A NINE DAYS 'TIL CHRISTMAS HODGEPODGE!

     Welcome to the week before Christmas Wednesday Hodgepodge. It astounds me that another year has come and is almost gone already. I must be getting old! Thank you Joyce for these weekly writing prompts. Many are challenging. Others are just fun and still others are thought provoking and often calls to mind wonderful memories. I hope that you enjoy this week's edition.

1. What's your biggest 'first world' problem?

     In my humble opinion our biggest "first world" problem is "National Security." It takes two forms. First, there is an entity who is at war with the United States. That entity, Radical Islam, is intent on bringing death and mayhem to our shores. Our leaders have essentially said "We're not playing, our war is over." It does not matter if we decide not to effectively engage the enemy, the enemy is going to engage us, and sooner rather than later.
     The second form is our unsecured borders. Our government, whether run by republicans or democrats, have failed to secure our borders and control who is admitted into our country. Every civilized country on the planet secures its borders and yet, we seem to be afraid of offending people if we secure our borders and really vet who gets in.

2.  Each year Time Magazine names a 'Person of the Year', someone who has 'for better or worse...done the most to influence the events of the year.' It was recently announced they've named Angela Merkel Person of the Year for 2015. You can read more about this year's selection here. Your thoughts? If you were in charge, who would you declare Person of the Year? 

     I suppose that it's an interesting exercise to try to come up with who had the greatest impact on events during the year that is about to end. In my view it is largely subjective and ultimately meaningless. Angela Merkel is as good a choice as anyone. Other candidates might be Pope Francis, or Vladimir Putin, Fed Chairman Janet Yellen, Kim Kardashian, and on and on and on ad nauseum.

3. Do you have a nativity set in your home? If so share it's history and how you display the pieces.

     We do have a nativity set in our home. It has been a part of our Christmas decor for the better part of 40 years. It's a simple cardboard manger with the usual players. Over the years we have lost the original cast and pressed ornaments (camel) and one or more of the Magi. We display it where ever there is space to accommodate it.

4.  Do you make an extra effort to give back in some way during the holiday season? How do you encourage those who need encouragement this time of year?

     I try to make an effort to give back year round and not just at Christmas. I encourage people appropriate to the situation at hand. I empathize, offer suggestions and sometimes I'm just there holding their hand or being silently present.

5. Who is your favorite person to shop for? Why?

     I don't have a favorite person to shop for because I don't particularly like shopping.

6. What's the last delicious thing you ate?

     At a recent Christmas Party there was a particular pie that had cream, caramel, nuts, and other stuff that was absolutely delicious!

7. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is________________.

     Singing Christmas Carols! Songs and music have a special power to lift the soul and lighten the heart.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

     There have been a couple of troubling trends here in the Granite State. The NH State Police have made several arrests of people who were driving in excess of a 100 miles per hour. One "Rocket Scientist" was clocked driving 80 miles per hour a couple of hours after making bail on his getting arrested for driving in excess of 100 miles per hour. He said that he was angry at how much he had to pay to get his car out of the impound lot.
     Another trend has been people driving the wrong way on the interstate highway. One woman drove almost sixteen miles northbound in the southbound lane before NH State Troopers were able to stop her. Of course, significant alcohol consumption was involved...by the wrong way drivers, not the Troopers. 
     The surprising thing is that in all the incidents of excessive speed and wrong way driving, no one was killed. It has got to be Divine providence at work!