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.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Media and the professional left have been jaw-agape, pearl-clutching amid their discussion of the appropriateness for Donald Trump to directly confront corporate CEO’s about their business models.
Initially their angst was simply because Donald Trump had the audacity to begin staking a pro-worker, “America First” jobs position with Carrier Inc.  The workers won.
President Trump then shifted slightly and spoke toward government contractors such as Boeing (Air Force One Contract) and Lockheed Martin… challenging their costs:

President-elect Trump took stewardship to an entire new level when tasking two competitors, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, for comparative bids and lower costs.  The approach is brilliant.
According to their own report, the F-35 program is Lockheed Martin’s largest program, generating 59% of Aeronautics’ net sales in 2015. (link) Lockheed receives 78% of their $46.1 billion in net sales from the U.S. Government.
(more…)

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued an advisory bulletin warning of possible Islamic Terror attacks against Churches and Christmas events. Simultaneous to this warning, Arizona federal officials arrest a Phoenix man who was plotting a Jihadist attack in support of ISIS.

Heavily armed police now guard the Nativity in Europe

First the warning:

WASHINGTON – Federal authorities warned Friday that ISIS sympathizers “continue aspirational calls for attacks on holiday gatherings, including targeting churches.” The bulletin was issued by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security and issued to law enforcement agencies and private security companies around the US.

(more…)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a Christmas message for his “Christian brothers and sisters” around the world:

(Via Reuters) The Obama administration on Friday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as well as Israel and several U.S. senators who urged Washington to use its veto.
The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote on Friday by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Israel and Trump had called on the United States to veto the measure.
It was adopted with 14 votes in favor, to a round of applause. It is the first resolution the Security Council has adopted on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years.
(more…)

Incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer joined “Mornings with Maria” Friday to discuss his new role assisting President-elect Donald Trump:

Yesterday President-elect Donald Trump announced Sean Spicer would be the White House Press Secretary.  Today Mr. Spicer made the morning show circuit for several interviews on current events.
Again, we simply remind everyone – CNN (as a ‘media enterprise’) will be the most hostile to the Trump administration or any person within it. Much of CNN’s business model is politically constructed and centered around The State Department political vision.
President Donald Trump settled on Spicer because Trump want’s a more biased media. Trump’s effective communications strategy involves generating as much visible bias from the U.S. media as possible.   The larger goal is to squash all opposition by allowing the media to destroy themselves.
Jaw-dropping confrontation (visible bias) is to be celebrated, emphasized and where possible, enhanced.  Trump wants the media attacking him over everything; he will bait them endlessly toward this objective. Success is achieved by making the media a caricature of themselves.
(more…)

Earlier today “his excellency” President-Elect Donald Trump released the copy of a Christmas Greeting letter sent from Russian President Vladimir Putin.   It would appear PEOTUS is having a little fun poking the media with the bear…

(pdf LINK) – SOURCE