You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.
But do you recall the least famous reindeer of all?
His name is Rodney. You might not recognize him. To me though, it’s not Christmas without Rodney The Reindeer. Continue reading
Jimmy Fallon – Entertainment Weekly’s 2014 Entertainer Of The Year. It makes sense now. Fallon has reinvigorated The Tonight Show with a sense of joy and clips that go viral on a regular basis. He’s righted the ship of NBC late night after 5 years of shakiness between Conan and Jay Leno.
But if I had told you 5 years ago that Jimmy Fallon would be the most beloved entertainer in America, you would have laughed harder than, well, Jimmy himself when he breaks up during a sketch.
Believe it or not Jimmy Fallon wasn’t a huge hit when he took over “Late Night” in 2009. Continue reading
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When you picture Jesus at Christmas, your mind probably goes straight to the image of a baby wrapped in swaddling cloth in a manger.
But I like to picture Jesus at Christmas clothed in a tacky sweater.
In recent years it’s become a badge of honor to sport an a ugly Christmas sweater. You’ve probably already been invited to half a dozen tacky sweater parties this year. Hipsters and millenials ravage Goodwill every December to find all the holiday horrors of the past.
In fact, clothing companies are now producing intentionally ugly Christmas sweaters to celebrate the new fashion trend like this one.
It wasn’t always this way.
Think about it: the bright red cardigan plastered with bows and tinsel you wear for laughs was once really worn by someone with a sense of style. Continue reading
Ah, Christmas cookies. The final taste of sweetness before Christmas goes to bed for another year.
Whether leaving a plate for Santa or stealing the last crumb for yourself, it’s hard to beat a freshly baked Christmas cookie.
A cookie is sweet perfection for just a moment. It’s a glorious moment, but it’s merely a moment.
Before you know it, the flavor is gone. The joy you experienced is temporary. It’s hollow. It’s just a morsel of something greater.
Christmas has a way of being like this. The holiday season is a sweet moment. Everything in the world seems right and perfect. But often it’s just a moment. Some years it seems there’s nothing lasting about Christmas that leaves a mark on us. Continue reading
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Could you be merry around Ernest?
Imagine having to deal with all your Christmas woes – buying the presents, wrapping the presents, balancing all the parties, balancing your budget, watching your weight, putting up with your family – and then having to deal with a neighbor like Ernest P. Worrell. Continue reading
You knew it would happen.
As soon as the news broke of “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson’s controversial interview with GQ, you knew what the reaction would be.
No, I’m not talking about A&E suspending Robertson from his hit show.
I’m talking about the thousands of pastors across the country who started scrambling to rewrite their Sunday Morning Sermons.
I just have a feeling churches, especially across the southeast, are about to get an earful about what a reality television family’s religious stance means for our country and the church as a whole.
Pastors, may I ask one small request of you? Could you please pledge to avoid pop culture commentary from the pulpit? Continue reading
I’ve done plenty of talking to you about Christmas this month. How about some wisdom from a far greater mind, that of author Henri Nouwen?
Henri Nouwen lived an incredible life of ministry in the 20th Century and wrote many powerful books. The Road To Daybreak is a journal of his first year living in the L’Arche community, a shelter for adults with special needs where he spent many of his later years serving some of the most needy souls. It’s an honest, heartbreaking, challenging diary of a man all-consumingly following God’s calling.
I just happened to be reading the chapter on Nouwen’s first Christmas in the community the other day. On the entry for December 23 Nouwen offers a humble Christmas prayer, and I wanted to share that with you today. Here is the prayer in full: Continue reading
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Santa Claus is a pretty messed up dude.
Morbidly obese. Unrepentant home invader. Does he even pay all those elves for their overtime?
Santa’s worst crime just might be how he’s forever screwed up our psychology.
Santa Claus operates on the code of the Naughty or Nice list. If kids behave all year they end up on the Nice list and are promised presents. If they end up on the Naughty list their stocking will be filled with coal.
This is a pretty genius tactic parents have used for generations to encourage their kids to behave well throughout the year.
As children we grow up with this psychology of getting rewarded for our good deeds. “Being Good = Presents” in our brains.
The problem comes when we confuse God with Santa Claus. Continue reading
A Christmas Story. Miracle on 34th Street. A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s A Wonderful Life.
All undeniable classics.
Let’s face it though – there’s some really strange, really bad Christmas “classics” that get trotted out every year.
Have you watched Frosty The Snowman lately? It’s just…weird. The Santa Clause is fantastic, but unfortunately The Santa Clause 2 and 3 exist. Vince Vaughn allegedly made a couple of movies called Fred Claus and Four Christmases, but I haven’t seen them and I’d like to continue pretending they’re not real thank you very much.
It makes me sad every year when crappy Christmas movies make the cut and underrated gems become further lost to time.
So I made it a point to spend one day writing about the Best Christmas Movie You’ve Never Seen – Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. Continue reading
Every year I buy my dog a Christmas present.
You might think I’m foolish.
You are more than welcome to your opinion and you may in fact be right.
I mean, I recently quit my full time job. I’m only working a part time seasonal job right now. I’ve got a house to pay for, Christmas presents to buy for family and friends, and all my other bills to worry about.
It’s probably not wise for me to ration out any of my money for a Christmas present for a dog.
After all, he has no idea there’s a new toy and a bag of treats wrapped up with his name on it waiting underneath the Christmas tree.
So why bother? Continue reading
POP GOD 