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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!
First Commercial Christmas Card (Henry Cole 1843)

Best wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas. This year, we are celebrating in North Carolina for the first time. My four children and Luna drove down with us two days ago.

As many on the blog know, we have always gone to Chicago for Christmas. However, the illness of a loved one in Durham led us to change our plans at the last minute. The four kids came through like champions. We rented a house in Durham near my inlaws.

Due to my Catholic and my wife’s Jewish traditions, we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah today — a double header! With the holidays falling on the same day this year, it will be latkes and log cakes for the Turleys.

I was lamenting when we arrived that we could not have a tree due to the last minute change. Then, yesterday, a tree suddenly appeared on the porch. Two of the kids were able to find one lot still open and literally bought the last tree. It was not exactly the Rockefeller Center tree, but it was a real, honest-to-God Christmas tree. We were able to find a few lights, a dozen ornaments, and a cinder block to use as a stand. The kids made a paper angel for the top of the tree. It is a bit of a Charlie Brown tree, but we love it. We are here with each other and I have never been more proud of my family.

Last night, I made our traditional Cioppino soup — a tradition started by my late father, Jack Turley. It is a spicy mix of mussels, shrimp, sea bass, clams, crab meat, and other ingredients. I have previously written how I grew up hating the soup but the tradition fell to me when my father became ill. I am now as addicted to the soup as my father was. When I make the soup each year, it continues an indelible connection to my Dad and best friend.

Santa did come this morning despite our sudden change in plans. Tonight we will be having our usual beef, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, and fresh grounded horseradish sauce.  We also have a Turley Zinfandel to enjoy with dinner. We also have a great Bûche de Noël (or yule log cake) and other delights for dessert.

The Turley family wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday. I will be toasting our blog family tonight and giving thanks for the wonderful community we have created at this site.

Best wishes,

Jonathan Turley

104 thoughts on “MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!”

  2. We really wanted to cook a Christmas Goose, but the prices are insane! Close to $300 for a decent sized one. We decided instead that being a waterfowl, duck is a close enough facsimile. They are in the oven as I type. As usual, my wife has gone all out on the prep, lots of soups and sides. We spent Sunday baking ridiculous amounts of cookies. Guests will be small this year. Our daughter doesn’t have the kids this year. We did the gifts last night, so it will be her, her fiancé, and my father in law.

    We tried to prep chestnuts for an appetizer but they were really bad so we pivoted this morning to use what we could salvage into chestnut stuffed, bacon wrapped dates and figs.

    Yesterday I pulled out the garden grown and wild blackberries from the freezer I’ve been saving to make ice cream with our new ice cream maker my wife and I gifted to ourselves this year.

    We managed to ay or hands on some fresh Lion’s Mane Mushrooms, which have a sort of lobster/crab flavor, so we are making a mock bisque. We used fresh Shitake and Gruyere for a green bean casserole.

  3. Professor Turley, thank you so much for your daily articles. In my mind, you are without peer. Christmas Blessings.

  5. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to the Turleys! The Star of Bethlehem and the nine candles of the menorah remind us of the power of light. Charlie Brown’s tree also teaches us a lesson: Linus observed that it simply needed some TLC, like the one the Turley youngsters found. The Peanuts Gang tended to it, and it became a wonderful Christmas tree.

  6. I have to give much credit to Jonathan Turley for his column today. I frequent several right/conservative leaning pages that regularly take pains to talk about the Christian heritage of the U. S. Founders, but not one of them seems to have a single word this morning about the Christmas holiday, or about extending good will on this occasion to those who live elsewhere and/or hold other beliefs. That is an artifact of the contentious times in which we live, but it is disappointing nevertheless. Thank you, Professor; the same good wishes to you and yours.

  7. God shines brightly on the Turley family. The last place open and the last tree marks a great celebration and a new year to fill with happiness and love.

    Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukah to all. We have a new administration, and I hope this one leads to peace, prosperity, and unification. America is blessed.

      1. You too Oldman. Your positive nature and devotion to the truth is of sizable benefit to this blog.

  8. The First comment shown, by Anonymous of course, where did you learn your outpouring of love and understanding, I bet from your parents…members of the Pessimists Club of the world. You may proudly join them in a locked room with no furniture and you can chant your hate and relish the wickedness of your world, there is no room at the Inn and even the animals greet you with flatulence as a salute to your worthless being. Merry Christmas anyhow.

  9. Welcome to North Carolina and Merry Christmas to the Turleys. (I wish it were warmer.,) I began reading Prof. Turley’s excellent columns and, willi-nilly, became a fan of his family stories. Keep up the good work in 2025, Professor.

  11. Don’t forget to round up the illegal immigrants on this day and separate the kids from the parents.

    After all, this is the day we revere when a baby was born to immigrants. What better way to celebrate peace, good will, and justice than to be a total A hole.

    Merry Christmas to all

    2. Anon:

      “After all, this is the day we revere when a baby was born to immigrants.”
      **************************
      The beauty of that story is that after they paid their taxes the immigrants went home! Win-Win!

      1. And those immigrants literally changed the trajectory of the Western world from paganism to Christianity’s Good News. In XIX Century, an Italian immigrant took their Good News to heart, and became the first American Catholic Saint for caring for Italian immigrants in America and many other groups. Win, win indeed. If you know any Italians perhaps they are familiar with Saint Mother Francesca Cabrini. or not

        Buon Natale

        1. “And those immigrants literally changed the trajectory of the Western world from paganism to Christianity’s Good News.”

          That was a time and place when immigrants weren’t considered illegal. Open borders might be a good thing in theory, but today the government has overstepped its bounds, forcibly taking money from working citizens and transferring it to those here illegally. Not all immigrants were Christians, and we must remember that Christianity did not emerge out of nowhere. It is one of many religions, all of which should be respected. However, we must condemn any elements of religion that use force.

          1. “However, we must condemn any elements of religion that use force.”

            Are you talking about the “Christians” that took part in the many crusades?

            Or the “Christians” that invaded Iraq in 2003?

            Or are you talking about some other religion?

            1. No person, religion or state is perfect. The height of imperfection comes from those who use perfection as a weapon to destroy all that is good. Start learning a bit of love instead of rolling in the dirt with hate.

    3. After all, this is the day we revere when a baby was born to immigrants. What better way to celebrate peace, good will, and justice than to be a total A hole.

      Not that you would ever get near an immigrant, never mind help them with transition, offer supportive services, or medical care. Then there are Catholics like me, to do in deeds what progressives like you only articulate in public forums for the sake of virtue signaling and Talking Points purposes. Resounding gong, clashing cymbal

      If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

      Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

      1 Corinthians 13:1-6
      https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/13

  12. Thank you for your insight every day of the year ! The best are the personal and family experiences on holidays and special days and trips ! God Bless you Professor and a Healthy and Happy New Year!

  13. * The miracle of Christmas…

    The birth-day was celebrated by the family on the run to save the life of a baby from a King killing first borns to avoid any threat to his power. The family found shelter in a barn surrounded by animals. Money, myrrh and frankincense were brought as gifts to the newborn to help on the journey into Egypt.

    1. One recompense for having to wade through your incessant, almost robot comments is the satisfaction of knowing you seem, and almost certainly are, a genuinely miserable person. I suspect the next four years are going to be very hard for you.

    2. Another ignorant tool.

      They werent on the run, spastic. Herod didnt issue that decree until AFTER the child was born.

      They were traveling for the CENSUS, to be taxed.

      The wise men were NOT at the nativity, idiot.

      It startles me what passes for literate these days.

  14. Merry Christmas to you and all your family. Linda Kruse (met you at Ashbrook Center in Ashland, Ohio.)

  15. I agree, peace on earth; health to the affected, provisions for the hungry and kindness.

  16. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, as well as a happy and healthy New Year, to you and your family!

    BW

  17. * With the election of the legendary DJT Christmas seems to have returned. There’s less fear of Christmas persecution. Merry Christmas and cheers to better worlds and better lives.

    1. An interesting observation. With the temporary jettison of Biden and his woke brigade, life in America does appear to be returning to its longtime center, including unabashed celebration of Christmas, so important in our history and the lives of a strong majority of Americans

      1. michael: what MAGA media fed you this slop? I usually provide an attribution to comments I post, so why don’t you tell us which MAGA media came up with the absurd notion that Trump and MAGA are associated with “the center”or a “strong majority”? It’s all part of the indoctrination–to make you feel good that Trump cheated his way into office again and is on the verge of once again destroying our economy. MAGA is a distinct minority of chronically angry mostly whites who believe lies fed to them by MAGA media that was started by billionaires to put over Trump so they can get regulations rolled back and get massive tax breaks–it was an investment–they purchased a president because he was for sale. Musk alone paid out between $250 and 300 million. MAGAs have been encouraged to feel threatened by migrants, educated people, especially women, and science, which they don’t understand and have been led to distrust. MAGA media teaches MAGAs to believe themselves to be superior, which is why they feed you the lies about “wokism” and that MAGA is a “strong majority”, and that mainstream media cannot be trusted–it’s because they tell the truth about Trump and his crimes, incompetence and his unfit choices to lead departments and agencies. Trump’s edge over Harris was less than 1.5%–1.48%, and 1.7% voted for neither Trump nor Harris. Trump did not receive even half of the popular vote. His “victory” ranks 55th in US history. And, 78% of voters said that bringing down the cost of groceries was the biggest factor for their vote–in other words, the Trump lie about immediately bringing about a sharp drop in grocery prices worked! Even Republicans admit that the “grocery” lie was the reason for Trump’s “victory”. Nevertheless, it’s still a lie. And, Joe Biden still holds the record for getting the most popular votes ever. So, you MAGAs are not even a majority, much less a “strong majority”.

  18. Merry Christmas to your great family Jonathan and make sure to post some pictures of your North Carolina Charlie Brown tree. Best wishes from New Mexico. Greg

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