Category: Christmas
You know most Republicans would agree with the president on this one, except their idea of ‘Elf’ would be different to what the president was talking about when he called himself “the Big Elf.”
The President was helping the First Lady deliver toys for tots at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. “I’m the big elf,” the President declared. “I’m like Will Ferrell.”
This is the first year the President has joined in the program, while the First Lady has taken part in the toys for tots program for the last six years.”This is the sixth year I’ve been involved with Toys for Tots,” the First Lady noted. “And every year it’s just a tremendous privilege to be able to be a part of making Christmas just a little brighter for a few kids across the country.”
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That was the announcement from the head of the government’s Ebola response unit. There will be “no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year,” Palo Conteh said in the capital of Freetown, according to AFP.
“We will ensure that everybody remains at home to reflect on Ebola,” he said. “Military personnel will be on the streets at Christmas and the New Year to stop any street celebrations.”
The majority of Sierra Leone’s population is Muslim, but Christians make up 10% of its people, according to the CIA World Factbook.
More than 6,500 have died and another 18,100 have been infected with Ebola in West Africa — mainly in the nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea — since the outbreak began nearly a year ago.
President Obama engaged Wednesday in what has become his Christmas Day tradition, visiting with troops at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
Obama spoke to and took pictures with nearly 600 service members and their families who had gathered at the base’s chow hall.
“Michelle and I know that we would not enjoy the freedoms we do if it weren’t for the incredible dedication and professionalism and work that you do — he least we can do is just let you all know we’re grateful to you,” the commander-in-chief said.
Employing the Hawaiian version of Merry Christmas, Obama said, “we hope all of you have a Mele Kalikimaka, and we hope you guys have a great new year as well.”
Obama stayed at the base for more than two hours.
On Christmas Eve, the White House announced, Obama made holiday telephone calls to U.S. service members from each branch of the military, including personnel who were wounded in an operation in South Sudan last weekend.
A college student who was abused by her biological parents has now found a surrogate mother for the holidays after posting a Craigslist ad.
Jackie Turner, 26, posted an ad on the online marketplace ‘looking to rent a mom and dad who can give me attention and make me feel like the light of their life just for a couple of days because I really need it’.
The response she received was overwhelming and she was flooded with letters from both prospective parents and other children who felt neglected and in need of some caring attention.
Now she was not only able to find a match for herself but also one for six other students.
‘This time of year is hard. Everyone is talking about their cousins, their families, all the things that make up Christmas,’ Jackie told CBS News.
Jackie got paired up with Anita Hermsmeier, a woman who works in student services at Jackie’s college, William Jessup University.
‘I’ve found my mentor!’ Jackie said when she and Ms Hermsmeier hugged at the mixer she arranged for the students and parents looking for love.
‘People are hurting and broken and we need each other! We need to be loving people,’ she said.
Adding to the success, none of the would-be ‘parents’ asked for the $8-per-hour that Jackie offered to pay for their uninterrupted attention.
Oh come all ye faithful played in the background as Mariah Carey looked into the cameera and discussed the special occasion that means so much to her… Christmas. The only problem was the date – February 8th, the day Nemo The Snowstorm blasted the north east.
February 8th will forever be called Mariah Carey’s December 25th.
The poll was conducted by PPP Public Policy Polling, and it found;
PPP’s new holiday season poll sees voters in giving moods towards both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney – voters believe both men will be receiving presents from Santa this holiday season rather than a lump of coal, with Romney perhaps getting some sympathy presents.
Voters say Romney will get presents by a 63/37 margin compared to 51/49 for Obama. 44% of respondents said Santa was a Democrat, to 28% who think he is a Republican. 54% of voters said they were concerned that the looming “fiscal cliff” could cause Santa to cut back on his benefits.
President Obama was joined by the First Lady for a joint address this weekend, as they both wished the American people a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. The couple especially thanked the men and women in the military, as some of them come home from the war in Iraq while others still serve in other areas of the world.
“This holiday season at the White House,” the First Lady said, “we wanted to show our thanks with a special holiday tribute to some of the strongest, bravest, and most resilient members of our American family – the men and women who wear our country’s uniform and the families who support them.”
The President continued, thanking the troops for their service, and expressing his joy with the families of those returning home for the Christmas holidays.
For many military families, the best gift this year is a simple one – welcoming a loved one back for the holidays. You see, after nearly nine years, our war in Iraq is over. Our troops are coming home. And across America, military families are being reunited.
