{"id":300,"date":"2012-12-25T10:00:01","date_gmt":"2012-12-25T15:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.townehouse.net\/phoenix\/?p=300"},"modified":"2012-12-25T10:00:01","modified_gmt":"2012-12-25T15:00:01","slug":"merry-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=300","title":{"rendered":"Merry Christmas!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/nativity-siloutte080.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"301\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?attachment_id=301\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/nativity-siloutte080.jpg?fit=400%2C291&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,291\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"nativity siloutte080\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/nativity-siloutte080.jpg?fit=400%2C291&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-301\" alt=\"Peace On Earth\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/nativity-siloutte080-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/nativity-siloutte080.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/nativity-siloutte080.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>I want to take this opportunity and to use this venue to wish all who read this a very Merry Christmas. Just in case you are wondering, I am not sitting in front of my computer writing this article on Christmas morning. What type of a grinch do you think I am? Actually, I am writing this article on Christmas Eve morning and using technology to schedule the publication of the article. So, if all goes well, this article will automatically show up on the blog page, along with a share on Facebook and Twitter at 10 A.M. Christmas morning,. If you are reading this, you know it worked.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>As I thought about the point of today&#8217;s blog (assuming any of my blogs actually have a point), I decided to make a list of all the Christmas Gifts that I wanted, but did not receive, in my lifetime. So here goes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.americanshetlandpony.com\/ohiobreeders.html\" target=\"_blank\">A Pony<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W8qXLxHi9_8\" target=\"_blank\">A Mattel Fanner Fifty<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.airgundepot.com\/daisy-air-rifles.html\" target=\"_blank\">A Daisy Air Rifle<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hmmm, that is about all that comes to mind. I suppose that if I had perfect recall I may have a longer list, but it could also mean that I have been fortunate over the years, or that I just have a lousy memory. Since that gift list is very short and made up of material objects, I am going to provide my Christmas list of non-material items. Please give these to me in the time I have left, however long or short that may be.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I want people to stop asking or complaining about putting Christ back into Christmas. I want this to occur because we have put Christ back and therefore no longer need to ask.<\/li>\n<li>I want Christmas to not be a commercial holiday, but a holy day.<\/li>\n<li>I want all our troops to be home for Christmas<\/li>\n<li>I want all our homeless and hunger to have homes and food.<\/li>\n<li>I want our politicians to start caring for those who elected them, and no only caring for their own selves.<\/li>\n<li>One Year when I do not have to listen to the 12 days of Christmas<\/li>\n<li>I still want a pony<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I know what your are thinking. I am not so foolish as to think any of this could really happen. I know it is all pie in the sky, particularly that last item. But one can hope and wish.<\/p>\n<p>So that is it, my Christmas lists, past and present.   Merry Christmas to everybody! Let us all sing together &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wbdvo019mgM\" target=\"_blank\">Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the New Born King&#8221;.<\/a> . . . take it from here.<\/p>\n<p> ;<\/p>\n<p>Those are my thoughts, what are yours?<\/p>\n<p> ;<\/p>\n<p> ;2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I want to take this opportunity and to use this venue to wish all who read this a very Merry Christmas. Just in case you are wondering, I am not sitting in front of my [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_daextrevo_audio_file_creation_date":"","_daextrevo_text_to_speech":"","_daextrevo_document_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/THFI.png?fit=214%2C200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":805,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=805","url_meta":{"origin":300,"position":0},"title":"Christmas Day, 2013","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I have had the good fortune to have been on this planet now for many a Christmas and I am happy to report I am still here for yet another Christmas. Christmas is, without a doubt, a magical time of the year. We all seem to become a little more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Christmas, 2013","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/download-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":71,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=71","url_meta":{"origin":300,"position":1},"title":"Merry Christmas, that&#8217;s right I said it, Merry Christmas","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Merry Christmas! Merry, Merry Christmas! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! See how easy it is to say the words. I did not feel compelled, not even once to say Happy Holidays. Why? Because this time of the year is when we celebrate Christmas. On December 25th, all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Opinion&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=21"},"img":{"alt_text":"2F_Button_background copy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/merry-christmas-jesus-he-came-for-you-ornament-on-tree-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11941,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=11941","url_meta":{"origin":300,"position":2},"title":"Ghosts of Christmas Past","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I am sure that everyone has seen some rendition of \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d. I have seen many versions over many years. So when I speak of Ghosts from Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future you will have a notion of what I am talking about. My Ghosts of Christmas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nostalgia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nostalgia","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1227,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=1227","url_meta":{"origin":300,"position":3},"title":"Christmas Day \u2013 2014","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This may very well be the shortest blog article you ever see from me. I guess that is my Christmas Gift to those who read the Townehouse Phoenix. May you have a very Merry Christmas. If you do not share my faith, then may you have a most Happy Holiday.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Miscellaneous&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"star-over-bethlehem-150x150","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/star-over-bethlehem-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14403,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=14403","url_meta":{"origin":300,"position":4},"title":"Christmas 2024.\u00a0","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"As I write these words on Christmas Eve, I\u2019m transported back to cherished memories of past Christmases. These moments, like the ghosts of Christmas Past, haunt me, making it difficult to reflect forward. I wonder, \u00a0is it possible to reflect forward, Perhaps I\u2019ll give it a try someday. The most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nostalgia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nostalgia","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/th122524.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12885,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=12885","url_meta":{"origin":300,"position":5},"title":"Christmas \u2013 2019","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"To my family and friends and all other readers of the Townehouse, here are a few thoughts I have had about Christmas over the past few days.\u00a0 I would like to share them with all of you.\u00a0 Sharing this article with you is my Christmas present to you all.\u00a0 I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/merry-christmas-2019-text-with-elegant-vector-22962599.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p38YRh-4Q","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}