Categories
cartoon Christmas holiday

Santa Baby Revisited

Santa Baby Revisited

The other day, my seven-year-old niece and her mom were decorating the Christmas tree while listening to Christmas music. Santa Baby came on the smart speaker. As my niece listened to the lyrics, she remarked, “That lady doesn’t sound very content!” It was music to my ears because the Sunday school lesson that day was on contentment. Thank you Sunday school teachers!

Four years ago, I remarked how Santa Baby wasn’t my favorite song. It’s a bit strong on the avarice and innuendo. It ranks down there for me with Baby it’s Cold Outside. Come one, people! We don’t want to explain these away to elementary kids. And they definitely should not be in the queue for Sunday morning worship.

Please! No “Santa Baby!”

I went ahead and redrew the cartoon I did in 2017. I wanted a steadier line and a color version. Thanks to my niece, I was reminded, once again, why I’m not a fan of this little ditty.

Cartoon of a guy talking to a guitar player. He says, "For Christmas Worship, don't you dare play, 'Santa Baby!'"

Even if it is cold outside, I recommend sticking to a classic such as, Let it Snow.

Categories
Quotes

Wisdom and Humility

"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes." Winston Churchill

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”

Winston Churchill

It is too easy to write someone off because they have been foolish in the past. We put labels on those we don’t agree with because it is easier than carefully considering if there is some truth in their assertions.

We may even feel threatened that a group we don’t agree with has a good idea that we haven’t thought of. Surely if it was a good idea, we would have thought of it, right?

Wisdom takes humility. Every person can teach us something. It takes discernment to listen and consider other points of view. The echo chamber we are tempted to live in eventually makes us deaf.

Even fools are right sometimes. Humility makes us consider that to someone else, we may look like a fool and we are right sometimes too.

Categories
holiday

Christmas Chaos

Cartoon of Santa chasing a sleigh full of mischievous elves

When I drew this cartoon, I thought of what would happen if the song, Sleighride, resulted in Christmas chaos at the North Pole? What if the elves decided it was their turn to take a sleigh ride with eight tiny reindeer? And what if Santa wasn’t in on the escapade?

How does Santa Claus keep the elves in line anyway? In the course of all the millennia that Santa has been operating, surely there was at least a couple of times the elves got a bit out of control!

Unforeseen circumstances can lead to a little Christmas chaos. Things can quickly spiral out of control. This year, we continue to have pandemic problems, supply chain issues, and unreliable store hours due to a worker shortage. It’s enough to make you wonder if a bunch of mischievous elves would be considered the least of our worries!

Hang in there, people! There are only two weeks until it all settles and we have an opportunity to relax around the Christmas tree with friends and family. In the meantime, if there are some elves nearby, I wouldn’t leave your keys in the car.

Cartoon of Santa chasing a sleigh full of mischievous elves
Categories
wisdom

Prudence and Wisdom

Prudence and Wisdom

The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.

Proverbs 14:8

Prudence has come to mean something totally different in our culture. A prude is considered a killjoy that never has any fun. If you have a balloon, the prude will pop it. If there is any excitement, our culture believes a prudent person will quash it.

We idolize the startup that will “move fast and break things.” The minimal viable product is considered the best way to get something to market without it getting bogged down in experimentation, consideration, and tweaking. And sometimes that is a great way to move.

But there are other times when prudence is needed. Moving fast without planning can hurt. The story of Theranos and the ensuing trial shows what can happen when one moves too fast without a real plan or product that actually works.

The True Definition of Prudence

Prudence is less about being a killjoy and more about using planning, good judgment, and careful consideration in any venture. We need to have a plan before forging ahead. Moving fast doesn’t work if we are going in the wrong direction.

Prudence is taking caution and considering the outcomes. It is seeking and implementing advice where warranted. Just as there is such a thing as being too cautious, it is also possible to be too impulsive and spontaneous.

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

Proverbs 22:3

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Let’s use a little prudence in business and life.

Categories
family

Remembering a Relative on Pearl Harbor Day

Remembering a relative on Pearl Harbor Day

On this day, eighty years ago, The United States entered World War II when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. So today, I want to remember Pearl Harbor and a relative who perished in the attack; Fred Hunter Boyer.

Honestly, three days ago, I didn’t know he existed. As I child, I wondered if we would have had relatives who fought in World War II. My grandfathers weren’t drafted but stayed on the homefront. So it seemed that came to a dead-end fairly quickly.

However, I had not looked into possible cousins. I subscribe to FamilySearch.org. I received an email on Sunday that announced the discovery. I had a second cousin, once removed that perished on the USS West Virginia. He was twenty-two.

Relative Died at Pearl Harbor
Email announcement from FamilySearch.org

I wonder what his parents went through? Did his community rally around them? We had a common cause and hostile enemies in Europe and Asia. It’s hard to imagine what the mood of the country was in light of today’s challenges.

Fred Boyer Obituary
Fred Boyer Obituary

Today, I am thankful for the men and women that paid the ultimate sacrifice for my freedom. And I am especially thankful for a cousin and his family that paid a great price on that day that would live in infamy.