I’m

dreaming of a White Christmas … te-dum, te-dum.  But this “White Christmas” is no longer a dream.  All over this great land, except swampy Florida and the “negger” land of California, this white powdery dream has turned into a nightmare. 

Here in God’s Little Acre, known as SEATTLE, that dream had disrupted almost every aspect of life throughout our region: travelers have gotten stranded in our airports and bus stations, Christmas shopping have practically come into a standstill to the consternation of retailers, schools have closed down to the delight of children … and going to work said my wife is like trudging and climbing up the Alps.

Me?  As y’all know I am retired, twice retired, in fact, so I am home, with my steaming cup of KAPENG BARAKO in my hand, humming along with Bing Crosby as he sings his song.  Of course, there are other Christmas songs that I like to hum, too, as I watch the snow flakes fall from my window like the songs, “Let it snow, Let it snow” and “Winter Wonderland.”

But like all things in life all this snow will come to pass and melt, and life will be normal again … and the trees will be green again here in Washington.

ON PASTOR RICK WARREN: So … Rick Warren, the famed author of the best-selling book, “The Purpose Driven Life” and the anti-gay, anti-abortion and the famed homo hater pastor of a church in California, has been chosen by President-elect Barack H. Obama to deliver the invocation at his January 20th inauguration.

Well, thank goodness, it wasn’t THAT Chicago pastor, named Jeremiah Wright.

SENATOR CAROLINE KENNEDY?: Heck, why not?  But the real question is, as asked by Washington Post syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman and many others like her: Would Caroline Kennedy be considered for the seat being vacated by Ms. Hillary, a senator who was pilloried herself in 2000 for being NOTHING but a FIRST LADY, if Caroline’s last name were, say, Schlossberg?   

As one pol barked, she has “name recognition, but so does J-Lo.  Is this all about entitlement?”  Hey, who da heck is J-Lo?  Is she more famous than M.O., the wife of B.H.O.?

“As a lawyer, writer, fundraiser and mother of three who worked for many causes,” says Ms. Goodman, “she was always dutiful and gracious about her role as a Kennedy … She was famously private, an oxymoron without irony.  She can walk down the street without a hat and sunglasses.  She enjoys that….”

Like a princess would.

Goodman adds: “She described her reasons for supporting Obama, saying, ‘My reasons are patriotic, political and personal and the three are intertwined.’  So are the reasons for seeing her as a Senator Caroline Kennedy.”

I agree.  She would be the perfect choice to take Ms. Hillary’s seat.  I hope that Governor Patterson of the state of New York, the totally blind governor, who ascended from his position as vice governor to governor when the elected governor of New York, Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned when he was found out to have had a tryst with a prostitute … would be able to see Ms. Caroline as she is: “the emblem of a generation – and maybe a country – coming back to life.”

Yes, indeed, she is.

FACTS ABOUT CHRISTMAS: What am I doing talking about politics, when it’s Christmas.  Let’s talk about Christmas, shall we?

Do y’all know that the Puritans so mistrusted Christmas that its celebration was outlawed in the 17th century?  And that around the same time, the German theologian Paul Ernst Jablonski asserted that Christmas amounted to a PAGANIZATION of the authentic faith because the date, December 25, had been appropriated from the festival for a Roman solar god?

And, that many Christmas icons, like the decorated Christmas Tree, the Mistle Toe and the Yule Log originated from the Celtic pagans?

A nd, do y’all know, too, that from 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly?  So someone from that era wrote this Christmas Carol as a catechism for young Catholics.  It has two levels of meanings: the surface meaning and the hidden meaning known only to church members.

n     The Partridge in a Pear Tree was Jesus Christ.

n     The Two Turtle Doves were the Old and the New Testaments.

n     The Three French Hens stood for Faith, Hope and Love.

n     The Four Calling Birds were the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark,      Luke and John.

n     The Five Golden Rings recalled the Torah or Law, the First Five Books of the Old Testament.

n     The Six Geese a-laying stood for the Six days of Creation.

n     The Seven Swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contributing, Leadership and Mercy.

n     The Eight Maids a-milking were the Eight Beatitudes.

n     The Nine Ladies were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

n     The Ten Lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

n     The Eleven Pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus.

n     The Twelve Drummers drumming symbolized the Twelve Points of Belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

That’s what the song says … and I believe in songs.  Because songs are written from the heart.

Call me naïve, but my belief of Christmas is simple.  To me, Christmas is about Christ.  It’s about His birth.  It’s about His coming to bring PEACE on Earth and GOOD WILL TO ALL MEN.  I cannot think of a better way to apportion that peace than for us to quit fighting so much … or arguing so much about STUPID things like the election of BHO as president.  Let’s move on.  Let’s stop gloating.  Let’s stop sulking.  Our lives ain’t gonna CHANGE because of Obama.  We’ll still have the same bills to pay, the same amount of paycheck, the same car, the same house.  Nothing ain’t gonna CHANGE.  Everything will be SAME-SAME.  Like Christmas.

So, dear readers, Merry, Merry Christmas po sa inyong lahat!  And peace to y’all.  JJ