Turkey junkie

"It's a well known fact throughout the midwest that the old man is a certified turkey junkie" - from The Christmas Story. I admit I adore turkey done right. Thanks to our Ronco rotissiere we had a scrumptious turkey. Very juicy. And of course when its done at my house I get to carve it up.

Merry Christmas

This year we experienced something we have never had before. A Christmas with just the four of us - plus Jesus makes five!
Anyway its been kind of nice. We talked to family and everything but for the most part we just relaxed and played games and played with the toys and put together a puzzle. Very nice change-up. The boys wished for a cat - and they got one. They decided on the name Star since it was under the Christmas tree. Anyway hope everyone had a great day celebrating Jesus Christ - "The Famous One."

Happy Birthday Jesus

Great Job too all the kids who sang Happy Birthday Jesus this morning in the "big church."

They all did a great job

A Charlie Brown Christmas

This December in Kid Kove I decided to do a series based on the Charlie Brown Christmas story. So far it has gone very well. December 3rd we talked about the crazy rush of Christmas spotlighting Snoopy's quest for victory in the decorating contest. December 10th we looked at what some of the Peanuts gang wanted for Christmas and talked about what Jesus might want from us for Christmas (Sally really rang it home with the wish for 10s and 20s). This week we will talk about Charlie Brown's tree and and how like this tree and Jesus many things start with humble beginnings but God has a special plan for them (and us). On Christmas Eve we will talk about how Luke and Linus were in agreement on the real meaning of Christmas. It's so great working with kids you get to relive your own childhood at times which is not really what its all about but hey we take what we can get!

In a totally unrelated story - Tuesday was my 37th birthday and one of the 3rd grade girls gave me a card she made. I scanned the inside because it was cool!

Another holiday anomoly

When and where did the holiday family newsletter get started? Who invented it and what coursed through their brain during this moment of mad-scientist style inventive streak? What do these updates have to do with the birth of God's Son? It is another holiday anomaly much like eggnog, ornaments shaped like tiny mp3 players and Elvis singing the Christmas blues. no evil conspiracy theorist here - is just boggles the mind. What is even weirder than the newsletter is that I read them all. Call the men from Padded Cells Inc. but I actually like to hear them. One of the oddities about these little letters is people are allowed to refer to themselves in the third person without any recrimination. I mean this sort of habit may have cost Bob Dole the presidency in 1996 (who can forget "Bob Dole would make a great president"?).

Major confession here - I have written them before. Not my wife but me a real football loving long underwear wearing guy - writes the newsletter every couple of years when we send one out. Patsy does proofread.

So I will post the 2006 Martin family Christmas Newsletter here soon. Wait in abated breath for Marty Martin to talk about himself in the third person.

Yikes

Below is a story from my home town. I have been in this mall hundreds of times.

Feds: Man Planned to Blow Up Ill. MallDec 08 2:06 PM US/Eastern

By MIKE ROBINSONAssociated Press Writer
CHICAGO

A man who authorities said wanted to commit acts of "violent jihad" against civilians was charged Friday in a plot to set off hand grenades in garbage cans at a shopping mall, authorities said.
Derrick Shareef, 22, of Rockford, was arrested Wednesday when he met with an undercover agent in a parking lot to trade a set of stereo speakers for four hand grenades and a handgun.
Shareef was acting alone and not in concert with any terrorist group, authorities said.
Officials said Shareef had been under investigation since September, when he told an acquaintance that "he wanted to commit acts of violent jihad against targets in the United States as well as commit other crimes."
The acquaintance immediately informed the FBI, officials said.
Federal officials said Shareef planned to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans at the CherryVale shopping mall in Rockford, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.
He was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy a building by fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
"While these are very serious charges, at no time was the public in any imminent peril," U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a news release.
Other potential targets that Shareef allegedly discussed included government facilities such as courthouses and city hall, authorities said.
Shareef and his acquaintance cased the CherryVale Mall on Nov. 30, discussing the layout and spots where they might set off several grenades simultaneously to create more pandemonium, according to an FBI affidavit.

Tuff guy Santa

Yes Tanner has had the question and no he doesn't want his 2 front teeth for Christmas. He kinda likes the look actually. He does have a way of lighting up a room. He lost one on Tuesday and the second on Wednesday.