Best wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas. We are enjoying the holiday with our four children and, of course, Luna. It is not a white Christmas here in Virginia this year, given the lack of snow this season. However, we made do. We all watched A White Christmas next to the tree picked out by our local cadre of Bears fans. Leslie made her signature Old-Fashioned cocktails as we listened to Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, and Vera-Ellen bring in the holiday in the 1954 classic.
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.
Even though our kids are all grown, Santa still came this morning and Luna remained as quiet as an elf with his arrival. (Likely because her own stocking was stuffed for a good dog)
We have had our mishaps at the holidays, particularly in driving to Chicago and facing a series of unfortunate events. However, since we are celebrating at home in Virginia, it proved, thankfully, less eventful this year.
With the passing of my mother, Angela, earlier this year, it is a holiday mixed with a sense of profound loss. This was her favorite holiday. We decorated our tree with the birds that Mom would put on her own tree in Chicago. Even with missing her and thinking about her, there is also the gratitude of being surrounded by those you love. This holiday reminds you of how blessed you truly are to have your friends and family with you.
Tonight, we will be making our traditional Christmas meal. I will be doing the beef, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, and freshly ground horseradish sauce. I use my Dad’s English cookbook with his scribblings in the margins and carve on the same carving board that we used for over 60 years. 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 here.
So “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Best wishes,
Jonathan Turley
“Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum…” — Donald Trump.
Merry Christmas everyone and best wishes to all.
Thank You, Prof. Turley, for sharing your heartfelt wishes and Xmas day… always a bittersweet Holiday as loved ones pass onto the next dimension and leave us to carry on the traditions….. sure looked like we might have a white Christmas in Virginia earlier this month… but, Yes, the classic ‘White Christmas’ brings the Joy of snow and.. then.. ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ with angel Cary Grant reminds us of the real spirit of Christmas as we celebrate.. ‘Lessons and Carols’ at James Madison’s St Johns Church………….
Merry Christmas to you and yours! As a person who has lost family and friends I sympathize with your sentiment.
I am one of those who carry on keeping the reason for the season in focus while remembering times past.
Thank you for publishing your observations and I look forward to another year of enjoying same.
Sincerely; Clifford Brown
Thank you for all that you do.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
God bless.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Jonathan. We love you, and love your Legal Brilliance. So wish we were still GWU Students, so we could take your classes. Your legal commentaries are a joy to watch (Fox) and read. Real Brain food. May God Bless you mightily. doug e
Merry Christmas!
Merry Chistmas in America!
It’s nice see lots of Merry Christmas wishes and zero woke complaints.
Maybe Merry Christmas works like garlic or crosses for vampires🤣
Merry Christmas from Australia.
Thank you for sharing this. It brings this old soldier to tears. For one night, sanity took hold. May it ever be thus.
Michael,
You are more than welcome. It was a miraculous moment during epic savagery and wasted bright lives.
Merry Christmas to you Professor Turley, your entire family and Luna! I do not know who received the candy cane filled with M&M’s in their stocking, but I received the same item in my stocking, so we’ll both be enjoying them! I look forward to what’s in store in your blog for 2026 and the bantering back & forth that we’ll all be having! Blessing always to you and your family!
Professor,
Thank you for always sharing the Turley agenda (and menu!) with us……..always a fun read!
I thought you might want to know, if you don’t already, that the song “Count Your Blessings (instead of sheep)” has an interesting story behind it: {from the book Irving Berlin; A Man of Many Seasons) –
” ‘Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)’ is a classic song by Irving Berlin from the movie White Christmas, born from his own insomnia; his doctor suggested counting blessings, leading to the tune about finding sleep by focusing on gratitude rather than worries, a theme of hope and thankfulness prominent in Berlin’s Jewish heritage.”
Christmas blessings on you, Professor, and your family as you continue your day celebrating the love and joy of family and honoring the memories of your beloved mother and father.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEep7EMKIyo
Merry Christmas to all who “dwell” here!
🎄Merry Christmas to All 🎁 Life, Law & Liberty 🦌
Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy in Conversation with David Rubenstein: Life, Law & Liberty
Over three decades on the US Supreme Court, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy shaped the law of the land on some of the most fiercely debated issues of our time. One of the most consequential jurists in modern history, his landmark opinions legalized gay marriage, protected political speech, abolished the death penalty for minors, and, in a nuanced ruling, upheld a woman’s right to choose. As the pivotal vote in closely divided cases, Kennedy earned the moniker “The Decider,” yet he has always insisted that his decisions were guided not by politics but by the Constitution’s enduring principles of justice and liberty.
Join us for the launch of Life, Law & Liberty, Kennedy’s memoir, to be released two days after this conversation. Offering insight into his life, work, and beliefs, the book traces his journey from a precocious child growing up in Sacramento to a Reagan appointee confirmed unanimously by the Senate, to a justice whose rulings often defied expectations. In his book, Kennedy reflects on the role of a judge, the independence of the judiciary, and the qualities of civility, decency, and ethics that are essential in public life.
On this special evening, Justice Kennedy will be in conversation with David Rubenstein to discuss the moments that define his career, the principles that guided his most important decisions, and the personal experiences — both challenging and inspiring — that shaped his view of the law. It is a rare opportunity to hear from one of the Court’s most influential voices at this historic moment.
By: David Rubenstein – Justice Anthony M. Kennedy – 92ny.org
Recorded Oct 12, 2025 at 92nd Street Y, New York.
https://www.92ny.org/archives/life-law-liberty-k9rh5u4h
The movie “A White Christmas” is a classic? I dissent. The song “A White Christmas”, which is a classic, was introduced by Bing Crosby in an earlier and better film entitled “Holiday Inn.” Glad to see that Luna has not gotten into the chocolate this year.
edward……absolutely! “Holiday Inn” is the Mother Ship, so to speak! And Fred Astaire didn’t like the script for the “remake”, so he declined and Danny Kaye was eventually cast. In filming “Holiday Inn”, as you noted, Irving Berlin, by way of Bing Crosby, introduced the world to the classic hit “White Christmas”. Most movie channels have edited-out the black face number, but either way, it is an extraordinary film. Incidentally, during the filming of “Holiday Inn”, from late 1941 to early 1942, Pearl Harbor happened, and so they revised the “July 4 Independence Day” segment, making it much, much more political.
Miss/Mrs. Bragg — TCM does not edit-out the blackface number when it shows “Holiday Inn,” since they show all movies as made.
Yes, thank you. I know about TCM….That’s why I said “Most” not “All” movie channels/venues edit out the blackface.
edwardmahl: Both the movie and the song are just “White Christmas,” not “A White Christmas.” Both you and Prof. Turley got that wrong, but it is my favorite Christmas movie and has been since I first saw it in about 1968. And I agree with him that it is a classic. Sorry you don’t think so. I’ll take it over “Holiday Inn” any day.
Merry Christmas all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-rGuWAx8CE
Elf……..That was terrific….Thank you for posting it!
“May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you always.”
Merry Christmas!🥗🌲
My favorite present is your daily dose of wisdom that you share with your readers. God’s richest blessings to you and your family in ’26. I wish you were a member of the Supreme Court and look forward to your someday being appointed! We need more constitutionalists, like yourself, sitting in the court. Wallaces residing in MO.
with God’s will, your wish will be granted !
Happy Christmas to you dear man