Happy Holidays and Have a Wonderful and Safe New Year!

Thursdays With Thorrie

You can't have Christmas with out Christ? We can't have Thursday with out Thor or Hanukkah with out Han either. OK, that last one may not be right. Historians and astronomers now place Christ's birth as possibly mid-June. Most of our Christmas traditions are simply co-opted winter solstice rituals that made it easier to convert celebrants to Christianity. If one really wants to get back to the meaning and message of Christmas, just fully and with humility, follow the words and deeds of Christ all year 'round. On Christmas day; spend less, give more and love all.

Werner Herzog Reads Twas The Night Before Christmas

Faux Werner Herzog reads an uber dark and satirical version of Twas The Night Before Christmas. Other fun clips in this video series feature Faux Herzog reading Curious George, Madeline, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

Love Weighs More Than Gold

No letter or cards. No gifts but ones I’ve made for the kids. No baked goods. No turkey or ham. No tree. No stockings. No child-like anticipation.

In Cancer, isolation, and poverty perhaps I've rediscovered the simplicity, and the meaning of Advent and Christmas?

Remember this December, that love weighs more than gold! ~ Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

Merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

Give a Goat, Get an Mp3

Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn are Pomplamoose.

They've made several fun covers that they perform out of a SF Bay area home studio. They've pioneered a specific style of work dubbed the "videosong"

This Christmas they've collaborated with several other musicians on the song, Always in the Season. (Including one of my faves, Zoë Keating on Cello!) At the end of the song they'll explain what you can do to get a couple of free Mp3's and help out a family by giving a goat.

Random Christmasy Things

I'm enjoying watching Grant’s Advent Calendar Video Podcast. They are short, funny, witty and he opens each door with a magical, child-like enthusiasm. Thanks to @Tabs for the heads up on that.

If you want to spruce up your computer's desktop for Christmas try browsing 60 Beautiful Christmas Wallpapers For Your Desktop.

Just for fun, a selection of cats and dogs with Christmas trees on Flickr. (suggested by the Flickr blog)

A New Ornament Commemorates President Benjamin Harrison and The First White House Christmas Tree

In 1981, the White House Historical Association began offering an annual ornament in honor of a United States President. The 2008 White House ornament has a Hoosier history.

The ornament is a tribute to the nation's 23rd president and the only president from Indiana, Benjamin Harrison. In 1889, for the first time in White House history, President Harrison and his wife Caroline put ornaments on an inside evergreen and placed gifts for the family and White House staff around it.

Ornament collector Jamia Jacobsen said she started collecting the White House ornaments in 1981 while she was in Washington D.C. She said her favorite may be the Benjamin Harrison ornament.

"And it's just so intricate and so special this year," said Jacobsen.

Benjamin Harrison Home President and CEO Phyllis Geeslin said an artist spent four days in the home earlier this year studying Harrison before settling on the tree design.

"We have always known here at the Harrison home how much Benjamin Harrison loved Christmas," said Geeslin.  The toys under the tree, including a train and a doll house, were given by President Harrison to three of his six grandchildren while they lived with him in the White House.

"And of course Benjamin and Caroline had a son and a daughter and both of their families, from time to time, lived in the White House,? said Geeslin. Each White House ornament comes beautifully displayed in a box that gives a detailed history of the ornament and its president. Leslie Olsen, WISH-TV

(Click here for the Video of the story)
Read more about the annual White House Ornament.

On a personal note: It was one of my favorite times of the year to help decorate the Harrison Home for Christmas and work with my friends and colleges there preparing exhibits and school programs teaching about a Harrison Christmas and that first White House Christmas tree.

I also LOVE Phyllis. She's a wonderful woman who has done more to promote the memory of President Benjamin Harrison and his home than any Director, President or CEO the Harrison Home has ever had. They are so very very fortunate to have had her loving and guiding hand there for these 15 years! Cheers!

The Worst Christmas Jobs in History

The Worst Christmas Jobs in History. I think the Roman House Slave/Saturnalia party puke collector gig had to be one of the worst! Yuck!!