Just call me Scrooge.....

I'll be the first to admit it: I am definitely a candidate for playing Ebenezer Scrooge this year. I'm just not in the holiday spirit.

Normally, I am one of those annoying people who deck the halls and spend the entire month singing Christmas carols. I used to put my tree up right after Thanksgiving. But this year, I was lucky to get it up at all (which was just 2 days ago, by the way).

I guess I just have one too many reasons to be down in the dumps lately, and I am letting it affect me and my normal Christmas cheer. I'm not really sure how to get in the spirit, because at this point, I'm skeptical that even the ghost of Christmas past would have a hard time getting my behind in gear. So I guess I'd better start practicing saying Ba Humbug now.

Je t'aime et bon nuit!

So, the other night, I went to the secret sister dinner at church. Then I had band practice. When I came home, my son was counting to 10 in French. Yes, my husband is from Canada and they speak French as a second language there---primary language if you live in parts of Montreal. I was pretty impressed Connor could count to 10. Then I was blown away when he learned to say "oui, s'il vous plait," which means "yes, please." And tonight, he learned how to say good night and I love you in French---Bon nuit et je t'aime.

I am so blown away that he's picking it up that easily. It took me 6 years of French (with a teacher who was actually from France) to be able to speak somewhat fluently. My 3 year old may surpass my ability here pretty soon! I wonder how you say smart cookie in French? I can't remember. Better go look that up. I might be needing it. :)

Oh the irony!

So, my dad has been mentioning that he wouldn't mind having a Vietnam Veteran hat since he's been seeing all the vets down at the VA Hospital wearing them. For Christmas, I decided to get him one, because he'd never buy one for himself. I had to special order it because they are in such high demand.

Well, it came in the mail today. When I opened it, I expected to see the stamp on it say "Made in China," because let's face it: it's hard to find anything that isn't made in China these days. But much to my surprise it wasn't made there. Oh no. It's much worse than that. I'll give you three guesses where it was made. Are you ready for this? It was made in.....Vietnam. I'm not sure if this is a joke or what, but I'm pretty sure my dad will not find it amusing that the very country where he was sent to war is the country now manufacturing his veteran hat. I should probably just send it back now.

The right attitude.....

So last night, I forced myself to stay awake to finish watching the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Front of the Class. And I was glad I did.

The movie was based on the life of Brad Cohen, a man suffering with Tourrette's Syndrome. He was diagnosed at age 6 and back then, Tourrette's wasn't widely known or accepted. He had a pretty rough childhood, and some of that came from his own dad, who thought his son was just goofing around and could learn to control the ticks that come along with having Tourrettes.

The thing I liked most about this movie was this man's overwhelming "can-do" attitude. He didn't let anything stop him from becoming a teacher, or getting people to accept him for who he was instead of penalizing him for having a condition he can't control. It made me realize that if someone like Brad Cohen could keep a positive attitude about life, then darn it, so can I.

Thumbs up to Hallmark for realizing this man deserved to be showcased in such a way. The actor who played him the movie did an excellent job as well. And anytime a movie makes me realize I should be grateful for what I have and never be satisfied with not achieving my dreams, it's never time wasted.

If you want to learn more about the real Brad Cohen, visit his website at: http://www.classperformance.com/

Happy Holidays? I think not!

IT'S MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Say it with me now:
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I have to say that one of the most annoying things about this time of year is all the people walking around telling you "Happy Holidays." Um, no. It's not "the holidays." It's CHRISTmas. That's right. I'm one of those annoying Christian people who wants to remind the rest of the world-----which has commercialized Christmas into something so warped I don't even recognize it anymore----that the reason for the season is to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It's not about Santa Claus. Although, as our pastor preached last Sunday, the man on whom the fictional Santa Claus is based was actually a very good Christian man. But what that real person has been turned into is a crying shame. Somewhere along the way, people got the idea that Christmas was about how many gifts you'll get, being good enough to put one over on Santa so you still get those gifts, or whether your parents were able to trample everyone else in line at Walmart to get you the hottest item this season.

No, I hate to break it to you, but Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. I have taught my son---who is only 3---to say "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus." And let me tell you, it annoys the majority of people we meet. In Target last Wednesday, several people were telling us "Happy Holidays." But Connor, in the way that only a child can, gleefully responded by saying "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus." Some people thought it was cute, some did not.

I realize to a great portion of the world, Christmas isn't about Christ. And how sad that is, because they are missing out on the love, joy and peace that comes along with knowing the greatest reason for the season.

What Christmas is all about.....

Today, me, Isaak and Connor had a very wonderful visit with a nice lady named Barbara at St. Barnabas nursing home.

We visited Barbara as part of the nursing home's Presents for Patients program, in which St. Barnabas partners with WPXI to bring local families together with residents at the facility who might otherwise spend the holidays alone.

Barbara was at the nursing home recovering from a bad fall. At some point, she likely would return to her home. She does have family in the area, but was very happy to receive visitors. We brought her a gift and spent about an hour talking with her. It's my understanding WPXI will use some footage of our visit to promote the Presents for Patients program on TV, so at some point, you'll be seeing my ugly mug on Channel 11.

I really enjoyed talking with Barbara, and spending time with her reminded me of the many years I spent with the residents at my parents' small personal care home in Blairsville. They had residents there who, without my family, would have had no one on Christmas. Those residents became like family to us, and now that my parents no longer have a personal care home, it sometimes seems weird for us not to be sharing our love with them on the holidays.

There is always going to be someone...somewhere....who is faced with spending not only Christmas, but every other day of the year alone. Many people are in need of our love and fellowship. If you're interested in spreading a little holiday cheer and remembering what the true meaning of Christmas is, I encourage you to get involved with Presents for Patients, your local food bank or any other organization reaching out to the community in which you live. I assure you, it will be an experience you will treasure for the rest of your life.

Spare no one

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27996349/?GT1=43001

So, police are saying that Walmart didn't train its employee well enough, and that is why the poor man got trampled by masses of people who just couldn't control themselves long enough to get inside like civilized human beings. Uh huh.

I am no fan of Walmart, but where is the personal accountability here? The real fault lies with the hundreds of people who trampled this man to death because they just couldn't wait to get inside and get their big screen TVs and toys. I'm not sure all the training in the world could have prevented this given the mentality of those shoppers.

Police say they are reviewing video of the incident but doubt they will be able to charge anyone. Here is my thought: they need to check receipts from the first hour of check outs at that store. Most people pay with credit cards these days, so it wouldn't be hard to track them down. I think anyone....and I do mean anyone....who was in that store right after that incident should automatically be charged with involuntary manslaughter. I realize this sounds harsh, but maybe if people realize there are consequences to such horrendous actions, they will not be repeated in the future.