The 'reason for the season' is to be grateful for all the sacrifices made for us



“Remember the reason for the season!” is the sign we see all over once the holidays start popping up. What is that exactly?

It’s funny, when I was growing up, everyone knew what the reason was. Not everyone recognized or believed in the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for the sins of the world. But we lived in a culture and a country that at least knew what it was, even if some rejected it.

It’s different now.

Our culture, our nation, has splintered. There are many many reasons for this, but one of those is that we just don’t celebrate Christianity in as unified a way as we used to. People in the Western World simply don’t have as much space for any faith, much less Christianity, as we used to.

But the central reason for Christmas is still one that all people can recognize, despite their faith, or lack thereof. The reason for the season is that no man is an island, and we all have people that came before us that sacrificed in order for us to be where we are, to have what we have and be what we are. And it is good for us to stop and think about those sacrifices made for us, and be thankful, and grateful.

And this is true in every spheres of our lives.

As an American, a central part of my identity is to be grateful for all the people who sacrificed so much for this incredible nation to be created and maintained for decades until I was lucky enough to participate in it. Part of my identity is to continue that work, in whatever way I can, to preserve and maintain the institutions upon which this country is founded, and those that made it great.

Part of my identity is to recognize the sacrifices my father and my mother made to make me who I am, and to be grateful to them and respect those sacrifices by living a life they would be proud of. That extends to my own family now, I have to repay the sacrifices made for me by sacrificing for them.

Even as simply a person who was born at a time where the world has advanced to such an incredible age, I have to force myself to stop sometimes, quit taking things for granted, and look around and marvel at the awesome miracles that technology and our human inventiveness have produced for us to share and flourish. Even those are gifts from a God who planted that inventiveness into the human soul and provided the elements in creation for us to invent with.

Part of the reason I believe in Christianity is that I have so much to be grateful for. The central story, the incredible narrative at the center of the Bible is that a holy and perfect God came down to save humanity and made an unfathomable sacrifice for us, to redeem us from our sins, and draw us to Him in a way we could never do on our own. It is the highest most perfect sacrifice that encompasses all others.

As I look around at every miraculous good that God has provided to me, to all of us, I am reminded at the reason for this holy season.

Massachusetts cop buys Christmas dinner for family after​ they get caught shoplifting



A kind-hearted Massachusetts police officer is earning recognition for his Christmas spirit after responding to a call about shoplifting at a Somerset supermarket.

It was five days before Christmas when Somerset Police Officer Matthew Lima responded to a call for his help.

A local Stop & Shop grocery store reached out to police after they claimed two women had been caught shoplifting.

Lima told WCVB-TV that shoplifting is one of the most common complaints police officers receive from retail stores.

"It can be people shoplifting any number of items, any value from $10 up to thousands of dollars," Lima said. "You really don't know what to expect until you get there."

According to WCVB-TV, loss and prevention at the Stop & Shop accused two women who were shopping with two children of only scanning a few of their items at the self-checkout but bagging all of their groceries anyway.

Officer Lima was dispatched to the supermarket after police received a complaint.

"It was a little bit different from the get-go because not too many people engage in that type of behavior with their young children there," Lima said.

He observed something else as well.

"I noticed it was all grocery items, so it was all consumable food items," Lima said.

Suspecting that these women were stealing groceries out of necessity, he asked one of the women why they were shoplifting.

"She stated that, obviously it goes without saying, that times are tough for a lot of people, that she was working but not enough and didn't make enough money and that there were some other family issues going on and that she just wanted to provide a Christmas dinner for the kids," Lima recounted.

The two children with the women were the same age as Lima's own children, and he felt compassion for them. He issued them a trespassing notice but decided against filing charges.

After escorting them from the store, he turned around and went back in.

"I just made the decision that I was going to purchase the gift cards and they could go to a different Stop & Shop and buy their Christmas dinner for their girls," Lima said.

The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on every American. People all across the nation from every background have faced economic hardship or loss this year.

"We have the ability to adapt to many things," Lima said. "But also, we just need to be there for each other and be there for our neighbors."

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American generosity during the pandemic shows the Christmas spirit is alive and well



To embrace the Christmas spirit is generally to be generous, kind, forgiving, and, of course, joyful.

Yet if there were ever a time that would seem to run counter to that spirit, it is here and now in 2020. This Christmas season is difficult for far too many Americans facing economic hardship because of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of Americans and small businesses have suffered without relief as state governments prohibited them from earning a living while Congress took eight months to negotiate a $900 billion relief package that will compensate every American for months of economic uncertainty with just $600.

As Axios reported on Monday, the outlook for the country at first seems bleak. Jobless claims rose to 885,000 last week, a full 85,000 claims more than economists had predicted. The U.S. poverty rate is up to 11.7%, jumping 2.4% since June, which according to the Washington Post is the largest increase since the government began tracking that data. Some 12 million renters will owe an average of $5,850 in back rent and utilities by January, again according to the Washington Post. Retail sales decreased 1.1% in November, according to the Associated Press. And as a report from earlier this month showed, a staggering 1 in 6 restaurants have been forced to close forever because of the lockdown policies instituted by several states.

But there is cause for good cheer. For hope. Because while it seems the American government has failed its people, the American people, in a spirit of great generosity, charity, and patriotism that is all too fitting for this time of year, have done wondrous good works to help small businesses in need.

TheBlaze has covered some of these stories. BlazeTV host Glenn Beck last week established a fundraiser to aid small businesses across the nation, sharing the stories of struggling business owners with his audience and encouraging those who can afford to do so to donate money to help them stay afloat. Beck's initial goal of raising $50,000 was demolished as over 3,000 donors raised more than $200,000 in under one week.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy launched a similar effort, beginning with a personal donation of $500,000 to what he named the "Barstool Fund" for small businesses that continue to pay their employees. More than 30,000 supporters quickly raised nearly $2 million to get money to businesses that need extra help to pay their rent, tax bills, or whatever overhead costs they face to keep employees working and earning a living for their families.

Then there's celebrity chef Guy Fieri, who raised $21.5 million after creating the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, a charity that provides $500 grants to restaurant workers in all 50 states and has served over 43,000 restaurant workers nationwide.

Critically, Americans are also showing that you don't need to be a celebrity or have a platform with millions of followers to make an impact. A GoFundMe page linking to various fundraisers for small businesses affected by the coronavirus shows that ordinary, everyday people have set up more than 17,000 fundraisers to save businesses in their communities. Just a quick look through these GoFundMe pages shows tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for each one, totaling millions of dollars that will keep the American dream alive for these business owners and their employees.

For those interested in donating to multiple businesses, GoFundMe has created a Small Business Relief Fund to provide micro-grants to qualifying small businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the generosity of so many, the fund has provided over $2.4 million to help businesses afford rent payments, supplement staff wages, pay for PPE, transition to online business, and more.

No matter how difficult times may be, what these efforts demonstrate is that each and every American should be confident that we all have countrymen who are willing to lend a hand to those in need. That's the epitome of the Christmas spirit. What's more, it's the American way.

The Christmas tree and new blessings from old memories



One of the better joys in life is looking back at your memories and finding new lessons and blessings to appreciate that you hadn't realized previously.

I had one such blessing brought to light by a simple question from my children.

"Did you have Christmas trees as a kid?"

They ask because they have figured out that I didn't have the standard American family upbringing. My parents were immigrants from Mexico, and not all the customs were held in common from the old country to the new. Some of this was accidental, and some of this was on purpose.

So this made me think.

We did have Christmas trees. And I hadn't thought of it before, but it wasn't because of my father. It was because of my mom.

My mom worked hard at home to take care of her children, and she also took up small side jobs outside the home to bring in extra money so that she could buy us the creature comforts that my dad wouldn't. My dad worked hard, but they both came from a very poor and austere life in Mexico. He refused to indulge our high standards of American comfort, but she spoiled us.

And she tried as hard as she could to assimilate us into American culture as much as she could.

So we had Christmas trees, and we had presents, as much as she could buy on her meager earnings.

And we had wonderful holidays, and it didn't matter how much she spent on presents or that our tree wasn't the biggest of all the families on our block. All that mattered was that we were together and Mom did all she could to make us happy. And we were very happy.

In fact, it was a long time before I realized that we were considered "poor" by American standards, financially. By all other, more important measures, we were very wealthy.

Every day I would come home from school and immediately run out to play baseball with my neighborhood pals, and we would yell "car!" when a car drove through, and for many blessed hours, it was just us with a baseball bat and a baseball playing our muscles sore. And when it got dark, I came home and my mother had an incredible home-cooked meal ready for us. We all sat down and prayed to God for our blessings. Together.

It wasn't perfect; there were a lot of shortcomings I could dwell on, but as I grow older, I realize that being an adult means focusing on the good and forgiving the bad.

So embrace your blessings. The good that God gives you is always greater than you realize, and the more you look for it, the more you will find.

Here are the 10 worst Christmas songs of all time. Careful, they just might kill your holiday spirit.



One of the greatest things about the Christmas season is the music. In our house, we have a hard and fast rule that no holiday tunes may be played until after we finish the Thanksgiving meal.

If you put on the right song, it can lift your spirits, put a spring in your step, and make wrapping gifts tolerable.

But the wrong song can send you in to an emotional spiral causing you to regret your life choices and wish for Boxing Day to arrive so you can just be past it all.

Last year, I got a lot of kudos — and even more gruff — for my list of the definitive recordings of the 35 best Christmas carols. It truly was a perfect list, despite the claims from naysayers.

Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment. This year, at the risk of being labeled a Grinch, I've compiled the 10 worst Christmas songs of all time. And because I play fair, you can listen to each song below so that you, too, can judge each song for yourself ... and then acknowledge my obvious correctness about the awfulness of each.

Just don't let it ruin your Christmas.

#1: LAST CHRISTMAS — Wham!


This song is just objectively bad and an obvious first choice. There is not an American alive with two working ears and any sort of taste in music who would disagree that this is the world's worst Christmas tune.

It's everything that is wrong with '80s music — from the bad vocals, obnoxious keyboards, sulky attitude, and goofy lyrics. And as if the song wasn't bad enough, Wham! thought it would be a good idea to create this video to go with it.


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#2: MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING — The Carpenters


I post this one at great personal risk. There are friends who will leave me and family members who will disown me for this, but honestly, the only redeeming quality for this Carpenters disaster is that it isn't "Last Christmas" by Wham!

Sentimental Carpenters fans who long for Karen's resurrection need to understand that there are not enough Christmas miracles in the world to keep this song from its placement at No. 2 on the all-time list of terrible songs. From dreaming of "Christmassing with you" to being filled with desire based on seeing logs on a fire, there is no saving this song from the weight of its own silliness — and lousy instrumentation and background vocals.


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#3: WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME — Paul McCartney and Wings


C'mon, Paul. You're better than this. You're a Beatle for crying out loud.

Yes, I know it charted bigly. Yes, I know lots people have covered it. No, that does not make it a good song. As Craig Outhier wrote for the Phoenix New Times in his list of the worst Paul McCartney songs, this tune "torments" the public, and its chorus likely "is at least partially responsible for the yearly spike in holiday suicide rates."


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#4: THE CHRISTMAS SHOES — NewSong


I'm probably going straight to Hell for this one. But it had to be included.

Though it has a nice message about a boy buying fancy shoes for his dying mother and a stranger paying for the footwear when the young lad winds up not having enough money, it's a depressing song that has no business being in anyone's holiday playlist. All of that, combined with the sappy vocals, super-awkward video, and the fact that it is overplayed on Christian radio and 24-hour Christmas stations, make this song nausea-inducing and obnoxious.


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#5: MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS — NSYNC


Justin Timberlake is one of the greatest entertainers of our generation: He can write, sing, act, and do comedy. Surely if there are any regrets he has in his career, this song has to be near the top of his list.

The song is like a poorly conceived musical number for a sub-par network holiday special. Speaking of sub-par, the video, featuring "Diff'rent Strokes" star Gary Coleman, is really ... something.


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#6: DOMINICK THE DONKEY — Lou Monte


Dominick is supposed to be the hero of the song, having saved Christmas by helping Santa because the reindeer can't climb the hills of Italy. Instead, this silly song attempts a "Funiculi Funicula" vibe, but even for a novelty song — a genre that is typically given a lot of leeway when it comes to criticism — it is just painful.

Hee haw. Hee awful.


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#7: HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER) — John Lennon


It's a sad day when two songs written by Beatles make a "worst songs" list, but such is life. You write a bad song, it doesn't matter who you are, you're going to get called out.

I know I'll get raked over the coals by Beatles fans who feel Lennon could do no wrong, but this is a terrible Christmas song. The music is well done and everyone knows Lennon was a peacenik, but this tune has no business invading the joy of the holiday.


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#8: A HAND FOR MRS. CLAUS — Idina Menzel & Ariana Grande


You know who the real hero of the North Pole — and therefore Christmas — really is? No, not St. Nick. Nope, not the elves or Rudolph.

The real hero is Santa's ball-and-chain. She does all the real work up north — and Idina Menzel and Ariana Grande really want you to understand that in this badly written, poorly performed (particularly Ariana's portion), and inferiorly produced pile of feminist nonsense.


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#9: DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? — Band Aid


This song was created with the most talented artists alive in 1984, and that stable of amazing musicians makes this a tough one. And anyone with a soul can appreciate their efforts to help the people suffering in Ethiopia.

But that does not make it a good Christmas song. Despite the talent involved, the tune is mediocre at best — some took to calling the supergroup "Bland Aid" after the record's release. And the words, again, do not capture the joy and magic of Christmas — which is what holiday songs are supposed to be about. When the song came out, NME called it a "turkey" and ripped the song as "Millions of Dead Stars write and perform rotten record for the right reasons" — which, honestly, was a pretty generous review.


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#10: WARM AND FUZZY — Billy Gilman


Yes, only a monster would mock a record cut by a kid, and this is probably enough to get me labeled Mr. Potter reincarnated, but seriously ...

This song serves no purpose, tells no story, and contains zero originality. It isn't even cute. There's nothing about this song that should give it any acclaim, yet here it is — every stinking year.


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Dishonorable mention:


There are some songs that are pretty ridiculous or silly or just downright dumb. But unlike the songs listed above, they do bring some joy to the season.

I couldn't bring myself to list them as terrible, but their questionableness should at least be noted.

Ohio police spread holiday cheer with a 'rolling Christmas carol'



Richmond Heights police in Ohio sought to lift the spirits of residents during the coronavirus pandemic Sunday with a "rolling Christmas carol."

Piloting a police SUV decked out in Christmas decorations, with the Grinch locked up in back to show he meant serious holiday cheer, Richmond Heights Auxiliary Police Capt. Mark Hoageson drove around his city's streets, jingling all the way. His wife Mary Prince joined him, dressed as an elf, and blasted Christmas music through the vehicle's public address system, Cleveland.com reports.

Civilians of all ages greeted the SUV with glad hearts.

"We thought we were rock stars," said Hoageson, a 31-year veteran of the force. "We'd go down a street and people would come outside to wave or dance to the music. Some people followed us and wanted pictures with us."

More from Cleveland.com:

The idea for A Rolling Christmas Carol was conceived just three days earlier when RHPD Chief Thomas Wetzel asked Hoageson if he would take to the streets to helm the cheery cherry top. Hoageson drove one of two cars on Halloween that also went down streets to greet residents. The idea was to repeat the success of Halloween, but with just one police vehicle in order to reduce contact with residents as COVID cases continue to rise during this unusual holiday season. The plan was quickly posted on the RHPD Facebook page.

As the car proceeded through different neighborhoods, about 15 songs were rotated. "We tried to make the music appropriate to where we were," Hoageson said. "When we went past the assisted living facilities, we'd maybe be playing Bing Crosby singing 'White Christmas,' and in other neighborhoods, things a little more upbeat."

Wetzel thanked Hoageson and Prince for their efforts in making a success of A Rolling Christmas Carol.

"It definitely was a unique approach at community outreach," Wetzel said of the event, "but we like to think outside the box here. Besides that, our agency is like community policing on steroids, and this was a neat way to spread some holiday cheer, particularly during this COVID crisis, which is still a daily threat.

"Mark and his wife drove together and worked their way from the south side of the city, to the north. Capt. Hoageson is a techie kind of guy and rigged the sound system to play over the cruiser PA system. And it was loud and strong. When we were driving through our apartments on the north end, you could see people looking out their windows and checking things out."

According to a Facebook post from the Richmond Heights Police Department, Hoageson and his wife purchased all the decorations for the SUV themselves and volunteered their own time to take a tour around the city, bringing a little bit of Christmas to everyone who lives there.

Richmond Heights Mayor David Roche and his wife Aire joined the SUV, along with another police car and Police Chief Thomas Wetzel in his own car in what became a small four-hour Christmas parade.

Family of murdered Maryland father gets Christmas surprise from police, pays it forward to community to honor his legacy



Police in Maryland put together a Christmas surprise for a family suffering from loss this holiday season, and the grateful family is paying it forward.

Almost one year ago, evil men stole the life of father of three Billy Owens Smith, murdering him in his own home. This year, his family will celebrate their first Christmas without him.

On Jan. 17, Smith, a 41-year-old youth coach, was stabbed to death by three masked men as his son watched in horror, WUSA-TV reports. Police have since arrested and charged three individuals with his murder, but justice alone hasn't eased the pain experienced by the Smith family.

"He was such a blessing to others," Billy's wife, Kristina Smith, said. "I feel like I just need to keep his memory alive and let the world know what a good person he was and what was taken from us."

Christmas traditions are just not the same this year as the three Smith children lost their father. Every year, Billy would buy candy canes to decorate the Christmas tree and would hoist up one of his children to place the star upon it. This year 10-year-old Layla, the family's youngest daughter, topped the tree by herself.

"Trying to do those things to help keep his memory alive has helped us, but it is hard," Kristina said. "This was his favorite time of year."

But on Saturday, Greenbelt, Maryland, police surprised the Smith family to give them some Christmas cheer. When Layla answered a knock on the front door, she found Santa Claus had come with some officers bearing gifts.

"She's 10 and it just made her day, and seeing her happy and excited made me happy, because her happiness is really how it gets me through from day to day," Kristina said.

She told WUSA that her late husband would use the holidays as an opportunity to give back to the community, and she wants to continue his legacy this year.

Kristina, a first grade teacher at Cherokee Lane Elementary School, worked alongside the school to set up a donation drive in December, collecting money, clothing, and food to share with families in need.

"It's helping me deal with the grief and it's also helping families at my school that really could use the extra love and help, because it's been tough with COVID," Kristina said. "The neighborhood my school was in has been pretty hard hit, and families are struggling."

So far they've raised $3,000 and are still collecting donations. According to WUSA, the donation drive will set up a "store" where 24 families who signed up to "shop" will be given the money collected to purchase items they need.

"So many people have given me so much support and my kids so much support, so I feel like it's just my way of paying it forward, because that's what he would want us to do," Kristina said.

West Virginia police officer launches 'Operation Santa's Handlebars' to give bikes to kids in need this Christmas



Sure, technically he's not Santa Claus, but this year one West Virginia police officer is going beyond the call of duty to serve kids in his community by giving them Christmas gifts.

South Charleston police officer Tony Messer has rallied an online community of supporters to raise money for Christmas gifts for the children of his city. Thanks to many generous donations, Messer was able to purchase bicycles for kids who might otherwise have received little for Christmas, as too many Americans face economic hardship during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We raised almost $2,000 for bikes, and we just bought 25 bikes," Messer told WCHS-TV. "And that's something that this community, they're all so proud of, so that's amazing."

The project, called "Operation Santa's Handlebars," began months ago when Messer created a Facebook page to reach out to his community and humanize police officers during the summer unrest as Black Lives Matter and anti-police rioters set U.S. cities on fire. He began by streaming video games and making posts about his efforts to engage with the community he protects.

"I wanted to build some kind of community, and I never thought it would be what it is now. We do a thing that we want to humanize the badge. So, I want to be a better person. I want to be a better police officer, and I want to set goals for kids who are growing up. I started the page, Officer Messer, and it just kind of took off," he said.

His page now has more than 10,000 followers from all over the country. Many kind supporters donated to help Messer buy bikes for kids.

"We have so many people who have a goal on here to do stuff for these kids that are not going to have a good Christmas. It's because of these people, all 51 people behind us, watching right now. It's because of them, it really is," he said.

Messer also wants to use his Facebook page to honor other police officers who tragically were killed in the line of duty, like officer Cassie Johnson of Charleston, who recently died two days after being shot while responding to a parking complaint.

"We want to start a scholarship for a criminal justice program for female officers, something like that, just to keep her name in memory because of everything she sacrificed for this community," Messer said.

A post pinned to the top of Officer Messer's Facebook page links to a GoFundMe account set up for Johnson's family.