Remember our Troops during this Holiday Season

CHRISTMAS is a global holiday, but not everyone celebrates it the same way. The birth of Jesus, presents, candy canes, a tree, and family time are what many Americans think when they hear the word “Christmas.” Most Americans don’t think about terrorists, war in a foreign land, and being thousands of miles away from family.

There are 151,000 troops in Iraq and about 59,000 in Afghanistan, and they all want to be home for Christmas. Unfortunately, they cannot be. Living in America it can be easy to forget about the troops with all the distractions we face, but the soldiers definitely don’t forget about us. The troops miss America and they miss their Christmas traditions.

Four years ago some people started a program to make troops feel as if they were at home for the holidays. The program is called Trees for Troops. The organization sends donated Christmas trees to troops and in some cases to their families. Last year, over 17,000 trees were sent and this year more are expected. Sadly, the drop-off dates were December 4-6 so no more donations are accepted for 2009. Plan to take part next year.

You can, however, continue to be involved in the many projects by organizations such as The Salvation Army and the The Red Cross. These organizations hosts ongoing projects.

For an assignment a little bit more local, many GAC students participated in sending gifts and supplies to Coach Tim Baker and his troops in Afganistan.  The troops can’t be home for Christmas, but we can bring Christmas to them.

Coach Baker says, “Most of the guys will miss being home. They miss the time with family.  Most see Christmas as a date that signifies they will come home soon”

The tweetup4troops is where people tweet about the troops and get the word out to support our men and women in uniform. Check it out.

Pray for our troops over the holidays and keep them in your hearts.

A Christmas Carol: Classic Tale Comes Alive

THE old fairy tale by Charles Dickens came to the big screen November 6 with much anticipation. The story is about Scrooge and his journey through his past, present, and future to a change of heart. Jim Carey plays Scrooge and he does a believable job displaying Scrooge’s grumpy and unapproachable character. He is funny and plays the role well, but the flashback segments leave something to be desired.

Some material is left out from the original which is disappointing. Viewers don’t see much of Scrooge’s side of the story. The special effects are decent. The spirits are displayed vividly. Out of five, I think A Christmas Carol gets a three. I wouldn’t consider it a premier blockbuster but it didn’t disappoint. The classic story if one for all ages and it continues to tell the tale of the true meaning of Christmas. Rated PG