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 It's time to wish the ACLU a Merry Christmas! No, not "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons   Greetings" or even "Kabala Kwanzaa." And certainly not "Xmas." We're talking actual "Merry Christmas" here. You can now send several E-cards a day to the ACLU as well as send your actual physical Christmas card to their national offices.  Send them some e-Cards. And don't forget to send an actual Christmas card to: ACLU125 Broad Street18th FloorNew York, NY 10004  Planned Parenthood has infuriated Christians all over the nation by selling "holiday cards" (they're not Christmas cards, of course) with their offensive and blasphemous slogan...

It was Christmas in Iraq as well as America, but there were fewer celebrations than in the past. Iraq has become a particularly dangerous place for Christians: it is safer to stay home than attend services, and even better to seek refuge in Kurdish territory or leave Iraq entirely. Washington is filled with talk of new directions in Iraq. President George W. Bush has largely dismissed the Iraq Study Group report and apparently plans on modestly upping U.S. occupation forces. However, a temporary surge isn't likely to have much permanent effect. The future of Iraq almost certainly is in the...

Charity is the first principle of the Knights of Columbus and, throughout its 125 year history, the Order has worked to help those who are suffering and in need.  Last year, Knights of Columbus donated more than 64 million hours of volunteer time and $139 million to charity. This year, the Order is airing a Christmas TV spot (Broadband or Dial-up ) on networks in the U.S. and Canada, encouraging viewers to join with the Knights in helping children in need. You may already have a favorite charity, or you may wish to consider one or more of the charities supported...

IT JUST DOESN'T seem like Christmas this year — because there have been so few stories in the media about how the holiday is under siege by secular progressives. Some irony-deficient Chicago officials refused to allow advertising for "The Nativity Story" at the city's annual Christkindlmarket, an open-air re-creation of a European village. And Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's staff removed — then replaced — more than a dozen Christmas trees after a rabbi threatened to sue if a menorah wasn't included in the display. But, by and large, it's been a quiet season. The Christmas wars were inescapable in 2005. ....

December 26, 2006 Fast Track to Hell: Stealing From a Church on Christmas At Christmas Mass at the Church of St. Mel in Flushing, Queens, robbers stole a money box with $20,000. The money, collected from three Christmas Eve Masses and the 7:30AM Christmas Mass and meant for church expenses and needy children, was kept in a 100 pound money box. The robbers hit around 9:20AM and witnesses saw men putting the box into an SUV with Vermont license plates. A parishioner did take the license plate number and give it to the police (the SUV belongs to a NYC...

Christmas: the beginning of our redemption The manger and the empty tomb are doorways to new life Half a century ago, the great British scholar, C.S. Lewis, wrote about the miracle we really celebrate every December. He said the following: “Did you ever think, when you were a child, what fun it would be if your toys could come to life? Well suppose you could really have brought them to life. Imagine turning a tin soldier into a real little man. It would involve turning the tin into flesh. And suppose the tin soldier did not like it. He is...

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 20, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The 20,000 lights of the imposing Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square are now aglow. The large white fir, almost 33 meters high (108 feet) and weighing 9 tons, was lit in an official ceremony today presided over by Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State. On hand were religious and civil authorities of Calabria, the Italian region that donated the tree, which came from the Sila National Park. At the top of the tree is a large star, symbol of light which envelops the world with the Lord's birth....

VATICAN CITY, DEC 22, 2006 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall, the Holy Father held his traditional meeting with cardinals, archbishops, bishops and members of the Roman Curia, for the exchange of Christmas greetings. At the beginning of his address to them, the Pope affirmed how "the year that is coming to an end," leaves us "with the profound impression of the war that took place near the Holy Land and, more generally, of the danger of a clash between cultures and religions, a danger still threateningly present at this moment in history. The question of the roads...

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 24, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the midday Angelus with several thousand people gathered in St. Peter's Square. Dear Brothers and Sisters: The celebration of the holy birth is here. Today's vigil prepares us to live intensely the mystery that tonight's liturgy will invite us to contemplate with the eyes of faith. In the divine infant, who we will place in the manger, our salvation is made manifest. In the God made man for us, we all feel loved, taken in, we discover that we are worthy...

A 31-year-old man is in critical condition after setting himself ablaze in an apparent protest over a school district's decision to call winter and spring break, Christmas and Easter break. The protester, reportedly draped in a flag, ignited a decorated Christmas tree, an American flag and a revolutionary flag replica that read "Don't Tread on Me" before pouring a can of fuel on himself in front of the Kern County Court Building in Bakersfield, Calif., yesterday afternoon. The man, whose name was not released, survived, thanks to the quick action of a sheriff's deputy and several court employees. (Story continues...

The President has spent Christmas at Camp David as has become his tradition tomorrow he will travel to his Ranch in Crawford to spend a few days there before returning to the White House As there are no new photos today I thought I would do a special on White House decorations since 2001. Each year the White House is deorated beatitfully for the festive season. This year sees the 6th one since George W Bush has been President. Today lets look at each year and the wonderful photos and themes portrayed - enjoy. Probably the most difficult one was...

Mankind, which has reached other planets and decoded the genetic instructions for life, should not presume it can live without God, Pope Benedict said in his Christmas message on Monday. In an age of unbridled consumerism it was shameful many remained deaf to the "heart-rending cry" of those dying of hunger, thirst, disease, poverty, war and terrorism, he said. "Does a 'Saviour' still have any value and meaning for the men and women of the third millennium?" he asked in his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message to the faithful in St Peter's Square, broadcast live...

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Christmas Midnight Mass in the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica early Monday with an appeal for abused children around the world, including child soldiers, beggars and others deprived of sustenance and love.  "The child of Bethlehem directs our gaze toward all children who suffer and are abused in the world, the born and the unborn," Benedict said in his homily, referring to the church's stand against abortion. In celebrating Jesus' birth, he said people should direct their thoughts toward children forced to serve "as soldiers in a violent world, toward children who have to beg, toward...

World leaders, media blame Israel for fleeing Christians BETHLEHEM - With Christmas services here drawing far fewer tourists than in the 1990s and the town's Christian population now at an all-time low, many world leaders and hundreds of major media outlets this week blamed Israel for Bethlehem's decline - often citing false information - while a simple talk with the town's residents reveals a drastically different picture. They say Muslim persecution has been keeping Christians away. "All this talk about Israel driving Christians out and causing pain is nonsense," a Bethlehem Christian community leader told WND. "You want to know what is at...

Order takes message to tens of millions through public service announcements and tree lightings. Keep Christ in Christmas Ads  • Television Ad 1 (rm, 30 sec., 985 kb) • Television Ad 2 (rm, 30 sec., 893 kb) • Radio Ad 1 (mp3, 28 sec., 455 kb) • Radio Ad 2 (mp3, 28 sec., 342 kb) • Radio Ad 3 (mp3, 18 sec., 288 kb) Millions of people in North America will get the message to “Keep Christ in Christmas” thanks to public service announcements from the Knights of Columbus that will be aired in the United States and Canada during the Christmas season.Radio spots encouraging people to “Keep Christ in Christmas” in...