Ruth Anne Latta

 This story was sent to me by my friends Diane and Peter Schmolka.     When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the pre-Christmas pressure. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.     When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. When he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground, and all the toys were scattered.     Frustrated, Santa went into the house for a glass of cider and a shot of rum. He went to the cupboard and discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the rum.  In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor.  He went to get the broom and...

 Put Christ back into Christmas by Billy Bragg Put Christ back into Christmas The season of goodwill Peace on earth for everyone So let the bombs be still Let the guns fall silent Let the hungry be fed And let the tyrants of the world Lie uneasy in their beds You want Christ back in Christmas Yet you ignore his words And live your life in selfishness As if you've never heard Of the Samaritan who stops to help The stranger dressed in rags You pay lip service to the Lord While worshipping the flag A flag won't ask you what you've done To help the poor survive But Christ demands you cast away The sin of national pride Love they neighbour as thyself And you will plainly see That the true message of Christmas Is one of empathy In haste to vilify you forget Christ was a refugee King Herod's murderous orders caused His family to flee Into the land of Egypt Where their safety did lie Would you refuse to let him in And send him back to die? God rest ye merry gentlemen So drunken...

    https:// compulsivereader.com/2025/12/ 19/a-review-of-a-different- kind-of-power-by-jacinda- ardern/ Above is the link to  my review of Jacinda Ardern's memoir, A Different Kind of Power.