What On Earth?-Column #43, December 2005

Well, here we are in December. This year, and it's a surprise to some of us, Kwanzaa and Hannukah are celebrated the day after Christmas. But as we approach this, the 2nd half of the holiday season, we've a lot to celebrate.

While we're on the subject of Christmas, it's time for a little world history. it's interesting to know that there ARE 12 Days Of Christmas, like the song suggests. It starts on Christmas Day (December 25), and ends on the day of Epiphany (January 6). Commonly known as Three Kings' Day, when the Three Wise Men (or "Magi) known as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar visited the baby Jesus and witnessed His baptism by John The Baptist. These are the same 3 Kings who came to Bethlehem and all of Jesus' childhood events, and brought him gifts of Gold, Frakencense, and Myrrh.

And the gifts mentioned in the 12 Days Of Christmas song ARE of great significance. I'm sure that you DO know the lyrics (and some versions put the last 4 days in a different order in terms of the gifts), but here's the stuff for those who DON'T know its significance: The partridge in a pear tree represents JESUS; the two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments; the three French hens represent the tree virtues of Hope, Faith, and Love; the four calling birds represent the Evangelists of John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke; the five gold (golden) rings represent the first five books of the Bible (called the "Pentateuch); the six geese-a-laying represent the six days of the Creation; the seven swans-a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; the eight maids-a-milking represent the eight Beatitudes; the nine ladies dancing represent the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit; the ten lords-a-leaping represent the Ten Commandments; the eleven pipers piping represent the eleven Apostles; and the twelve drummers drumming represent the twelve doctrines in the Apostles' Creed. And by the way, this was a question posed on Millionaire last season. The contestant had guessed 78 (like I did, since I went by the first line of gifts in each verse), but the actual answer was 364 (since we have to add the gifts mentioned in EACH verse, from top to bottom). For example, we must add the 1st day's partridge and the 2nd day's turtle doves AND partridge, and so on.

Next up is a little bit of American history. The 1st of the month (which happens to be my sister's birthday, too) we celebrate the 50th anniversary of a turning point in history. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks made history when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. She was arrested, and needless to say; the rest, as they say, is history. That ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and that meant that all the "Jim Crow" style laws were finally repealed; and just like Brown v. Board of Education, which was celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2004 and that event stopped segregation in schools. Unfortunately, we lost Parks in October at the age of 92. She may be gone, but her actions still live on. Speaking of history, the next event happened 2 years ago.

That's right; Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi President himself, was captured while hiding out. You will recall in April that a statue of himself was pulled down to signify the fall of Baghdad. But that fall wouldn't last for long. As the violence continues, and the people continue to support this new government, the progress is slowly growing even as we speak. And with the elections coming this month, we've not very long before the troops come home.

And, one year ago this month, on the day after Christmas, a huge tsunami hit the Southeast Asia coast, into countries like Thailand and Indonesia, killing scores of people. Former Presidents Bush and Clinton set up a relief fund, similar to the one for the recent hurricanes, for us to help donate food, clothing, and other essentials to those affected. It's still going. So, while at that time, while most of us were redeeming gift cards and returning unwanted items at the post-Christmas sales, we also donated money to the tsunami victims.

Another historic event is the 4th anniversary of the overthrow of the Taliban. While we're still looking for Osama Bin Laden, we're happy that the Taliban is out of power; and Harmid Karzai, Afghanistan's new President, and his 4-year old cabinet are helping to drive out any remaining Taliban fighters.

Now, while we're on the category of Politics, that's where I'll begin. Nobody ever saw it coming, but now there's a war on Christmas. That's right, Christmas. Various organizations of the Religious Right such as the American Family Association and Focus On The Family are boycotting stores like Target, Wal-Mart, and Radio Shack because they're using the word "Holiday" in their advertisements instead of Christmas. And, as you may have already heard in the news, some people are calling Christmas Trees "Holiday Trees", and Merry Christmas is being drowned out with Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays. Here's a message for the Religious Right: Do we really care what kind of words the stores use? I don't think so. I'm a liberal-to-moderate Democrat, but do I care if someone greets me with "Season's Greetings, John" or "Happy Holidays, John" or even "Merry Christmas, John"? I don't think so. I'm happy with all those. As a matter of fact, to you loyal readers of my site, you will notice my November and December columns feature an interchangeable use of the words "Holiday" and "Christmas". So, that tells you that I don't care how much of each of those two words I use. I like variety. So, I think it's only fair, that I switch between the two words each time I use them in a discussion, such as this one. And there's a reason why we call it the Holiday Season: It's not just about Christmas alone, people. The way most of us see it; Thanksgiving starts off the Holiday Season, then comes Christmas, and it all rounds out with New Year's. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. And I've got two words for the Religious Right, and as Ebenezer Scrooge of Dicken's Christmas Carol would say: "BAH HUMBUG." The so-called "Commercialization" leads me to...

My second category, which is Finance. Expect shoppers to spend a lot more this holiday season, especially with the gift cards and gift certificates, and even the Lottery Tickets. 2 years ago this month, Texas joined the Mega Millions game; and just 6 months ago this year, California joined. And why not? We could watch more Mega-Millionaires have more smiles on their faces! And while wer're on the subject of Lotteries, the New Jersey Lottery is doing it again with the Holiday Gift Packs, featuring 6 tickets and a chance to win up to $20,000 for just 5 bucks. In Texas, they're doing it again. Remember in 2000 they launched the first $10 game in Jingle Bucks with a top prize of $100,000 and then did it again in 2001 with Jingle Bucks II? Well, they've done it again with the $30 games. In 2004, they launched Holiday Millions Wishes with a $2 million top prize. Now, they've done it again this year with Holiday Millionaire, their 2nd $30 holiday ticket with a $2 million top prize. Their first game to have a top prize that big was the $20 ticket $2 Million Spectacular, launched in 2003.

However, we remember back in 2001, when Microsoft changed the way we play video games when they launched the XBox video game system, with its colorful and digitalized 3-D Graphics, which also carry over into its video games, such as Fuzion Frenzy and Ralli Sport Challenge (I've got a cousin who has both those games and many more for his XBox). Fast forward 4 years later, and Microsoft has the biggest gift for any video game fanatic on your gift list: The XBOX 360. It's just like its 2001 counterpart, but with more games and more graphics than ever before! Another gift idea is the IPod and it's mini counterpart, IPod Nano. It's like the IPod, only smaller. Like it's Big Brother, you can download songs onto it, and you can download even more songs with ITunes Gift Cards (these never expire, like the Credit-Card company Gift Cards like American Express). The IPod, which has become the king in digital music players, debuted in 2001. The IPod Mini, which debuted in 2002 and came in many colors, was discontinued upon the introduction of the IPod Nano, which debuted this year, just like the IPod Shuffle. This'll really delight the music lover on your gift list. These 2 are the biggest gifts people are shopping for at this most festive time of the year, and they'll be flying off shelves very quickly.

Now, at this time of the year, while shopping is on the top of many people's minds, so is donating. From The Salvation Army to Target, Toys For Tots to Toys R Us, many are taking the time to donate toys and cash for those in need this holiday. And considering what's been going on with the Hurricanes, I say it's about time. You must, however, be careful when you donate, and only donate to those you trust. Don't be fooled by cheap imitations. Just because they claim to help Hurricane victims or work for The Salvation Army or the Red Cross. Always look for the logos. That'll help you.

And at this time of the year, we must keep an eye on our wallets. Don't carry too much cash, and carry two or three credit cards and even your checkbook. After shopping at about two or three stores, return to your car, keys ready, and immediately lock up the gifts (preferably in the trunk) before heading back inside the mall or store. Thieves are always on the lookout for anything valuable, and that can range from cash to jewelry, to big and expensive gifts. Don't be a victim!

Now, back to the Finance. In 1985, Enron is formed when a Houston-based natural gas company merges with a gas provider in Nebraska to operate a natural gas 37,000-mile pipeline. In 1986, former Exxon executive Kenneth Lay becomes the company's CEO. But in 2001, Enron investors were surprised to find out that the Houston-based energy giant filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Those investors, not to mention the employees, had many of their investments and life savings go down the drain in waste. And if that's not bad enough; Ken Lay donated most of his money to the Texas Republican Party, and that really boosted the Texas Republican dominance in the state in the last 2 elections ('02 and '04), and for proof of that, you can click HERE. Lay himself handed his CEO duties to Jeff Skilling in February '01 (Skilling served as the company president and COO since '97). He and other Enron employees were charged with fraud in the long criminal investigations. Some served prison time, some got probation. But for those who ended up getting laid off when the company went broke, it was hard for them to get back on their feet, let alone find a new job. In 2002, the Houston Astros' ballpark changed its name from Enron Park to Minute Maid Park upon hearing the news of Enron's fall (the ballpark itself was launched in 1999). You can learn about the company HERE, and the Houston Chronicle's coverage HERE.

Next category on the list is Entertainment. Remember when I talked about the Rudolph special in the last column? Well, here's a little lowdown on it. Now about the special itself, which is based on the song of the same name, and stars Burl Ives as Sam The Snowman (the narrator). There's also Hermey the Misfit Elf, who, out of all of Santa's Elves, wants to be a dentist, thus leading to everyone in the shop calling him a misfit. And speaking of misfits, that's what Comet considers Rudolph at the Reindeer Games. Rudolph himself befriends Clarice, a young doe who is the affection of Rudolph (not to mention his nose). Rudolph and Hermey then befriend Yukon Cornelius, a prospector who leads the viewers to believe he's searching for silver and gold (which in the special is a song, as is the title song, as well as others that include Holly Jolly Christmas and Jingle, Jingle, Jingle). They all find the Island of Misfit Toys, which is home to several strange toys like a Charlie-In-The-Box (a misnamed Jack-in-the-box), a Misfit Doll, and a Misfit Elephant with Polka Dots. Their mission is to make it to Santa's sack of toys. Along the way, our 3 "misfit" friends bump into the Bumble, an abdominable snowman who pursues Hermey and Rudolph at the horrible sight of Rudolph's nose. Instead of killing him, though, they take him to Santa's shop, where he puts on the finishing touches to the Christmas tree, and load up Santa's sleigh. And then it all culminates with the trip around the world, and the theme song to wrap it up. To celebrate the special's 40th anniversary in 2004 (as it was originally brodcast in 1964), CBS did a holiday promo using CBS stars in Rankin-Bass's animation. Stars included Jeff Probst of Survivor, Charlie Sheen of Two And A Half Men, and Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms of The NFL Today on CBS. The network is slated to do another promo this year. Watch for it soon, and watch for a piece of The Price Is Right to pop up. Find out what it is!

THIS year, however, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of "A Charlie Brown Christmas", which was originally broadcast in 1965 on CBS (Since 2001, it has aired on ABC, which got the rights to all Peanuts specials after CBS' contract was up in 2000). The special, which was the first of many Peanuts specials on TV, deals with Charlie Brown's problems with Christmas. The main problem is he think it's too commercial. At the beginning of the special, he tells Linus that he likes getting cards and singing carols, and such, but is still not happy. So, the next day, he visits Lucy's psychiatric booth (yep, she does it for a nickel), and Lucy decides that he should be director of their new Christmas pageant. And he accepts the offer, but only after he finds his dog Snoopy decorating his doghouse for a contest. So, off to the pageant we go. Linus and Shermy play shepherds, while Snoopy does the animal imitations. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and Linus, as requested by Lucy, have to go and find a Christmas tree for the play. The only tree they find is a small lifeless tree, and since that's the only one they could find, they get humiliated by everyone else back at the pageant. However, that all changes, and this is the part where, we, the public, get to learn about the true meaning of Christmas, where Linus, as the main shepherd, recites part of the verse of Luke 2:1-15 below (and for references' sake, I'll give you the whole thing):

鄭nd it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them: 'Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them to heaven, the shepherds said one to another, 'Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.'?

Back to the special. Having heard Linus' recitation of the Gospel of Luke, Charlie Brown takes the little tree home, only to find that Snoopy, his dog, has won 1st prize in the decoration contest. Charlie Brown takes one of the decorations off and places it on the tree, only to have it slip over. He walks away, saddened by this horrific turn of events. Linus walks on by with his friends, and decides to give up his security blanket (which Lucy constantly nags him about) to the little tree. The decorations from Snoopy's doghouse are added to the tree and it springs to life, just as soon as Charlie Brown returns. The special ends with the whole Peanuts gang singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" just as the closing credits roll.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of The Polar Express book, which was published in 1985 and written by Chris Van Allsburg. It was adopted into a Warner Bros. movie in 2004 (and is now out on DVD this year) starring Tom Hanks. The story tells of a young boy who travels on a magical train appropriately known as The Polar Express, and culminates when he meets Santa Claus and is given a special present. In 1986, the book won the Caldecott Gold Medal for children's lit. You can see more info about the book and film, by clicking HERE.

Yes, this current TV season marks the 20th anniversary of Oprah Winfrey's popular talk show (which began on September 12, 1985). One of the most famous things she likes to promote during the holiday season is "Oprah's Favorite Things," where she promotes some of her favorite gift ideas. But of course, the best Christmas gift came last season, when she gave everyone in her audience A BRAND NEW CAR! Yes, 276 members got a 2005 Pontiac G6 midsize sedan! Yes, indeed. That's a lot of cars. But that's also a lot of joy! And Oprah fans, the first 20 years of Oprah are now available in a special DVD collection. Sales of this great gift will go toward Oprah's Angel Network.

One year ago this month, Tom Brokaw stepped down as host of the NBC Nightly News. His successor was found in Brian Williams, who we mostly find on MSNBC (which celebrates its 10th anniversary next year). Last month, however, Ted Koppel stepped down as host of ABC News' late-night news magazine NIGHTLINE, which he began hosting in 1979, the time of the Iran hostage crisis. The coverage of the crisis led to the show.

Next category is Game Shows. Last column I mentioned that 4 years ago, somebody would be the first person to win the top prize on the new "$100,000" Mini-Wheel Bonus Round on Wheel Of Fortune (and I even described it, too). Well, that person was Douglas Ross, and he won it by solving the puzzle "A HAPPY MEAL." Added to his front game winnings, and he walked away with $113,800 in cash and prizes! Now, THAT's a wonderful Christmas gift. And that'll definitely buy a lot of Happy Meals.

And also obviously, December would be the first month we'd be watching the first episode of Jeopardy!'s post-Ken Jennings era. The month started off with the studio and home audiences getting to see Ken Jennings up on stage one last time before the Ultimate Tournament Of Champions. He and Alex chatted for a while before the game began. And over the summer, I got to see a repeat of the 75th episode where Ken loses (missed it the first time around). Of course, now that we know he's set that record of $2.5 million in regular play, WHO'S NEXT? And December would also mark the 3-year anniversary of Jeopardy's new set. Check it out by going to my Jeopardy Events Archive Page, the link of which you can find on the home page. Once at the appropriate page, scroll down to Special Episodes and click on Jeopardy's New Set.

Next category is Music. When it comes to Christmas music, it's not just about Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls or Silent Night and Joy To The World. When it comes to Christmas music nowadays, you can bet that Mariah Carey says that All She Wants For Christmas is You (her loyal fans), Britney Spears says that her love is Her Only Wish This Year, Whitney Houston is asking us Who Would Imagine A King, and the Oak Ridge Boys have been telling us to Thank God For Kids. And why not? This is Christmas music at its best!

Next category is Sports. The NBA is doing it again on Christmas Day, and so is the NFL. As a matter of fact, the NBA came to ABC in 2002 after 20+ years on NBC. And while we're reeling from the Wardrobe Malfunctions and the BasketBrawls and all those ugly things that happen in sports, we're going to keep watching. It's not gonna stop. I'm not gonna stop, and neither are you guys, I hope.

Final category is Health. In 2003, it was all about SARS. In 2004, in addition to the SARS, it was about the flu shots and cholesterol drug lawsuits. In 2005, in addition to those headlines, we dealt with the Avian Flu (or Bird Flu). It is important to be quarantined and vaccinated, but it's very important to avoid the bird flu. Very important. But, considering my family isn't dealing with any of those, I'm fine. And as we think about our loved ones this holiday season, remember not to eat too much over the holidays.

And now, I present this, from December 24, 2004:

'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 games soon would be there.
He turns on "The Price Is Right", only to see,
smile and celebrate Rich Fields' first Christmas with Bob and company.
"On, Bob Barker! On, Rich Fields! On Barker's Beauties, too!
There's something for me, and something for you!
To the top of the stage, to the top of the wall!
Now, give away! Give away! Give away all!
But I heard him exclaim as he dashed out of sight:
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

And to close this out, On a better note, we all remember Dick Clark missed his annual New Year's Rockin' Eve show last year, and Regis Philbin had to sub for him. This year, he's back, and joining him will be American Idol host Ryan Seacrest. Of course, we ask the question, "If he does hang up his microphone, who'll take over?" We will never know. And besides, we associate the show with Dick Clark, just like we associate him with the Pyramid game show (even though 3 versions of the show were hosted by Bill Cullen, John Davidson, and Donny Osmond). And of course, we also associate Dick Clark with American Bandstand, for the music lover in you!

Well, that wraps up the final column of 2005. My well wishes to everyone for a very, very, very, very, very, very HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND NEW YEAR TO BOOT! This is John Lee saying, "Go HOME!"