A Very Merry Christmas to You

And Thank You

I had big plans to post one last podcast before Christmas, but my daughter has flown in from Ohio, and I won’t have enough time to put it together. Besides, I’m not sure I should send you off with something dark just before Christmas. Someone on X told me I’d been “too negative” lately, and I suppose that’s true.

So please accept this as a virtual Christmas card. Mostly, I’d like to thank you for all you’ve given back to me. Your letters, cards, subscriptions, comments, and support have meant the world to me and, more than that, given me a soft place to land in what feels like an increasingly dark time.

In reality, things are not going that badly, at least where the economy is concerned. Trump has, I think, been a great president in his first year. He has left behind a measurable legacy, even if he’s still playing a game of “Catch Trump if You Can.”

One of the best things he’s done is that the Trump accounts will give every baby in America a financial foundation they can build on for the rest of their lives. Many years from now, this will make a difference for many young adults in America.

Scott Bessent talked about that and other things on the All In podcast:

In some ways, things look very dark out there, but maybe that’s an illusion. Maybe our future looks brighter than ever. I’m willing to consider it.

Christmas used to mean something fun but superficial to me. Now, I see it as something deeper and more meaningful because I understand that, as Dr. Seuss says, Christmas isn’t something you can buy in a store.

It’s because of all of you, dear readers, that I understand what Christmas really means. That’s the reason I wear a small gold cross around my neck, even if it doesn’t entirely make sense to me or that I’ve fully embraced the Christian faith, or any religion, but it makes me feel protected.

My mom has had to slow down now that she can’t walk much. My sisters and I have been filling in and doing everything she can’t do, like shopping, cooking, feeding the chickens, and decorating the Christmas tree. She saw my cross and asked me why I would wear such a thing. My whole family would mock me for taking such a step.

How do I explain to them that it makes me feel protected and that there is nothing wrong with adding to my life? You don’t get a medal for braving it alone or declaring there is no God. I have told my daughter this, and that she must find some spiritual dimension to her life, too, and that I was sorry for raising her to go it alone.

It’s a work in progress, but the fact that I am here at all is because of all of you. It has changed how I see Christmas. So thank you for that and everything else.

I hope your Christmas is merry and bright!