Holidays

> Shakespeare calls it "the baleful mistletoe," perhaps in allusion to the Scandinavian legend that it was with an arrow made of mistletoe and wielded by the blind god Hoder that Balder was slain, or to the tradition that it was once a tree from which the wood

“There were only two classes of men who heard the cry that night: Shepherds and Wise Men. Shepherds: those who know they know nothing. Wise Men: those who know they do not know everything.” Fulton Sheen "Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our

> Invented in 1966 by a Reader's Digest editor but made popular through a 1997 Seinfeld episode, the fictional celebration has been brought to life by fervent supporters across the country -- including Clarkston native Blake Coe. > According to the Seinfeld episode, Festivus is celebrated on Dec. 23

Merry Christmas is pulling out front in the culture wars. If it wins in the culture, the schools, big box stores, and malls will will follow. > In the cultural battle over whether to use the seasonal greeting "Happy holidays" or "Merry Christmas," the latter appears

Decorating Christmas cookies without the mess [http://www.theoworlds.com/christmas/] . . . or the fun.

> "When CBS bigwigs saw a rough cut of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' in November 1965, they hated it. > "'They said it was slow,' executive producer Lee Mendelson remembers with a laugh. There were concerns that the show was almost defiantly different: There

Here's an article in the Chicago Tribune about men paying over $100 to look exactly like Santa [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0512180254dec18,1,807059.story?coll=chi-news-hed] . It's nice that they're so earnest about their job. It's

Good for the marine. Unlawful, but good for him: > A former Marine took a stab at saving the Christmas spirit yesterday – knocking over a bloody, knife-wielding Santa that was part of a controversial display outside a Manhattan home. > Julius Spohn, 64, of Newark, said he had read