What On Earth?-Column #19, December 2003

Well, as you may have expected, we are in the midst of the holiday season. I am getting ready as usual. Expect it to be better, because it's longer. And with a longer holiday season, we're gonna be expecting the cash registers to ring up good results this year! If you expect people to celebrate Hannukah or Kwanzaa, well, look at last year's column for info! Do the same to learn about New Year's.

And to get the big gift giving ideas started, I've just found out that both the New York and New Jersey Lotteries are releasing Holiday Gift Packs this year. This is NJ's 3rd year of offering packs with six $1 tickets and a chance to win up to $20,000 for just 5 bucks, and NY's 1st year of offering packs with six $2 tickets and a chance to win up to $100,000 for just 10 bucks. For more info, click HERE. And I know many of you are sick of buying individual tickets, so this is the path for you, and me, and those who fit that description! And if that's not good enough, how about the Pennsylvania Lottery's turn to offer Holiday Gift Packs, worth $5 and packed with five $1 tickets! For more info, click HERE. And did I not mention Gift Tag style tickets? You can get those, too. By now, you should know what a gift tag looks like. 2 examples of Gift Tag style lottery tickets are from New York and Florida.

Meanwhile, in Texas, we're the 11th State to join the Mega Millions game, which was formerly known as THE BIG GAME. This game is just like Powerball, but instead of a Powerball, we get a Mega Ball. The starting jackpot is $10 million. So far, I'm gonna like it. If the online games are part of your gift list, add these tickets to the Lotto (Pick 6), Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 5 games. Other MEGA MILLIONS states include Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington.

Planning to get a Christmas Tree this year? Well, remember what can cause a fire, because I talked about it in my holiday column last year: Faulty wiring in your lights, leaving candles burning near or on the tree, or even not watering it! There are 2 kinds of Christmas Trees: Real and Fake. The fake ones come in boxes or bags, but the real ones, you'll find in displays outside. So, if you're gonna use a real Christmas Tree this year, please water it, because if you don't, it'll burn, even if it coincides with leaving candles burning or faulty wiring in the lights! If you're gonna be out of the house for a long time, say a shopping trip, remember to unplug the lights!

And speaking of Christmas Trees, Rockefeller Center has their Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the first Wednesday in December. The White House tree gets lit later. If you're heading out to both, be prepared for extra security and extra cold weather!

Also, I hope you've had a chance to decorate your homes! Whether it's the Christmas lights, ornaments, and wreaths, or the Natvity Scenes or both, you'll be glad I saw your home decked out! If you haven't started, start now, before the weather gets colder!

I hope you've been doing a lot of shopping lately, because many charities are out and about, hoping you'll donate. There's the Salvation Army, with the bell-ringers, hoping you'll drop off some of your loose change, and even Toys For Tots, and we know what that does. Even Toys R Us is teaming up with ABC's "Good Morning America" to raise a lot of money with their toy drive. Donate the toys, and ring up the dough! Troy Dungan, chief weathercaster at ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, my hometown, is at again with his annual "Santa's Helpers" toy drive. The annual Angel Tree project, founded by the Salvation Army, is another way to ensure that many children will find a lot of Christmas gifts under the tree and in the stockings on Christmas morning!

Are you into caroling? Well, whether it's the Ancient songs like Joy To The World and Silent Night, or the Contemporary songs like Deck The Halls and We Wish You A Merry Christmas, you should have plenty of carolers over at your house this holiday! If you're a "Preacher's Wife" fan, or a Whitney Houston fan, or both, then you might want to add her 1996 hit "Who Would Imagine A King" to your caroling list. It's a fun way to learn about Jesus Christ's birth, and what it means to all around the world. If you're an Oak Ridge Boys fan like I am, then you might want to add "Thank God For Kids" to your list. This song appeared on the Christmas scene in 1982, and was featured in a video collage/montage on WFAA-TV's "Dale Hansen's Sports Special" in its inaugural year of 1983. We should Thank God For Kids, because they mean a lot to us. They're God's gift to us, and we should be thankful for that. It's not just God we should be thankful for, but also God's children. And to be thankful to God's children as well as our children, we need to make sure that there are plenty of gifts under the trees, and presents in their stockings! So, donate, donate, donate, and you'll make all the children, very, very, very happy!

Guess who's also celebrating a birthday this year besides our Saviour, Christ The Lord? Yep, that's right, the Saviour of Game Shows himself, Bob Barker, the long-time host of "The Price Is Right" from 1972-now, is celebrating his 80th birthday. He was born in Darrell, Washington as Robert William Barker on December 12, 1923. And to coincide with that momentious occasion, Game Show Network is airing a compilation of game shows featuring Bob as a panelist, including host most memorable time on Match Game with Gene Rayburn. The day after, CBS will be doing another "The Price Is Right MILLION DOLLAR SPECTACULAR," where, other than the usual prize-giving and winning, personal friends of Bob will be on hand AND on the set to wish him a happy 80th birthday. So, once you're putting up those Christmas decorations, put on your party hats, because Bob's the birthday guy, and he's giving away a ton of gifts! It's Bob celebrating his birthday like you've never seen him celebrate before!

Speaking of game shows, they can make your Christmas really, really, really special. And it's not just "The Price Is Right" that'll make your holidays bright. Don't forget the mainstays like "Pyramid", "Family Feud", "Hollywood Squares", "Jeopardy!", and "Wheel Of Fortune". Make them, as well as Game Show Network, part of your holiday schedule, because they're doing a Holiday Marathon, that includes 5 hours of Family Feud, the Match Game Merry Blank-A-Thon, And special Christmas episodes of To Tell The Truth, Weakest Link, Lingo, Friend Or Foe?, and Russian Roulette! And "The Price Is Right" is the only CBS Daytime program airing on Christmas Day this year, so make extra sure to put it into your holiday plans!

In my November and December 2002 columns, I mentioned some holiday movies, but this year marks the 20th Anniversary of "A Christmas Story." Other notable favorites include 1946's "It's A Wonderful Life," which tells the story of a banker who wanted to end his life, but an angel changes his mind. NBC has played this movies for over 2 years. In 2000, the Dr. Seuss cartoon hit "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" came to life on the big screen, with Jim Carrey playing the title character. 3 years later, another Dr. Seuss cartoon hit, "The Cat In The Hat," comes to life on the big screen, with Mike Myers playing the title character. Enjoy!

Well, parades also make the holidays bright, like Walt Disney's Very Merry Christmas Parade in Orlando, Florida; or the Neiman-Marcus/Adolphus/Children's Christmas Parade in Dallas, Texas. You get your fix of holiday music here.

You also get your holiday music fix with the Rockettes. Whether you're in NY seeing them, or they're coming to see you, you'll be high-kicking your way to Christmas cheer! And I hope we all will!

How about sports? Well, last year saw the return of The NBA On ABC. And this year, the Dallas Mavericks will be playing against the Sacramento Kings on Christmas Day in a double-header that also includes the Houston Rockets vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Football is also a mainstay, just like Thanksgiving and New Year's. Again, have plenty of food on hand, save room for dessert.

Speaking of which, that leads me to the homecoming and parties! My sister Karen is coming home this month, and we'll have tons of fun. The only not so fun stuff is germs, criminals, and bad drivers. Remember, no double dipping, store all your food in the fridge to keep it fresh (the counter could equal spoiled food), and remember to use separate plates for raw and cooked food. Also, wash your hands after handling raw food, and use separate knives and cutting boards for each kind of food. Have plenty of napkins on hand, and have the proper utensils ready for the big party!

If you'll be doing any driving, remember "Click It Or Ticket," and "Don't Drink and Drive." Remember, "Winners Don't Use Drugs." If you've already drunk, please pass the keys, because if you're caught, you will be cuffed. "Drink. Drive. Go To Jail." In addition, "You Drink, You Drive, You LOSE." You lose your freedom AND your driver's license, and probably A LOT OF MONEY, because you'll also be fined.

Also, always double check those gifts you buy. If anything goes wrong with them, please return them to the store for replacements or alternative gifts. That's what leads to recalls. For example, if you're buying any small toys for children, keep them away from toddlers and infants so that they don't choke! And if you've been informed that they'll choke, return them to the store, and get them some safer toys. Nothing could be worse than kids choking on small toys, or people getting killed by boom boxes that they think are safe, and then go up in flames due to defects and faulty wiring and so on.

Speaking of holiday shopping, it's easy to be a victim of pick-pocketing and theft. Remember to carry one wallet in each pocket, if you've got more than one wallet and more than one pocket. If you're doing any shopping at the mall, after you're done with your trip at one or two stores, take all those gifts out to your car and lock them in your trunk (Be sure to have keys ready!). Nothing could be worse than someone seeing you with a load of gifts that you're sure to lose your grip on, and for that person to gain grip of those gifts. That's theft. That's the worse that could happen. "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving, is the busiest shopping day, because the stores and malls are crammed! So, as usual, keeping up with the tradition, I started my holiday shopping in the summer.

The week before Christmas is the hectic day when it comes to delivering those cards and gifts on time! It's not easy, so if you haven't done any gift wrapping or card writing, do those, and put them into the mailboxes or send them to the post offices, because it's pretty hectic when it comes to getting those cards and gifts delivered on time! It really is!

What about holiday travel? That's hectic as well! I'm sure a lot of people will be traveling, because as I stated, the holiday season is longer, there will be more shoppers, and there DEFINITELY will be more TRAVELERS! Hope you have a good time, people!

Christmas Eve, as we know, is the usual time for last-minute shopping. And, it can be hectic, because of those early closing times. Hopefully you'll get your shopping done, because after that, you can head home, flip on the TV, and enjoy the Christmas Eve Services that many local churches have to offer. They may be boring, but at least you get to learn about the birth of Jesus Christ, The Lord. But to give you a break from that, I present you the following from December 24, 2002:

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through John's house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that great gifts soon would be there.
The people were dashing their way to the stores,
For great-last minute gifts and lots, lots, more.
Now, Ornaments, Now, Gift Wrap, On Cards, On Lights!
I want everything to look very bright!
To the top of the stores, to the top of the mall!
Now, shop away, shop away, shop away all!
But I heard John exclaim as he went out of sight:
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

Then, the week after, it's New Year's Eve, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, and the big Ball Drop in Times Square in New York City. It may be cold, but it's a big party, still! Again, the countdown begins at 11:59:50 PM New York/Eastern Time. At that point, I'm sure you know what happens. If you don't, look at last year's holiday column! And together, the world shouts "10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!-HAPPY NEW YEAR!" And together, the world sings "Auld Lang Syne," which translates to "Old Long Ago," because this is an Old English song. In addition, we'll even add in the ABBA hit "Happy New Year." And as the chorus suggests, "May we all have a vision now and then, of a world where every neighbor is a friend," and in addition, "May we all have our hopes, our will to try. If we don't, we might as well lay down and die." And die the world's spirit won't. It never will die. NEVER. And we'll try to keep those New Year's resolutions we've been making before the old year passes a promise.

Well, that wraps up another year of events and news. I hope you had a VERY, VERY, VERY wonderful 2003, and here's to a VERY, VERY, VERY wonderful 2004. Until next year, 2004, this is John Lee saying, "I WISH YOU A VERY, VERY, VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY, VERY, VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! I WISH YOU AND YOURS THE VERY, VERY, VERY BEST THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!" Now, go HOME!