(Artwork by faithful commentor Marvel, who grew the raw materials, too!)
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HONOLULU — A handful of kids calling to pinpoint Santa’s progress on his Christmas Eve journey may have been surprised to hear Michelle Obama’s voice on the other end of the line.
The first lady is vacationing with President Barack Obama and their daughters in Hawaii, but spent about a half-hour Tuesday manning the phones for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The agency’s NORAD Tracks Santa program takes calls each Christmas from children wanting to ensure their presents are on track for timely delivery…
Also, too bad for Megyn Kelly — meet Pancho Claus!
HOUSTON — He usually has black hair and a black beard, sometimes just a mustache. Like Santa, he wears a hat — though often it’s a sombrero. He dons a serape or a poncho and, in one case, a red and black zoot suit. And he makes his grand entrance on lowriders or Harleys or led by a pack of burros instead of eight reindeer….
Born from the Chicano civil rights movement, Pancho Claus is a mostly Texas thing, historians say, though there may be one somewhere in California. Lorenzo Cano, a Mexican-American studies scholar at the University of Houston, says Pancho was apparently conceived north of the border as Mexican-Americans looked to “build a place and a space for themselves” in the 1970s. His rise coincided with a growing interest in Mexican art, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence Day and other cultural events.
Now, Pancho is an adored Christmas fixture in many Texas cities…
raven
Reminds me of El Vez! Joyeux Noël Dawgs.
Glocksman
Can you just imagine some 8 year old trying to convince his parents that the President of the United States just personally told him that Santa was on his way?
Good for BHO, and Happy Christmas to everyone both here on BJ and elsewhere.
raven
The Bohdi loves to watch out for cows when we drive, he goes all apeshit baking at them when he locates a herd. This was his present yesterday down on the farm.
El Caganer
WHY IS MICHELLE TRYING TO RAM ISLAMOSEXUAL PROPAGANDA DOWN OUR CHILDREN’S THROATS? WAR ON CHRISTMAS FIRST AMENDMENT OBAMACARE GLEEP SPLOOT FLORGGGG…
PurpleGirl
Good Morning, BJers. Happy Holiday for whatever you celebrate. May your day be peaceful, fun, and joyous.
Megyn Kelly will just have to get used to the idea that Sinta Claus, Santa Claus, Grandfather Frost, Father Christmas, whoever, is a local deity who visage is indeed just that — local.
mai naem
Santa Claus is Indian dontcha know:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fQrY1r5OD4
PurpleGirl
@mai naem: LOL. Thanks for the laugh to start the day.
Now we need a reason to claim that John Cole is Indian!
Mustang Bobby
Merry Christmas for all of you who celebrate it. I have a lot of memories of growing up with the Midwestern WASP celebration, which usually involved a lot of tasteful decorations, rich food, and plenty of booze.
Baud
Reading the last few Christmas threads, I’m seeing a discernible absence of commitment to the War on It.
Bah! Humbug.
Mustang Bobby
@Baud: Well, since I’m a Quaker, today is Wednesday. No holiday. How about that?
Linda Featheringill
Merry Christmas, everyone.
As the Hershey commercial indicates, we all need to be reminded from time to time that life is sweet. I hope you succeed in giving pleasure to someone today.
Phylllis
Merry Christmas y’all.
Suffern ACE
Pancho Claus? Shouldn’t that be Santo Pancho? I don’t think Claus is a surname.
Raven
Twelve degrees in Blacksburg. Comfort Inn breakfast ain’t much but the dogs are cozy!
agrippa
@PurpleGirl:
Correct.
A ‘local deity’ is a good way to put it.
OzarkHillbilly
I got a rock.
Baud
@Linda Featheringill:
Keep the log in yule log.
raven
CBS This Morning has a piece on how the Moon Mission of Christmas 68 made everything better that year. Uh huh.
OzarkHillbilly
@Linda Featheringill:
Oral pleasure? I must have been watching too much Pulp Fiction. I had to read that twice to get it right.
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: It’s true. And the failure of the ACA is going to be the end of American healthcare. We are going back to leeches and snake oil.
vogon pundit
Really love the veggie layout in the original post! Santa has been here and gone already- 15 frantic minutes– just wrapping paper to clean up, and scanning for candy on the rug before the dog finds it.
geg6
Merry War on Christmas, Juicers!
Damn, it’s cold this morning. I have absolutely nothing wrapped yet, so that’s what I’m up to this early morning. Happily, not much wrapping needed since the nieces both wanted gift cards. Just have to wrap John’s gifts and put together the gift bags for my sisters with the things we preserved from our garden. Everyone is getting a jar of pickles, one of relish, one of tomatoes and a jar each of black raspberry and red raspberry jam.
geg6
@raven:
I’d rather have watched that than the piece on Good Morning America with Cardinal Dolan explaining how the new Pope thinks. As if he has a clue, that fat fuck.
debbie
@Glocksman:
Certainly an impeachable offense.
Suffern ACE
@geg6: let me guess. Because we don’t have any legitimate poor people here, we’re not going to be making any changes.
OzarkHillbilly
@Suffern ACE: Is that like “legitimate rape”?
Southern Beale
Good morning, y’all!
Looks like Fox News has a story up, “13 Reasons Why Santa Claus Is A Conservative.” So pathetic how these folks are constantly seeking cultural validation.
OzarkHillbilly
@Southern Beale: Conservatives give away stuff for free? Really?? Get outta here.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
I think it’s more about judging who gets free stuff that appeals to them.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Aaahhhhh, got it.
tybee
i bring you “coppa claus”
http://www.wsav.com/story/24262470/special-delivery-coppa-claus-brings
geg6
@Baud:
This.
Did anyone read Charlie Pierce’s 3 part Christmas story? Best piece of the holidays, IMHO.
Southern Beale
@OzarkHillbilly:
Well ya see the kids have to EARN those “free” gifts by being good!
Also, as we know, he’s WHITE.
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
Santa appears to those who see him in their image. Only a Foxbot would be too dense to get that.
Merry Christmas Juicers!
Mike in NC
@Southern Beale: POX Noise also had a piece out yesterday (USA Today) about how the new pope is a disaster for the Catholic church. Meaning that they just might not remain a permanent appendage of the Republican party of the USA.
Jay C
@geg6:
What did Cardinal Dolan have to say? I think he’s blocked himself into a fairly poor position, PR-wise: I mean, he’s fairly telegenic, runs the biggest Archdiocese, and loves to put on the friendly-Father-Tim-from-the-parish-down-the-block shtick. But back in Pope Benedict’s tenure, he was also a point man for (in Charles Pierce’s immortal phrasing) the Red Beanie Brigade trying to enforce rigid culture-war conformity on the American Church – heavy on the sex-and-sin moralizing, and larded with blatant partisan politicking. IOW, exactly the stuff Pope Francis has made it quite clear he wants de-emphasized.
Jay C
@Mike in NC:
And yet – (holding my nose) I clicked the NewsMax link at top today, and found that American Catholics (according to this poll they cited) give Pope Francis an amazing 88%-positive approval rating: just typical of FOX to focus, probably exclusively, on the disgruntled 12%….
TaMara (BHF)
Marvel I LOVE your tree.
Ruckus
@Mustang Bobby:
Also, No War. On xmas or anything else.
Merry Wednesday.
Ruckus
Headline at TPM:
“Palin Never Read Interview Before Defending ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star”
I’d be surprised that she can read at all. And yes that’s cruel, on this commercial holy day.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
Merry Christmas or, as people in my former hometown celebrate it, Happy Chinese Food and Movie Day. We’re still slothfully sitting around on the couch in our pajamas, but we will soon be getting up and getting ready to head up to my brother’s with the rest of the gifts for my niece and nephew.
Watched the rebroadcast of the Pope’s midnight mass and now have “A Christmas Story” on cable, so a typical Christmas, media-wise.