Ok, not hell, but it is regularly described as being hotter than hell…From Sister Toldjah:

Via Reuters:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Snow fell on Baghdad on Friday for the first time in memory, and delighted residents declared it an omen of peace.

“It is the first time we’ve seen snow in Baghdad,” said 60-year-old Hassan Zahar. “We’ve seen sleet before, but never snow. I looked at the faces of all the people, they were astonished,” he said.

“A few minutes ago, I was covered with snowflakes. In my hair, on my shoulders. I invite all the people to enjoy peace, because the snow means peace,” he said.

Traffic policeman Murtadha Fadhil, huddling under a balcony to keep dry, declared the snow “a new sign of the new Iraq.”

“It’s a sign of hope. We hope Iraqis will purify their hearts and politicians will work for the prosperity of all Iraqis.”

The streets of the capital were largely empty as big, thick, wet flakes fell on Friday morning, a weekend day in Iraq. The temperature hovered around freezing and the snow mostly melted into grey puddles when it hit the ground.

Wonder what it looked like through the eyes of this child:

Think about what that means:  They just missed a white Christmas in the Middle East.  Lots to think about there…. 

 Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Rosemary’s Thoughts, 123beta, Right Truth, Adam’s Blog, Shadowscope, The Amboy Times, Cao’s Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, Conservative Cat, Adeline and Hazel, Pursuing Holiness, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie is Wired, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Stix, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, Celebrity Smack, The Pink Flamingo, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

This Christmas was my daughter’s first “real” Christmas.  No she is not a baby, she is 17 and a senior in High School.

The reason I say it is her first one, is that this year she is working and decided to buy presents for all of our family herself, and in doing so, she went all out.  And it was a joy to behold.

First some history.

Throughout Kayla’s early years, times were somewhat hard.  I was military, recently divorced and remarried, and frankly we had little money for many years.

Kayla never lost her holiday spirit, and always took great delight in Christmas, even when there were only a few presents under the tree.

When she reached an age to want to give presents, we often didn’t have the resources to help her buy presents for the other kids, so she made her own.  Her present of choice for many years was to take scraps of cloth (she loved to sew and collected fabric) and batting and make mini pillows, some only a few inches long.  She would spend hours making them by hand, then wrapping them, so no one was forgotten.

They are treasured gifts.

She more then most kids her age “gets” Christmas, the spirit of giving and of sharing love.  This year was no different, as she has Christmas lights in her room.

so armed with a paycheck, she set out to spend more money on us than I wanted her too.  Her response was that this was her first real Christmas of buying her own presents for people, and she wanted to do it right.

So, when I think about Christmas this year, she occupies much pride in my thoughts.  What she bought me is not important, it is the thought and love she gave it.

What this is not:  A campaign commercial.  If he had not flashed his name at the end you would not have known.  No voice overs, no photo ops.  Just the music, and the photos which speak volumes.

What this is:  A classy way to wish the troops a happy holiday, considering where many of them are, without overtly trying to sleaze a few votes.

Via Hot Air

 Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, The Midnight Sun, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Stix Blog, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Chuck Adkins, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Pirate’s Cove, Celebrity Smack, The Pink Flamingo, Right Voices, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, guerrilla radio, Adam’s Blog, Big Dog’s Weblog, Cao’s Blog, Conservative Cat, Nuke’s, Faultline USA, Allie is Wired, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, CORSARI D’ITALIA, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Thanks to fellow Linkfest blogger Carl for this video.

Enjoy.  Warning:  Contains Kitten Cuteness. 

 Trackposted to Rosemary’s Thoughts, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Big Dog’s Weblog, The Amboy Times, Cao’s Blog, Chuck Adkins, third world county, Faultline USA, Woman Honor Thyself, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Pirate’s Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Celebrity Smack, CORSARI D’ITALIA, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

The news has been hopping all over this, both locally and nationally, and the outrage has been huge.  It is no surprise they reversed their decision and are reinstalling the trees.  More on that in a moment.

The back story:  A few months ago a Sea-Tac Employee asked for permission to add a Menorah to a Christmas tree display.  He was initially granted permission, but after a second look it was denied.  The Port of Seattle determined that adding a religious icon to the Christmas display, which was primarily intended to be secular would violate the law, as Sea-Tac is technically a government facility.  The Employee consulted his Rabbi who engaged in a discussion with the Port of Seattle official.

Finally after getting nowhere, the Rabbi consulted an attorney who presented the POS the threat of a lawsuit, if they did not comply.

So rather then engage a legal debate, the POS pulled the trees, arguing that none was better then a lawsuit.

For more, look here:

Airport puts away holiday trees rather than risk being "exclusive"

As odd as it might seem, Sea-Tac Airport officials were hoping to avoid controversy when they had maintenance crews working Friday’s graveyard shift dismantle nine holiday trees festooned with red ribbons and bows.

The airport managers ordered the plastic trees removed and boxed up after a rabbi asked to have an 8-foot-tall menorah displayed next to the largest tree in the international arrival hall.

Port of Seattle staff felt adding the menorah would have required adding symbols for other religions and cultures in the Northwest, said Terri-Ann Betancourt, the airport’s spokeswoman. The holidays are the busiest season at the airport, she said, and staff didn’t have time to play cultural anthropologists.

"We decided to take the trees down because we didn’t want to be exclusive," she said. "We’re trying to be thoughtful and respectful, and will review policies after the first of the year."

The problem was they angered all the people who like Christmas, including atheists, Jews and Christians alike.

"Well, it was a tough battle, the enemy was ready and prepared, but in the end, we were just unstoppable."

"We made considerable headway against all that Peace on Earth crap, and everyone should realize right now that Christmas is in for a fight. Wait till next year. Bah Humbug!"

"People can say what they will about Christmas, but in reality they just love a time of happiness, a time of peace. The roots to Christmas are inside us, the belief that people when given the chance would do good things. The whole season resonates with the desire to give a little more, and be a little happier".

Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. ~Francis C. Farley Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens