Merry Christmas from Theresa Tam & Mrs Claus

 Dr. Tam’s holiday health check with the North Pole | Government of Canada:

The following video is a video-conference conversation between Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, who is in a boardroom, and Mrs Claus, who is at the North Pole.

Transcript

Theresa Tam: Well kids, I’m just doing my yearly call to the North Pole for Santa’s holiday health check…

Santa (off screen audio): Ho ho ommm ….

Mrs Claus: Why hello Dr. Tam!

Dr. Theresa Tam:  Mrs. Claus, so good to see you again, where did Santa go?!

Mrs Claus: Santa was late for snow yoga with the elves and reindeer! He says it’s great cross-training for sleigh driving –

Dr. Theresa Tam:  Sounds fun! Are you all set for the holiday season?

Mrs Claus: Of course. I must say Dr. Tam, it just warms my heart to see everyone in Canada, especially kids, working so hard to keep the holidays safe and cheerful for all.

Dr. Theresa Tam: So am I, Mrs. Claus! Every child in Canada has definitely earned their place on the nice

Dr. Theresa Tam: list! Their parents and caregivers too! It’s been a tough season with lots of viruses making people sick.

Mrs Claus: Thankfully, Santa and I are feeling as healthy as ever. We are both up to date with our vaccinations, including COVID boosters and flu shots

That’s so good to hear!

Mrs Claus: I always tell Santa to make a list! And check it twice!

Stay up to date on your vaccinations.

Wear a mask in crowded indoor places – and make sure it fits nice and snug.

Wash your hands to the tune of Jingle Bells.

Dr. Theresa Tam: Great advice! You can also be sure to:

Stay home if you’re feeling sick.

And - If you are gathering indoors with other people or elves - open a door or a window for a few minutes at a time to let in some fresh air.

The more items you check off the list, the more protected you are!

Mrs Claus: Yes – you can think of it like decorating a Christmas tree. You need tinsel, lights, ornaments and the star on top. The Christmas tree is at its best when all the decorations are up and nicely layered.

Dr. Theresa Tam: You’re right! Before I let you go Mrs. Claus, we all want to know… Do you ever drive Santa’s sleigh?

Mrs Claus: You may not know this but I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I do the maintenance on the sleigh, and this year I’ve upgraded the stardust antimatter propulsion system to make Santa’s delivery even more efficient!

Dr. Theresa Tam: So cool!

Mrs Claus: Science really is. Well it was great chatting with you Dr. Tam.

Dr. Theresa Tam:   Thanks, Mrs. Claus. Happy holidays everyone!

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/video/holiday-health-check-north-pole.html

Merry Covid Christmas 2021

Merry Covid Christmas, from GD's Political Animal. 

Let's start with an interesting parody medley from Shirley Serban:

England's Marsh Family adapt "The 12 Days of Christmas" to relate the UK pandemic experience

And, of course, it just wouldn't be a Covid Christmas without Boris Johnson: 

Manning calls for a Christmas Covid truce

Despite our differences on COVID, let’s call a Christmas truce this year | Globe & Mail - Preston Manning: 

Preston Manning 2014, Wikimedia Commons

December 23, 2021 - "It was around Christmas Day in 1914, five months after the start of the First World War, when a most unusual thing happened.... A temporary peace descended on the Western Front – one organized by rank-and-file soldiers, not by their officers who feared trickery by the enemy and not by generals and politicians far away from the front both physically and psychologically.

"Flash forward now to Christmas, 2021, with the world again at war – not a military war, but a war with a virus that has pitted the proponents of safety at all costs against those suffering the loss of their rights, freedoms, jobs and incomes as a result of the safety measures imposed. Communities, companies, charities, schools, churches, sports clubs and families have become increasingly divided – often bitterly – over whether to wear masks and social distance, whether to congregate or travel, whether to accept economic lockdowns and whether to be vaccinated and if so with what. In addition, the bitterness of these conflicts is intensified by the spread of a social virus – the so-called 'cancel culture'.... 

"The political and media arena in Canada has become so polarized that discussion of almost any measure intended to alleviate that condition can easily become polarized as well. Let me therefore be more clear that what I mean by 'the proponents of safety at all costs' are not the adherents to those safety measures – not those who willingly consent to such measures including vaccination mandates – but the well-intended governmental decision makers and health officials responsible for devising and implementing those safety measures. And what I mean by 'those suffering the loss of their rights, freedoms, jobs and incomes as a result of the safety measures adopted' – are not just those who may resist some of these measures but anyone and everyone affected by them.... 

"How about striking a genuine truce – just over the Christmas season – as those First World War soldiers did so many years ago? Especially at the community and family levels, how about just deciding to stop arguing ... and to seek a renewal and strengthening of personal relationships rather than cancelling them?

"If such a truce is to be struck, it is unlikely to be initiated by senior public officials or politicians who are preoccupied with waging the COVID-19 war at the macro level. Nor is it likely that such a truce will be initiated by the mass media, for whom conflict and war are much more newsworthy than co-operation and peace. No, if such a Christmas truce is to be struck it will be initiated by rank-and-file Canadians at the family and community levels – by ordinary folk who simply decide to emerge from the isolation of whatever COVID-19 trench they find themselves in and extend the hand of friendship to those with whom their relationships have been strained or broken by the crisis.

"A 2021 Christmas truce would be short and temporary. But, if enough Canadians participate in it, maybe the desire to return to the trenches will be lessened to the point where Armistice Day will follow sooner rather than later."

Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-despite-our-differences-on-covid-lets-call-a-christmas-truce-this-year/

Merry Christmas from GD's Political Animal 2020

Merry Corona Christmas from GD's Political Animal.

"Do They Know It's Covid Time?" - Boris Johnson and the Superspreaders

video by PoliticsJOE

"Now That's What I Call a Corona Christmas" - Video by The Ulster Fry

Colorado Libertarians celebrate Festivus

GoLocalProv | Former Governor Chafee Celebrates Festivus with Colorado Libertarians:

December 16, 2019 - "While many Christians were celebrating Christmas on Wednesday and members of the Jewish faith are enjoying Hanukkah this week, former U.S. Senator and Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee was recently in Colorado at a Festivus celebration with the Libertarian Party.

"'Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season. Originally created by author Daniel O'Keefe, Festivus entered popular culture after it was made the focus of the 1997 Seinfeld episode "The Strike." which O'Keefe's son, Dan O'Keefe, co-wrote,' according to a definition on Wikipedia....

"Chafee ran for President as a Democrat in 2016. Now, he is a Libertarian candidate in 2020 for President."

Read more: https://www.golocalprov.com/politics/former-governor-chafee-celebrates-festivus-with-colorado-libertarians
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A Christmas cartoon

I'm sure that we're all too busy for writing and reading blogs today; so here's a cartoon, courtesy of Dan Mitchell's International Liberty weblog:

The five worst Christmas songs

The Five Worst Christmas Songs (And Scathing Rebuttals) - Squiggly Line Guy, Libertarian Republic:

December 3, 2019 - "The Five Worst Christmas Songs (And Scathing Rebuttals)

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
"Listen up kid, you could have starred in your own feel-good Original Hallmark Movie about saving your parents’ marriage on Christmas. Instead you wrote this ridiculous song. You could have tipped your father off without making a complete fool of him on the radio. I’m sure you’re sitting there wondering what’s taking him so long to get back home with that pack of cigarettes he went out for....

Last Christmas
"You whiny emo douchebag.... Did it ever occur to you that there is more than one day a year? It’s rather insulting to not pay attention to someone the other 364 days and then act like you’re the 2nd Coming of Jesus on Christmas. But the very next day it was back to playing video games and watching sports ALL THE TIME. Who could blame her for junking that? Get over yourself, and quit making her out to be the problem. This has been happening to you every year since 1984....

White Christmas ...
"A good Christmas song needs to be universally applicable. Southern states don’t even get snow. The concept of dreaming of a White Christmas doesn’t even make sense to people in the South. [Correction: We have been informed by David Duke that dreaming of a White Christmas makes perfect sense to people in the South]

The Christmas Shoes
"Look, I know that we’re trying to be as inclusive as possible here … but the whole Mommy got cancer for Christmas [thing] is seriously jumping the shark....

You're a Mean One, Mr Grinch ...
"Did you all ever think that maybe The Grinch is the way he is because every five minutes someone is singing a song about what a piece of [crap] he is? Look, there’s only so much that someone can take. Maybe he didn’t hate Christmas. Maybe he hated The Whos and their stupid moobs that stick out past their bellies and their dumb songs and Mitt Romney look-a-like mayors.... Like, ... I could have been taking a nap with the Lorax but instead I’m stuck in a snowy cave having to hear all the Noise Noise NOISE?"

Read more: https://thelibertarianrepublic.com/the-five-worst-christmas-songs-and-scathing-rebuttals/
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We wish you a very libertarian Christmas (video)

A Very Libertarian Christmas - Reason.com - Andrew Heaton, Austin Bragg, Meredith Bragg & Remy:

December 21, 2018 - "Deck the halls and spread some Yuletide cheer. Or don't. You're your own person."
https://reason.com/reasontv/2018/12/21/a-very-libertarian-christmas
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An American libertarian's letter to Santa

Libertarian details wishes in a letter to Santa Claus | Columnists | lancasteronline.com - Roy Minet:

December 23 -
"Dear Santa,

"We know you’re very busy and you get lots of requests, so we’ll try to keep our list short. Here are a few of the things we’d most like for Christmas.

"First, we’d really like more fiscal responsibility. It’s troubling that the national debt is now nearly $22 trillion, which is more than the whole gross domestic product of our country for a year. Interest payments on this debt will exceed $334 billion this year.... This is a concern for the solvency of our nation. Moreover, it is morally reprehensible to shift the burden of our current flagrant spending onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.... What kind of parents would max out all their credit cards and then leave that debt for their kids to pay off?....

"We definitely are in favor of maintaining a strong national defense, but we would like an end to all the interminable undeclared wars. Just one of them — Iraq — has cost more than $2 trillion so far. At least as deplorable and morally unacceptable is our armed forces’ continuing loss of life and limb....

"Speaking of wars, we would also like an end to the war on drugs. This expensive war has been a failure by any measure and, quite likely, has exacerbated a serious problem. A previous misguided attempt at prohibition (of alcohol) was a similar disaster. That mistake was recognized after a decade of turmoil and reversed. Purely on a practical basis, there’s no reason to continue the war on drugs....

"If you can do it, we’d be extremely happy to have some election reforms. Our government — at the state and federal level — has fallen under the control of a class of establishment career politicians. They’ve certainly voted themselves extravagant pay, benefits and perks. They’ve rigged our elections to help themselves stay in power. As a result, 90 percent of incumbents are re-elected. And there is only one name on our ballots for far too many 'races.'

"Gerrymandering is the most obvious and easiest thing to fix. Next would be to greatly reduce the artificial barriers politicians have erected to keep their competition off the ballot. Another important change would be to replace the plurality voting method — the worst possible method — with a good ranked-choice method.... We should warn you, though, that career politicians are very adept at making sure that such reforms never make it through the legislative process....

"Finally, we’d most like to have world peace. Our definition of world peace would be that every individual’s rights to life, liberty and property be secured at all times. Everyone would be free to live and let live. Don’t tread on anyone. Minimize the use of force on honest and peaceful people."

Read more: https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/columnists/libertarian-details-wishes-in-a-letter-to-santa-claus/article_5a5f15ae-0493-11e9-b240-0ff27458c154.html
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Beck joins Celebrity Santas paying layaway debts

Tyler Perry paid 1,500 Walmart layaway accounts, but layaway has risks - Vox - Nadra Nittle:

December 12, 2018 - "This week, filmmaker Tyler Perry and musician Kid Rock made headlines for taking part in what’s become a holiday tradition among some wealthy people: paying off the layaway accounts of strangers. Layaway allows shoppers who can’t pay for merchandise all at once to reserve the product and pay for it in installments. While stores offer layaway year-round, it is especially popular during the fall when consumers use it to purchase holiday gifts that typically cost at least $50.

"Perry cleared the Walmart layaway accounts of 1,500 Atlanta-area shoppers, a deed that totaled $434,000. Inspired by the Madea star, Kid Rock paid off $81,000 in layaway balances at a Nashville Walmart. And last week Gayle Benson, owner of New Orleans sports teams the Saints and the Pelicans, paid off about $100,000 in Walmart layaway balances."

Read more: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/12/18138124/tyler-perry-walmart-layaway-risky-low-income-shoppers

Glenn Beck's Christmas Charity is a Great Example of Libertarian Principles - The Libertarian Republic - Caleb Shumate:

December 13, 2018 - "This past Saturday, nationally syndicated political commentator Glenn Beck demonstrated to our country the beauty of private charity when he and his family walked into a Walmart in North Richland Hills, Texas and spent $27,000 paying off people’s layaways for the holidays. Glenn did this while streaming on Facebook Live and then issued a challenge to Mark Levin, Steven Crowder, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and other conservative commentators to do the same.

"Beck cited that he and his family were inspired to do this by Tyler Perry, who paid off $434,000 for 1,500 people.... This ... is an excellent example of our ideas put into practice.

"We often complain about the evils of the welfare state, but if we want the government to do less, we have to do more. I believe ... that if we get the government out of the way, we not only can but will help those in need more efficiently. Instead [of] the government 'robbing collective Peter to pay collective Paul,' we can help those in need by giving them a hand up instead of a handout....

"I will gladly voluntarily give my wealth and time to help those who need it, but I cannot stand for the government taking the wealth of individuals and then giving it to other individuals creating a never-ending cycle of dependency and then having the gall to call that help!...

"I want to thank Tyler Perry, Glenn Beck, and Kid Rock, for their sincere charitable actions and for showing the country, as well as the world, that private charity is always the way to go – and of course, for reminding us of the reason for the Christmas season."

Read more: https://thelibertarianrepublic.com/glenn-becks-christmas-charity-is-a-great-example-of-libertarian-principles/
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The economic case for regifting

Don't Be Ashamed, Regifting is Good Economics - Foundation for Economic Education - Working for a free and prosperous world - James Walpole:

December 26, 2017 - "Regifting is like free trade for Christmas presents. Allowing and encouraging regifting represents the true spirit of Christmas.

"Let’s say you want to be a great gift-giver. If you do, you need to 1) desire the best possible life outcomes for your recipient and also 2) recognize that you don’t exactly know what that best outcome is.

"All gifts, like all capitalistic ventures, require some risk and leap of faith that you have found the solution to a problem for your recipient, despite all the unknown variables. It’s also true that most gifts, like most capitalistic ventures, fail to do that.

"You should encourage your recipient to feel free to regift your presents. An oven mitt which is useless to Sally (who already has an abundance of oven mitts) may be a perfect gift for her friend Sue (who is just getting started with cooking). One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Our social stigma against regifting would leave Sue without a good oven mitt and leave a good oven mitt gathering dust in Sally’s kitchen drawer.

"With a healthy regifting economy, gifts (like goods and services) flow to their most efficient uses.

"You might tell me that regifting is bad because of a loss of symbolic value when you regift something. 'It’s the thought that counts,' you might say.

"I’m not suggesting that you take the positive thought or intention out of your gifts. I’m suggesting that your intentions should include the possibility that regifting and trade is actually a good thing for the recipient, too."

Read more: https://fee.org/articles/dont-be-ashamed-regifting-is-good-economics/?utm_medium=push&utm_source=push_notification
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GDPA wishes you a Happy Federal Holiday

More Christmas madness: Prof wants 'Merry Christmas' scrubbed, decorations called unsafe - The College Fix - Jennifer Kabbany:

December 23, 2015 - "University of Central Florida [UCF] professor Terri Fine suggested to her campus recently that they should stop saying 'Merry Christmas,' and instead use the more inclusive 'Happy Federal Holiday.'

"'A Holiday Greeting That Applies to Everyone' was the title of a column she penned for UCF Today that argued her idea was the best way to assure no one was offended in any way, shape or form in December.

[Because the U.S. government in some cases and the state government in others have identified certain days during the year as state and federal holidays ... we have no choice but to observe these holidays whether we want to or not. Most everyone is included and no one is excluded no matter their religious beliefs or practices.... The upside to wishing each other a “Happy Federal Holiday” is that we have lots of opportunities to do so during the year and not just during the current “Holiday Season."]

"'My friends and I wish each other a "Happy Federal Holiday,"' she explained, noting it’s the least offensive. Even 'happy holidays' doesn’t cut it, she stated.

"'Couldn’t "Happy Holidays" be the most inclusive greeting because it is so non-specific? Yes, perhaps, but it is the non-specificity of ‘Happy Holidays’ that makes it inappropriate because it fails to recognize the importance of Christmas to Christians while it also suggests that Chanukah should be more important to Jews than the high holidays and festivals that come at other times during the year,' Fine wrote....

"Moving right along, at the University of Missouri’s Student Health Center, administrators are so worried that seeing Christmas decorations might scar students they’ve banished them.

"'I’m aware that many of you are in the mood to decorate your areas with the holiday spirit in mind.  However ... I’ve decided that holiday decorations will not be displayed this year. Our mission is to provide a safe, comfortable place for all students to receive their health care. Without meaning to, some of the holiday symbols that we may display could contradict that mission,' stated an email sent out by Susan Even, executive director of the center."

Read more: http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/25612/
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An anarchist rereads A Christmas Carol

Misunderstanding the Moral of A Christmas Carol | The Anarchist Notebook:

December 24, 2014 - "Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol is an extremely well known fictional character, and one people often like to use as the stereotype of corrupt businessmen who steal from people in order to enrich themselves.

"Yet, even as a child, I understood that Scrooge wasn’t a criminal; he was a shrewd businessmen. He also wasn’t obsessed with material possessions, for he lived an austere life and ate meager meals. What made him disagreeable was his stinginess, his harsh demeanor, and his personal treatment of people such as his only nephew....

"Dickens’ solution to altering Scrooge’s conduct was not through violence, coercion, or aggression. No law is passed demanding that Scrooge hand over his money to the poor.

"The three Spirits of Christmas merely show him things that were, are, and will be. Scrooge is then left to decide what he will do with the information given, and it is here he has a change of heart. What he does from thereon out is purely voluntary; it is true charity.

"As he demonstrated previously in Oliver Twist, Dickens is making a critical point lost on so many social justice warriors who insist on using the state to redistribute wealth. True charity comes from the heart, and this can only be done through free will. If you attempt to bring out the end through involuntary means, you will fail.

"Dickens is drawing a critical distinction between what is moral and what is legal, and how to respond. Scrooge’s behavior is selfish and therefore immoral, but selfishness is a moral issue, not a criminal one. He is not violating anyone’s rights. Therefore, the use of force against him is not justified.

"The moral of A Christmas Carol, the message it conveys, is that the moral society is one in which the wealthy care for the poor of their own volition. A society which forces the wealthy to care for the poor is not a moral one because it relies on coercion rather than true charity.

"The morality of every society originates from the heart of its people. It does not come from the state.

"On that note, God Bless Us, Everyone (except the state)."

Read more: https://anarchistnotebook.com/2014/12/24/misunderstanding-the-moral-of-a-christmas-carol/
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GOP calls It's a Wonderful Life screenings illegal

GOP to Libertarian Legislator: Your It's a Wonderful Life Screening Is Against the Law - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Brian Doherty:

December 5, 2017 - "Could it be a crime to give your fellow Americans a chance to enjoy a theatrical screening of that modern American myth, It's a Wonderful Life? The Nebraska Republican Party thinks it is. Or at least it thinks it of political benefit to say it is, in their quest to unseat one of America's few sitting Libertarian state legislators, state Sen. Laura Ebke.

"Ebke switched her party allegiance from GOP to L.P. in 2016, and she's up for reelection as a Libertarian in 2018. The Republicans are running Al Riskowski, a man who formerly ran the Nebraska Family Alliance. That's a conservative activist group obsessed with the legalities of gambling, gender identity, suicide, and 'human trafficking'....

?Ebke sponsored two screenings of the movie to celebrate the revival of a local theater in her hometown that had gone under when the switch to digital projection swept the industry. On Friday, the state GOP denounced the events in a press release. 'Not only is Ebke in potential violation of state law herself for attempting to bribe voters,' the email declared, 'but she is also putting those who attend the screenings at risk of committing a violation as well.'

"By giving voters a free movie, the Republicans claim, Ebke is bribing voters. That's a class II misdemeanor under state law, punishable by six months in jail and a thousand-buck fine. And so is accepting such a bribe.

"Undeterred, Ebke held two more screenings in other towns after the threat went out, and she has two more planned.... Ebke says that 'we read the rules' and that the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC) 'says that it's acceptable to use campaign contributions for social events for constituents.' She notes that the governor does something comparable when he hosts tailgate parties.....

"The Omaha World-Herald reports that the Republicans 'are reviewing the situation to determine whether to pursue any legal action'.... Ebke says neither she nor any constituent she's met takes this threat at all seriously, though she wouldn't put it past the GOP to go ahead and file some sort of complaint with the NADC. If they do, she's confident that it will go nowhere."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2017/12/05/libertarian-state-sen-laura-ebke-breakin
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Scab Santa booted from NS school by union

Santa Claus Kicked Out Of School For Failing To Follow Labor Union Regulations - Ted Goodman, Libertarian Republic:

December 23, 2016 - "'Santa Claus' ran into trouble with a local Canadian labor union after attempting to bring some Christmas treats to a Nova Scotia elementary school this week.

"Three firefighters, including one dressed as Santa, showed up to a local elementary school in New Waterford, Novia Scotia, when a union representative forced the cheerful trio to leave the premises.

"'The principal came out and just informed us she had been contacted by a representative from the union. Someone had called the union I guess and … she was told we were in violation of the work to rule and we had to leave,' Raymond Eksal, fire chief of the Scotchtown Volunteer Fire Department in eastern Nova Scotia ... told the Toronto Star....

"Teachers in the province, represented by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, are in the third week of a 'work-to-rule' campaign, which includes the cancellation of all extracurricular activities, field trips, concerts and sports. Teachers are only supposed to focus on teaching, which means no guests in the classroom, including the big jolly red man himself.

"'We knew that the [local Christmas concert] was cancelled due to the work-to-rule, which we could understand … but I guess there was something lost in the translation,' Eksal said. 'We didn’t realize it was also cancelling Santa Claus,' he explained.

"'During work-to-rule, teachers are only focused on teaching. This means guest speakers are not permitted in the classroom,' Liette Doucet, a representative of the union, said....

"'That being said, at the discretion of the school board, there is nothing preventing Santa from visiting the students during their lunch hour,' Doucet assured the public and concerned parents."

Read more: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/santa-claus-school-labor-union/
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Free markets and the spirit of giving

Richmond County Daily Journal | Free markets and the spirit of giving - Robert Higgs:

December 20, 2016 - "Christmas will soon be here, and preparations for this holiday are proceeding apace.... Notice how much effort and expense are going into giving to and bringing joy to others. Notice, too, how much of the spending people do during this season would be impossible except for the affluence made possible by the remaining elements of the market society that the government, to date, has failed to destroy completely.

"The free-market society is often criticized or condemned root and branch for its alleged dependence on the unsavory human trait of greed ... but self-interest is quite different from greed and indeed often consists of the very opposite. People in general have an interest in, for example, earning more income, and a major reason for this desire is that they wish to have the wherewithal to give to or take care of others more effectively — their own families first of all in most cases, but hardly their own families exclusively....

"The amounts of money, time, and effort that people devote to making others happier or better off — amounts vividly on display during the holiday season — belie the slander of a free market’s dependence on greed. But such transfers also occur throughout the year and amount to an enormous proportion of all the uses to which people in free-market societies put their wealth.

"In contrast, the alleged compassion and caring for the unfortunate that many have supposed support socialism are scarcely to be seen.... [S]ocialism does not so much eliminate the greed that exists in a population as it alters the forms in which the greed can be directed and expressed.... Leaders of socialist societies have a habit of living lavishly amid the squalor of the system they control and despoil — Mao, Castro, and Chavez provide ready examples. Ordinary people in socialist societies, being deprived of free-market outlets for the pursuit of their self-interest must instead strive to better themselves and those for whom they care by struggling for political power....

"So, at this time of the year, let us remind ourselves not only of the love and compassion that Christmas calls forth, but also of the systemic economic underpinnings that permit people to express their love and compassion so effectively. The love of family, friends, and others is the greatest blessing, but the opportunity to live in a free-market society — even one as hogtied as ours — is also a great blessing."

Read more: https://yourdailyjournal.com/opinion/columns/57390/free-markets-and-the-spirit-of-giving
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Christmas not just for Christians

An Atheist Celebrates Christmas - Marco den Ouden, The Jolly Libertarian:

December 16, 2015 - "I was raised in a fairly religious Christian family. We dutifully went to Sunday school each week, but after attending confirmation classes at around age 12 or 13, I declined to be confirmed.... To their credit, my parents agreed....

"It wasn't until I discovered Ayn Rand in university that my atheism became explicit. I came to understand and respect 'that religion is an early form of philosophy'. Rand says 'that the first attempts to explain the universe, to give a coherent frame of reference to man's life and a code of moral values, were made by religion, before men graduated or developed enough to have philosophy. And, as philosophies, some religions have very valuable moral points.' But their ultimate problem is they are based on faith, not reason.

"So while disagreeing with the supernatural aspect of religion, I find much of value in religious teachings, and much to learn from....

"For myself, there is just one ritual that has great meaning. And that is Christmas. I love Christmas. Our whole family loves Christmas. Christmas means good will, family get togethers and family dinners, colorful lights, and joyful music. I love to hear Christmas music. Even the religious carols are full of joy, hope and optimism.

"Again Ayn Rand puts it much better than I can.

The secular meaning of the Christmas holiday is wider than the tenets of any particular religion: it is good will toward men - a frame of mind which is not the exclusive property of the Christian religion.... The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: 'Merry Christmas' - not 'Weep and Repent.' And the good will is expressed in a material, earthly form - by giving presents to one's friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance....

And while many decry the 'commercialism' of Christmas, Rand finds this one of its best features. 'The gift-buying stimulates an enormous outpouring of ingenuity in the creation of products devoted to a single purpose: to give men pleasure.' 'One would have to be terribly depressed,' she goes on, 'to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle' (of lights, colors and decorations)....

 "For our family, Christmas has always been special. And we have traditions, rituals as it were, that we follow year in and year out. Decorating the tree (my daughter always places the tree topper), opening one gift on Christmas eve, everyone gathered around the tree on Christmas morning as I, sporting a Santa hat, hand out the gifts, the hugs and appreciation all around, the big turkey dinner, games and other fun activities, and so on....

"And we love the Christmas movies. Although we have seen them all many times, every year my wife and I watch four in particular in the weeks leading up to Christmas - Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life. There are a few others we watch occasionally, but those are our favourites.

"The essence of Christmas is the greeting we often see on Christmas Cards - Peace on earth and good will towards all men! Even in wartime, combatants usually call a one day truce on Christmas Day. One wonders why, if they can stop fighting for a day at the drop of a hat, why they can't stop fighting altogether. Peace on earth. This is, as I have written in a previous blog, the very essence of libertarian philosophy. Another reason Christmas is a special time."

Read more: http://jollylibertarian.blogspot.ca/2015/12/an-atheist-celebrates-christmas.html
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The crimes of Santa Claus

Will the Feds Bust Santa Claus? | Libertarian Party blog - George Getz:

December 25, 2008 - "When Santa Claus comes to town this week, he'd better watch out – because the federal government may be making a list of his crimes (and checking it twice), the Libertarian Party warned....

"Does Santa belong in the slammer? Instead of stuffing stockings, should he be making license plates?

"Yes ... if he's held to the same standards as a typical American. For example:

• Every December 25, the illegal immigrant known as Santa Claus crosses the border into the United States without a passport. He carries concealed contraband, which he sneaks into the country in order to avoid inspection by the U.S. Customs Service. And just what's in all those brightly colored packages tied up with ribbons, anyway? The Drug Czar and Homeland Security want to know. 
• Look at how this international fugitive gets around: Santa flies in a custom-built sleigh that hasn't been approved by the FAA. He never files a flight plan. He has no pilot's license. In the dark of night, he rides the skies with just a tiny bioluminescent red light to guide him – a clear violation of traffic safety regulations. 
• Pulling Santa's sleigh: Eight tiny reindeer, a federally protected species being put to hard labor. None of these reindeer have their required shots, and Santa's never bothered to get these genetically-engineered animals registered and licensed. It's no wonder: He keeps them penned outside his workplace in a clear violation of zoning laws. 
• But Crooked Claus the Conniving Capitalist harms more than just animals – he's hurting hard-working American laborers, too. Isn't Santa's Workshop really Santa's Sweatshop, where his non-union employees don't make minimum wage and get no holiday pay? Add the fact that OSHA has never inspected the place, and you have a Third-World elf-exploitation operation that only Kathy Lee Gifford could love. 
• No wonder Santa is able to maintain his monopoly over the toy distribution industry: He's cornered the Christmas gift market. Santa dares to give away his products for free in a sinister attempt to crush all competition – just like Microsoft's Internet Explorer.... 

"It might be tough sledding for Jolly St. Nick this Christmas if the government decides to prosecute him."

Read more: http://www.lp.org/blogs/andrew-davis/will-the-feds-bust-santa-claus
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Have an anarchist Christmas

An Anarchist Christmas » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names - Grant Mincey:

December 25, 2014 - "As we reflect on this year of violence, imagine alternatives and act for social change perhaps we may revisit an age-old political ideology as liberating, co-operative and peaceful as it is misunderstood. The rich political tradition to which I refer is anarchism....

"Anarchic practitioners advocate highly ordered societies rooted in the principles of free association, mutual aid and cooperative labor.... This libertarian idea is deeply ingrained in the human spirit....

"Liberty is not a doctrine, but rather a praxis innate to human thought and action — the underlying principle being that one should always challenge authority and dismantle unjustifiable concentrations of power. The result is a more libertarian relationship between people and their institutions. Anarchism is thus a human phenomenon.

"When feminist movements organize for women’s agency over their own bodies and life without fear of violence we see anarchism.

"We see anarchism in Mexico as the population seeks liberation from violent drug cartels, complacent government and oppressive state policies.

"We see anarchism in prisons as inmates band together in these dehumanizing institutions to demand living conditions free of violence and sexual battery.

"We see anarchism in war-torn regions of the world where individuals risk their lives to save innocent victims of the drone strikes and barrel bombs of oppressive regimes.

"We see anarchism in towns and neighborhoods challenging the monopoly of violence held by the police.

"We see anarchism in movements that seek the protection of wilderness areas and native lands from the clutches of extractive industries and the iron fist of capital.

"We find anarchism in the new technology and falling communications costs that allow all of us to craft markets and labor together free of regulatory restriction.

"We see anarchism in our everyday social interactions — telling our family and friends we love them and being kind to strangers.

"These are but a few examples. Anarchism is everywhere."

Read more: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/25/an-anarchist-christmas/
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The Best and Worst Christmas Films (Libertarian Edition) - Reason.com

The Best and Worst Christmas Films (Libertarian Edition) - Reason.com - ReasonTV:

December 17, 2012 -  "Reason TV's Kennedy throws lumps of coal at the most un-libertarian Christmas movies and specials of all time, a list that includes A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Memory, Love Actually, White Christmas, and Miracle on 34th Street[*].

"On the flip side, she explains why Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, It's a Wonderfu Life, and The Sound of Music are her favorite fare when snuggling up to the electronic hearth with her kids and a Super Big Gulp filled with 100-proof eggnog."





Read more: http://reason.com/reasontv/2012/12/17/libertarian-christmas-films-the-best-and
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