Videos: Christmas Morning

Six kids plus our daughter's fiance' -- kind of hectic at The Other McCain household this morning.

Kennedy bought Rock Band for her siblings. In the second video, you'll hear me saying, "He'll see it." The 17-year-old twins Bob and Jim found a cool mini-bike at a yard sale, bought it and fixed it up for their 11-year-old brother, Jefferson. The mini-bike was in the kitchen, and Jeff hadn't seen it yet. It's not on video because the kitchen was a mess, and Mrs. Other McCain wouldn't let me video in there.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Merry Christmas!

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 Saviour, 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 host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
-- Luke 2:8-14 (KJV)

Christmas at the Other McCain home

Our three youngest -- Jefferson, Emerson and Reagan -- help Mrs. Other McCain decorate the tree:

The video was recorded late Saturday afternoon, which is the subject of Reagan's comment at the end. Barring a miracle (hey, I could get lucky, maybe even tonight) seven-year-old Reagan will be the only one of our six children without a baby brother or sister. So we're hoping that the future Mrs. Nestares will provide Reagan with a niece or nephew in a couple of years.

He serves, she sacrifices

Christmas in Saudi Arabia? Air Force Maj. Steven Givler writes to Carol at No Sheeples Here:

If anyone deserves thanks (and a pension) it is my wife, who has served our country just as much as I. As she sometimes reminds me, I get to run around, see interesting places and practice my Arabic. She gets to stay home, fix bicycle tires, cook meals, and keep our house from falling down. I don’t know how she does it. . . .

You should read the whole thing.

VIDEO: SNOW EMERGENCY CRISIS

More than a foot of snow has fallen here in the hills of western Maryland -- a desperate crisis!

Despite the treacherous conditions, however, I remain committed to reporting on this desperate crisis:

Courageous young volunteers brave the elements, toiling tirelessly to assist in this desperate crisis:

Small children are suffering in this desperate crisis:

Won't you please give generously to the Western Maryland Snow Emergency Crisis Fund?

UPDATE: Despite the desperate crisis, we are encouraged by Dan Collins' heartwarming holiday classic, "Harry Reid and the $3 Trillion Monstrosity That F**ked Christmas."

UPDATE II: "Kill 'Em All, Let Gaia Sort It Out."

(UNNECESSARY DISCLAIMER: The Western Maryland Snow Emergency Crisis Fund is neither non-profit, charitable nor educational, and contributions are not tax-exempt. Any resemblance between the Western Maryland Snow Emergency Crisis Fund and a so-called PayPal "tip jar" is purely coincidental.)

AFF Christmas Party: Honest, there's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Millspaw

America's Future Foundation hosted a Christmas party Thursday night at the Fund for American Studies. There were a few unfortunate crises during the evening.

First, inadequate planning and an excess of holiday cheer led to a shortage of refreshments. This problem was exacerbated by certain libertarian guests who showed up with the munchies and a bad case of cottonmouth, IYKWIMAITYD. Making my customary late for the soiree, I was told by one glassy-eyed dopehead libertarian, "Dude, there's no beer left." To which I replied, "We'll see about that."

The second crisis of the evening occurred when lovely Tegan Millspaw of Judicial Watch told me, "My Mom loves your blog!" This is not necessarily what a guy wants to hear from his blog groupies, as it leads to the quick mental calculation that Tegan's mom is probably about my age, which would make her slightly older than Mrs. Other McCain and . . .

Nevertheless, no crisis -- emotional or otherwise -- could prevent me from enjoying this festive occasion in the traditional Yuletide spirit of the holiday:

Me and Tegan Millspaw, whose mother might be shocked by the "Fake Intimacy" motif, were it not for . . .

. . . the Fake Intimacy motif of my photo with Matt Keller who is not -- repeat, is not -- gay. NTTAWWT.

OK, I'm sure Keller isn't gay, but I can't rule out the possibility that he was drunk stoned libertarian last night. Shortly after this photo was taken, Keller was reportedly seen pulling holly leaves from the festive decorations, stuffing them into a bong and asking Mary Katharine Ham if he could borrow her lighter.

Garrett Murch and investivative journalist Matthew Vadum look suspiciously stoned libertarian festive.

Of the three dudes in this photo with the Weekly Standard's Mary Katharine Ham, one is her date, one is Dave Weigel of the Washington Independent and one is Radley Balko of Reason magazine. Question: Which one looks most suspiciously festive?

Philip Klein of the American Spectator signifies his membership in the Compton Crips. Weigel kept looking ever more festive as the night wore on. Balko was thinking of joining the Bloods.

So festive, you can't even see their eyes!

Radley Balko winces painfully after realizing he has just joined the "known associates" file.

Christopher Malagisi (left) had a beer, and he wanted his photo taken with a pretty girl. Bartering ensued.

After striking a deal with Malagisi (and his former beer), I celebrated with Curt Levy and Chenelyn Barker.

The Serbo-Alabamian Alliance Against Texo-Croatia is a secretive organization founded by Gavrilo Princip. After the BCS Championship game -- Pasadena is "the tinder-box of college football rivalries" -- we'll all be fleeing to Tuscaloosa.

If Dave Reaboi looks disappointed, it's because Philip Klein just beat him in the Popeye the Sailor Man Lookalike Contest that is a festive tradition at the annual AFF Christmas party. By contrast, Heather Smith maintained a cheerful spirit despite being disqualified from the Olive Oyl Lookalike Contest.

John McCormack -- the Bob Cratchit of D.C. journalists -- finds himself forced to blog even during a Christmas Party by his greedy editors at the Weekly Standard. By extension, this analogy makes Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes the Scrooge and Marley of neoconservatism, except that neither of them is dead yet. And the curtain won't ring down on this melodramatic Dickensian analogy until Mary Katharine Ham says, "God bless us every one!"

Matt Martini works on Capitol Hill. Heather Smith works for Human Life International. Derek Hunter works for the legendary $3 million news organization "Coming Soon."

How did this shady dude score with such a lovely blonde? Five magic words: "Hey, babe, wanna get festive?"

Neither of these fine young people seemed to be particularly festive, but the night was young. IYKWIMAITYD.

Late dinner for the National Desk at the Dupont Circle pub where we convened the festive after-party.

Merry Christmas!

Regular readers here know Barbara Espinosa of American Freedom blog, whom I first met in August at the Right Online conference in Pittsburgh ("Grandma Is an Angry Mob") and who was my hostess for the Orlando trip last month ("Tea Party Nation").

Barbara will probably get angry at being referred to as Mrs. Espinosa. She's a widow, and is very much in the market for a new boyfriend. She has a lively sense of humor and flirts with my 17-year-old son James, teasing me that she's going to be my daughter-in law one of these days.

The trip to Pittsburgh that was the occasion of my meeting Barbara was funded by the generosity of tip-jar hitters, whom I admittedly don't thank often enough. And, as regular readers know, we're now rattling the Pasadena tip jar to send me to cover the Jan. 7 BCS championship game between Alabama and Texas.

Hope everyone will consider this amusing video not only as a well-deserved tribute to Barbara Espinosa, a philanthropist and true patriot, but also as a thanks to all who have supported this blog.

(BTW, in the video you'll notice 17-year-old Bob stroking his chin, trying to call attention to his pathetic adolescent attempt to grow whiskers.)

Christmas with Carrie Underwood

‘Idol’ star Underwood hosts ‘All-Star’ lineup for holiday special

Christmas variety shows never played much of a role in Carrie Underwood’s Oklahoma home as she was growing up.

Yet the fourth-season “American Idol” winner embraces them whole-heartedly in “Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special” (tonight at 8 on WFXT, Ch. 25).

The multiplatinum-selling artist will be joined by such guests as Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Kristin Chenoweth, Christina Applegate and fellow “Idol” winner David Cook for two hours of songs and skits.

But don’t expect the young country superstar to tip her hat to the likes of format forerunners Andy Williams, Bing Crosby or even the Rockettes.

“I think I kind of just missed some of the variety stuff,” she said during a recent conference call with reporters. “I’ve seen the Mandrell Sisters before, but it wasn’t something we all gathered around to watch. I missed that era, and I’m glad to see that there’s other people doing their stuff, too, and I think it’s really great family programming.”

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old said she does have a few Christmas traditionsshe likes to keep alive.

“Of course, Santa would come on Christmas morning,” she said. “But we had records. It was just like a choir or something. We had these old records that I would always play for Christmas. I have them now - thank God my mom didn’t throw them away. I have them now and I still like to play them.”

Underwood said spending time with country legend Dolly Parton was a “dream come true.” The two perform a duet on the show - she’d go no further than to say it’s a Parton classic - and interact in a few funny moments.

“I’d never met her before this,” she said. “So I was excited to be able to get to talk to her and obviously get to sing with her. It felt like such a special moment for me in the show to be able to perform with her.”

When Parton arrived on the set, Underwood realized it was time to take a back seat.

“When Dolly’s there, you just step out of the spotlight and let her do her thing, because no matter how hard you try, she’s going to steal the spotlight,” Underwood said. “It’s great. It’s the way it should be.”

The special marks the second time Underwood has worked with Paisley in recent weeks. The two co-hosted the Country Music Awards last month.

“Brad and I have a bit of a history together,” she said. “I got to co-headline a tour with him not too long ago. I feel like the more we’re around each other, the more we get comfortable with each other and things just get better and better.”

The two do perform together on the show, but not in the traditional sense. Paisley could not be in Los Angeles for the taping, so Underwood said the producers “did something kind of cool to bring two locations together.”

Viewers can expect to hear Underwood’s latest chart-topper, “Cowboy Casanova,” as well as a collection of more traditional holiday standards.

“It’s a big mish-mash of awesome music,” she said.

Christmas with Carrie Underwood

‘Idol’ star Underwood hosts ‘All-Star’ lineup for holiday special

Christmas variety shows never played much of a role in Carrie Underwood’s Oklahoma home as she was growing up.

Yet the fourth-season “American Idol” winner embraces them whole-heartedly in “Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special” (tonight at 8 on WFXT, Ch. 25).

The multiplatinum-selling artist will be joined by such guests as Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Kristin Chenoweth, Christina Applegate and fellow “Idol” winner David Cook for two hours of songs and skits.

But don’t expect the young country superstar to tip her hat to the likes of format forerunners Andy Williams, Bing Crosby or even the Rockettes.

“I think I kind of just missed some of the variety stuff,” she said during a recent conference call with reporters. “I’ve seen the Mandrell Sisters before, but it wasn’t something we all gathered around to watch. I missed that era, and I’m glad to see that there’s other people doing their stuff, too, and I think it’s really great family programming.”

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old said she does have a few Christmas traditionsshe likes to keep alive.

“Of course, Santa would come on Christmas morning,” she said. “But we had records. It was just like a choir or something. We had these old records that I would always play for Christmas. I have them now - thank God my mom didn’t throw them away. I have them now and I still like to play them.”

Underwood said spending time with country legend Dolly Parton was a “dream come true.” The two perform a duet on the show - she’d go no further than to say it’s a Parton classic - and interact in a few funny moments.

“I’d never met her before this,” she said. “So I was excited to be able to get to talk to her and obviously get to sing with her. It felt like such a special moment for me in the show to be able to perform with her.”

When Parton arrived on the set, Underwood realized it was time to take a back seat.

“When Dolly’s there, you just step out of the spotlight and let her do her thing, because no matter how hard you try, she’s going to steal the spotlight,” Underwood said. “It’s great. It’s the way it should be.”

The special marks the second time Underwood has worked with Paisley in recent weeks. The two co-hosted the Country Music Awards last month.

“Brad and I have a bit of a history together,” she said. “I got to co-headline a tour with him not too long ago. I feel like the more we’re around each other, the more we get comfortable with each other and things just get better and better.”

The two do perform together on the show, but not in the traditional sense. Paisley could not be in Los Angeles for the taping, so Underwood said the producers “did something kind of cool to bring two locations together.”

Viewers can expect to hear Underwood’s latest chart-topper, “Cowboy Casanova,” as well as a collection of more traditional holiday standards.

“It’s a big mish-mash of awesome music,” she said.

What to Give Your Wife for Christmas

(Note to readers: This post will be more enjoyable if you try reading it aloud with a Deep South accent, somewhere in the range between Haley Barbour gumbo and Jerry Foxworthy grits.)

My conservative concern for traditional family values means that I am enthusiastically pro-marriage. In addition to my two decades of marital bliss, with six wonderful children, I'm constantly playing matchmaker with my single friends, trying to hook them up with their soulmates.

Once I get theem matched, I then begin to harass them about getting married -- "When's the wedding? Why don't y'all just run down to the courthouse and tie the knot?" -- so as to avoid a problem caused by long engagements: The temptation to fornication. You might surprised just how commonplace pre-marital sin has become in our society. Or perhaps not.

Pro-family advocacy doesn't end on the wedding day, of course. Once the young lovebirds get lawfully hitched, it's time to start badgering them about making babies. Some suspect me of furthering a clandestine agenda, but my Victory Through Breeding Program is no secret. Between sodomy and abortion (the most important "rights" for liberals), the Democratic Party is charting a path to demographic oblivion, and conservatves can hasten that process simply by doing what comes natural.

The birds and bees. Tarzan and Jane. "Let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel." IYKWIMAITYD.

Despite the genius simplicity of my pro-family agenda -- "Get married and make babies" ain't rocket science, folks -- there remains the problem of divorce. A woman won't get married and breed a Duggar-sized brood if she's afraid her hubby is going to run off with some two-bit homewrecking floozy like Mark Sanford's Argentine tramp. Guys, if you want that long-lasting death-do-us-part deal, you've got to show your wife that you really love her.

Which brings us to the subject of what to buy your wife for Christmas: The Cuisinart Grind and Brew.

Trust me on this one, my friend. Nothing says "love" like the Cuisinart Grind and Brew. Add the beans, add the water, push the button and -- whirrrrrrr! -- just a few minutes later, you've got 10 cups of fresh-ground, fresh-brewed coffee.

Better Marriage Through Technology, you see, because the Cuisinart Grind and Brew comes with a timer-alarm function. Your wife can set it up at night before she goes to bed and at 6:51 a.m., be awakened by the beautiful music -- whirrrrrr! -- of that high-speed bean-grinder going into action, knowing that the coffee will be piping hot when she brings you that first cup of the morning at 7 a.m. And since you don't have to get in the shower until 7:20 a.m. . . .

Well, a little snuggle-time is a fine way to start the day. IYKWIMAITYD. But wait -- there's more!

The Cuisinart Grind and Brew features a thermal carafe that keeps your coffee hot for hours. So if your early-morning snuggle-time leaves you in such a mellow mood that you decide to call in sick at work -- "Hey, boss, I'm sorry, but I think I might coming down with something here . . ." -- that second cup will still be warm when you finally crawl out of bed about 10 o'clock.

Now, some of you fellows may be thinking to yourselves, "Do I really want to give my wife a household appliance for Christmas?" Relax, boys. This isn't like a vacuum cleaner or something. The Cuisinart Grind and Brew is a luxury gourmet experience, especially if you add a few clever gifts under the tree:

• Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans by Caffe' Sant' Eustachio -- Pure luxury from Rome's most famous cafe -- 8.8 ounces of fine beans.
• English Toffee Decaf Coffee by Red Buffalo -- Delicious toffee flavor with no caffeine makes for a relaxing hot cup on a cold winter's night -- 12 ounces of fine beans.
• Dark Roasted 100% Kona Coffee by Hawaii Roasters -- Why worry about all that "fair trade" crap from South America and Indonesia, when you can enjoy this delicious product of American imperialism? Dark roasted for that hard-core caffeine jolt to get you going in the morning -- 16 ounces of fine beans.
• Dark Chocolate & Mint Squares by Ghiradelli -- Coffee and chocolate go perfectly together, and Ghirdelli is the world's finest -- 5.32 ounces of deliciousness in a gift bag. If your wife likes dark chocolate, she might also like their Twilight Delight Intense Dark 72% Cacao Chocolate. For a more varied selection, give her Ghiradelli's Ghiradelli Holiday Assortment, which comes in an attractive gift tin.
• William Wallace Shortbread Highlanders by Walkers -- OK, she's got the coffee, she's got the chocolate -- what's missing? Cookies! And these delicious shortbread cookies are 29% butter. They come in a beautiful 14-ounce tin commemorating Scottish freedom fighter William "Braveheart" Wallace, so the missus can indulge her Mel Gibson fantasies, too.
• Imported Scottish Pure Butter Assorted Shortbread Cookies by Walkers -- Yes, my friends, this lovely gift tin contains the motherlode: Nearly four pounds of high-calorie, cholesterol-filled goodness. And smart husbands know the secret message here: "No, honey, you're not getting fat. There's just more to love."

Well, there you have it, fellows. The secret of a long, happy marriage is to give your wife something thoughtful for Christmas.

The best part? You can remind her how much you love her 364 days a year, just by saying those magic words that every woman longs to hear: "Hey, honey, can you fix me another cup of coffee?"

Merry Christmas, y'all!

UPDATE: Addressing some reaction to my pro-family agenda. Also, trying to explore new frontiers in shameless capitalist blogging.