Hot Holiday Wishes

• Last night we went on a tour of local homes decorated with Christmas lights. When we pulled into one neighborhood we couldn’t believe our eyes. The neighbors had all pitched in and stretched sparkling lights across the street between their homes. I thought I’d seen everything when I spotted a car parked at the curb covered with at ten-foot tall Santa cap, until I saw the guy who was himself covered in Christmas lights. Throughout the neighborhood, groups of people had bundled up in warm clothes and gathered in front of woodfire pits in their driveways to watch all of the festivities. My favorite was the guy who was playing Christmas tunes on a piano in his garage, amped up so that the line of cars could hear him. And as people drove past small children offered the lookiloos ‘free candy canes.’ So if you want to be a Scrooge this holiday season, you’re going to have to do it some where other than the Santa Clarita Valley, because folks here seem to have the spirit – struggling economy or not. Need a little Christmas, right this very minute? Then you should go on your own holiday light tour.

• And then we stopped for some Hot Chocolate! Yummy!

• Don’t expect to see the President-elect and his family bundled up against the bitter chill of a Chicago winter this Christmas. The future first family will be chillin’ and keeping it real at a ‘multi-million dollar resort’ in Hawaii this year.

• Meanwhile, when the current President isn’t doing the terrorist fist bump with Santa, we hope he’s spending his time in the White House packing up his stuff this holiday season. There are plenty of volunteers willing to come over and help him put his stuff in boxes. Can I get a show of hands? Amen!

• In this holiday season when so much is so wrong and there is so very little to celebrate, we have People magazine to let us know that one type of pine tree is more trendy than any other. This type of fir tree is the choice of all the Hollywood celebrities. Not only are you supposed to feel bad about not having a Birkin bag tucked under your arm at the mall, you’re also supposed to feel bad about the Charlie Brown Christmas tree in your living room.