Mr. President-elect Donald J Trump and Mrs. Melania Trump together with their son Barron, will be attending midnight mass Christmas services at The Church of Bethesda by The Sea in West Palm Beach Florida.

The Trump family quietly attended services last year at the same church –pictures here– However, as President-Elect -and incoming First Family- this year there is heightened media and public interest.  Security has been enhanced accordingly.

The Episcopal service is being live-streamed via CBS12

VIEW HERE

This might mean Hope Hicks takes over formally as White House Director of Communications….
Palm Beach, Florida (CNN) – Jason Miller, President-elect Donald Trump’s spokesman, has decided he will not take the job of White House communications director he was tapped for just two days earlier.
Citing family reasons, Miller announced he will not continue on to the White House and will hand off his responsibilities as communications director to Sean Spicer, the Republican National Committee communications director who was announced this week as the incoming White House press secretary.
“After spending this past week with my family, the most amount of time I have been able to spend with them since March 2015, it is clear they need to be my top priority right now and this is not the right time to start a new job as demanding as White House Communications Director,” Miller said in a statement he provided to CNN, adding that he is also expecting the birth of his second daughter next month. (more…)

This tweet from President-elect Donald Trump directly implies his willingness to lean into the problem:

And President-Elect Donald Trump is not alone carrying optimism: (more…)

Luke 2-8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9-And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11-For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12-And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13-And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

After a shameful political move against Israel at the U.N. yesterday, the scope of this hypocrisy is stunning:

(link)

The feedback people are sending to Secretary of State Kerry’s tweet are exactly what you would think it would be.  Unreal, he would send this out.

Reflecting on the road traveled, it is important to say:

“Thank You”…

Thank You to Chris McDaniel for being one of the first, perhaps the most important, to charge across the open field and force the enemy to show themselves.
Without McDaniel’s efforts in the spring and summer of 2014 we would never have known what hidden armory the opposition held and what lengths they would go to use them.
Thanks to Mitch Tyner for his steadfast support of McDaniel, and for understanding the longer game, once the discoveries were made.
Two years later Tyner made it possible for us to see, when affirmation was needed most, that candidate Donald Trump was also well aware of the long game – and the opposition.
(more…)

Thank you to those who serve our nation and are unable to be home with family this Christmas. We appreciate you, we are thankful for you, and we send our prayers to you and your families who we recognize also sacrifice on our behalf.

We also remember those who have given the fullest measure of devotion, and those families who cope with the void in all holiday’s to come. (more…)

Joe Dan Gorman produces another edition of Intellectual Froglegs, “Christmas Edition”.
Merry Christmas.  Anyone who utilizes the word “idnit” is a brother in arms.

Time for your favorites folks. We’ll bump the thread later this week, so if you want to start with snacks, appetizers, and treats that’s fine and you can come back later and add your best ham recipe or Aunt Polly’s green beans. Whatever works for you.
Has your menu changed throughout the years, or is it the same favorites your family has always loved? We kind of have it both ways in our family. We used to have a huge breakfast after Midnight Mass (with gravy nyet, made from bacon grease ZM) but we’ve had to bump the breakfast up to morning hours thanks to the three little ones who really make our Christmas special now.  (more…)

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “2016 Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Trump/Pence presidential victory.

Transition Website HERE

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.