on people’s insistence that nativity sets not be shown, that Happy Holidays should be shouted as opposed to Merry Christmas, that Christmas is a myth – a fairy tale if you will.

While I understand the date may be off by some months – I simply.do.not.care.  I don’t know when some of my dogs were born either, but I gave them a birthday anyway.  The group of so-called deluded people who celebrate CHRISTmas are called CHRISTians.  Therefore, it stands to reason we choose to keep CHRIST both in our holiday and in our “club” name.

I don’t care what you call yourself, I don’t care what you do or don’t believe (that’s a lie – I do care and am praying for you), I don’t care if you celebrate kwanzaa (speaking of made up holidays), Hanukkah (great peace and blessings – my Jewish friends), the winter solstice, apple blossom time or the advent of your yearly dental exam.  Please allow me to do the same.

If the sight of a nativity offends you – don’t look.  If hearing Merry Christmas bugs you – turn off your hearing aids or better yet – stay home.  Your right to not be subjected to things that offend you DO NOT supersede my right to enjoy them.  YOU are not more important than me and I am not more important than YOU.

It is disheartening to me to know there are people who have so little to do they have time to be offended ALL THE TIME.  I wish my circle of acquaintances had less work to do and as much time to spend trying to protect and preserve OUR way of life as you have trying to tear it down.

However, I think I have devised a plan that should make everyone happy.  Anytime a group of people decides they are offended by something and wish to have a disclaimer banner posted along with the offensive sight – make them sign it.  Put some muscle behind your griping.  Go on record with your name, address and phone number.  Then have the other side of the situation do the same as supporters of the offending object.  You see as Christians we believe it is not only our right but our duty to proclaim our faith – we will happily go on record in support of our CHRISTmas.

Pretty sure the number of signatures on our banner will outnumber the ones on yours by a pretty astounding margin.  And if you choose to engage us in thoughtful and serious debate, we will welcome you with the love and tolerance our Christ demands of us.

I am only one person – but I am taking back my Christmas.  You will never see a Happy Holidays card from me, nor hear me utter those words.  This is Christmas – a time of joy and celebration for the birth of the light of the world, the Savior of man, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  I will not be ashamed nor will I try to hide His light under a veil of non-offensive meaningless images and words.

Welcome Lord Jesus!

A Christmas Bargain

This is the cover for my children’s book Genevieve’s Window – this is a peaceful easy reading bedtime poem.  It is the first book I self published and is available at www.lulu.com

This is the cover for my interactive alphabet book The Alphabet From Amazing to Zany.  It is also published and available at www.lulu.com  This book offers many opportunities to teach your children and talk with them about the funny pictures depicting each letter of the alphabet.

Lulu is offering a 30% discount on my books right now and they are absorbing the cost of the discount which means my revenue from sales stays the same.  WIN!

These are good Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers and I would very much appreciate any support of my work.  Should you decide to purchase use this code WINTERSAVE305

Thanks my friends and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Real Thing

Suddenly there is all this confusion over this white can.  People claim to be able to tell the difference in Coke in red cans and Coke in white cans.   Some say they are so confused by the can because it looks like a Diet Coke can (ummmm….okay…except Diet Coke cans are silver and SAY..…….DIET. COKE.

People are Utubing, Tweeting, Texting, Smoke Signaling and using hand signals (some not so pretty) about the audacity of Coca Cola to change their packaging for the holidays.  So incensed are some members of John Q. Public that Coke is bending to the criticism and removing the white cans and replacing them with red.

I honestly thought you had to be in your 80’s or 90’s to fear change and be so cantakerous.  I realized I was getting close, but little did I know that MY generation, who used to be so hip and progressive in their thinking could turn out to be such a bunch of old fuddy duddies.

Here’s the thing…I don’t care if this stuff is in a bottle, a red can, a white can, a green can or a bean can…it is still the bomb.  Still my drink of choice, both mixed and unmixed.  You can shoot it out of a fountain head or put it in a plastic 2 liter bottle.  I simply don’t care.  All I care about is that IT IS.

I thought it was kind of cool they were doing something to call attention to endangered wildlife by featuring the polar bears, but what do I know?

And, you….yes, you lady….the one who can do the blind taste test and tell if the can is red or white….come to my kitchen kiddo and we will check you for accuracy.  I’m betting you can’t tell – I couldn’t and I’m pretty sure my bloodstream is running at about 98 proof for Coca Cola right now.

Its’ can might be white, but it is still the Real Thing.  Oh and by the way…..companies have the right to market their product as they see fit.  And I’m okay with that as long as they aren’t morally reprehensible.  I refuse to be offended by “white.”

It Depends

I seriously question the good sense of advertising people these days. I've already gone off on a tangent about toilet paper commercials. I've given the "respect the roll" ad my "slap the crap outta you" award because................really............by definition is toilet paper something we have EVER respected?

Then I got my knickers all in a knot over the lubricating products that are supposed to make everything in our life all fun, fireworks inspiring and multi-colored. I really think there are some things we can figure out on our own. And, I'm sorry...I really don't need roman candles in the bedroom, these days I'm all about the heated mattress cover.

But now, Depends have crossed my tolerance line in the sand. Today, I saw a commercial which depicted a rather nice looking later aged man exiting a store. After dropping a flirtatious wink at an unseen girl (maybe?) - they let us all in on his secret. He's wearing an adult diaper. Suddenly, he isn't so cute or flirtatious or even good looking. The ewwww factor was huge. Now, before you get all up in my business on this one, please know, that I realize these products are necessary. But is it necessary to make them seem so appealing? What do they think we are going to do? Perhaps, because they are such "fun" items, we will all rush out to buy a dozen (after all, according to the next commercial - they come in peach color as well)? Really? If you have to wear one, are you really going to show it off at bridge club or on the golf course? Probably not.

I have now accepted my husband's observation that most of the items advertised on TV have to do with wetness of some form or other. Again, I saw ewwwww!

A Love Letter To My KitchenAid Mixer

This is not my mixer.

It is my mixer’s younger prettier cousin.

My KitchenAid mixer is almost as old as my daughter. Not.that.she.is.old, but you know what I’m saying.

My KitchenAid mixer has mixed up hundreds of cakes, pies, cookies, dog biscuits, bowls of whipped cream, mashed potatoes.  In short it has taken a lickin’ and kept on tickin’. 

This was some of the best $ I ever spent.  The only thing I have ever had to do to it was replace the whisk beater after I mistakenly let it eat a wooden spoon.

My fervent prayer is that my lovely old white KitchenAid with the chipped paint keeps on mixing things up in my kitchen for a long long time.  I’m not sure I could replace it either financially or in my affections.

Well Fluffenfeathers!

Have you ever noticed how some people just can’t leave well enough alone.  Why they always seem to take things just one step too far and wind up entering the “what were they thinking” zone.

Today, I read a local newspaper piece about a rather well known attorney who has discovered a doll that has a little bit of a potty problem.  Now, I confess that when I was a youngster I wore out 3 Tiny Tears dolls.  There was just a real fascination with putting that baby bottle in her mouth and watching her cry and wet her diaper that could not be equaled on earth.  Of course the constant introduction of water into Tiny’s body meant that soon her rubber figure began to deteriorate.  That made me sad, especially when they quit making the ones with painted on hair and began sewing that tacky stuff to their scalps.

Tiny had a potty problem – but at least it was the “right” kind.  These new dolls have a potty problem as well, but the problem they have is a “potty” mouth.  Apparently, they say unrepeatable things, or they seem to say them.  We all know what recordings can sound like when they decide to go awry.

Anyway, said attorney has written letters to the manufacturer as well as all the stores selling baby and demanded they ALL cease and desist.  This was probably relatively effective in insuring that most of our innocents didn’t have to be exposed to Baby Dirty Mouth. 

But, he didn’t stop there.  So concerned is he that our impressionable children will stumble upon these dolls, hear their profane speech and repeat it that he made a video demonstrating the ugly languaged little dearlings.  And what you may ask, did he do with said video?  Well, says I……………he uploaded the whole kit and caboodle to………wait for it……………….UTube.

I think this will be effective don’t you?  Now every child in America with access to the internet could possibly stumble upon Polly Profanity by simply doing a UTube search for babydolls.

So…….I ask you…………what in the helicopter was he thinking?