In 1955, Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup had a very important job. It was the height of the Cold War, and Shoup was working at the Continental Air Defense Command — now known as the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
One December day, his phone rang, but it wasn&#8217;t his regular phone. It was the red phone — the phone that had a <a href="https://kdvr.com/news/local/wrong-number-started-norad-santa-tracker/">number so secret</a> that only he and a four-star general at the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/disney-hires-obama-era-pentagon-spokesperson-to-build-on-companys-strong-reputation/">Pentagon</a> knew of its existence. But when he answered the phone, a child was on the other end.
&#8220;Is this Santa Claus?&#8221; the child asked. <a href="https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/2018/12/21/santa-tracker-creator-norad-colonel-christmas/2369617002/">Shoup</a>, according to his children — Terri Van Keuren, Rick Shoup, Pam Farrel — was initially surprised and annoyed, but when the child began to cry he quickly changed his tone. He said, &#8220;Ho, ho, ho,&#8221; and asked the child whether he had been good — and then he asked to speak to a parent.
<a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/12/19/371647099/norads-santa-tracker-began-with-a-typo-and-a-good-sport">NPR reported</a>:
<blockquote>His children remember Shoup as straight-laced and disciplined, and he was annoyed and upset by the call and thought it was a joke — but then, Terri says, the little voice started crying.
&#8220;And Dad realized that it wasn&#8217;t a joke,&#8221; her sister says. &#8220;So he talked to him, ho-ho-ho&#8217;d and asked if he had been a good boy and, &#8216;May I talk to your mother?&#8217; And the mother got on and said, &#8216;You haven&#8217;t seen the paper yet? There&#8217;s a phone number to call Santa. It&#8217;s in the Sears ad.&#8217; Dad looked it up, and there it was, his red phone number. And they had children calling one after another, so he put a couple of airmen on the phones to act like Santa Claus.&#8221;
&#8220;It got to be a big joke at the command center. You know, &#8216;The old man&#8217;s really flipped his lid this time. We&#8217;re answering Santa calls,&#8217; &#8221; Terri says.</blockquote>
The joke took another turn when, on Christmas Eve of 1955, several of the Airmen under Shoup&#8217;s command drew a sleigh and eight reindeer on the glass board that they normally used to track the paths of airplanes over U.S. and Canadian airspace.
According to Terri, Shoup saw the drawing and asked, &#8220;What is that?&#8221;
The airmen said it was just a joke, apologizing and offering to take it down.
&#8220;Dad looked at it for a while, and next thing you know, Dad had called the radio station and had said, &#8216;This is the commander at the Combat Alert Center, and we have an unidentified flying object. Why, it looks like a sleigh.&#8217; Well, the radio stations would call him like every hour and say, &#8216;Where&#8217;s Santa now?'&#8221; Terri told NPR, adding, &#8220;And later in life he got letters from all over the world, people saying, &#8216;Thank you, Colonel,&#8217; for having, you know, this sense of humor. And in his 90s, he would carry those letters around with him in a briefcase that had a lock on it like it was top-secret information. You know, he was an important guy, but this is the thing he&#8217;s known for.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s probably the thing he was proudest of, too,&#8221; her brother agreed.
In the years since, NORAD has embraced the tradition. Call centers are operational and children can call from all over the world to see where Santa is as he makes his grand journey delivering gifts around the world in a single night.
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Take an inside look at our NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center as we track <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Santa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Santa</a> on his magical journey today! Track with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NORAD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NORAD</a> at <a href="https://t.co/7afKWWcryj">https://t.co/7afKWWcryj</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NORADSanta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NORADSanta</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SantaTracker?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SantaTracker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NORADTracksSanta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NORADTracksSanta</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/santaclaus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#santaclaus</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/merrychristmas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#merrychristmas</a> <a href="https://t.co/NsKxdPvuyo">pic.twitter.com/NsKxdPvuyo</a>
&mdash; NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoradSanta/status/1738940517080031321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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There is even an official Twitter account — @NoradSanta — that posts updates and videos throughout the day.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NORADTracksSanta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NORADTracksSanta</a> is following the heat signature from Rudolph&#39;s nose to Dubai as Santa flies over the Arabian Peninsula.<a href="https://t.co/UVuyzrCgDr">https://t.co/UVuyzrCgDr</a>
&mdash; NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoradSanta/status/1738979427218760075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Santa is making a special stop for the astronauts at the International Space Station! Find out where he will go next at <a href="https://t.co/6qfPToRTlN">https://t.co/6qfPToRTlN</a><a href="https://t.co/pwuCxiDDyg">https://t.co/pwuCxiDDyg</a>
&mdash; NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoradSanta/status/1738993195214667809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NORAD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NORAD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SantaTrackers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SantaTrackers</a> still going strong and tracking <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Santa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Santa</a> on his magical journey around the world! Call our Santa Trackers at 1-877-Hi-NORAD, or track on our website at <a href="https://t.co/7afKWWcryj">https://t.co/7afKWWcryj</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoradTracksSanta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoradTracksSanta</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MerryChristmas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MerryChristmas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChristmasEve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChristmasEve</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SantaClaus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SantaClaus</a> <a href="https://t.co/mFSU6hB8to">pic.twitter.com/mFSU6hB8to</a>
&mdash; NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoradSanta/status/1739006882038071397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Sleighbells are ringing over Athens 📷 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NORADTracksSanta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NORADTracksSanta</a> <a href="https://t.co/1OZguqLhXv">https://t.co/1OZguqLhXv</a>
&mdash; NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) <a href="https://twitter.com/NoradSanta/status/1739012780760465760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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US-LIFESTYLE-CHRISTMAS-INTERNET-SANTA-OFFBEAT

‘The Santa Colonel’: How One Air Force Officer Turned A Sears Ad Typo Into A Holiday Tradition

Santa Claus

Sears

U.S. Air Force

Renowned astro-physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson delivered an unsolicited science lesson on Christmas Eve, using his own research to &#8220;prove&#8221; that Santa Claus&#8217; holiday delivery schedule was an impossibility.
Tyson explained in a couple of tweets why Santa could not possibly make it to billions of homes all around the globe in the span of just 24 hours.
&#8220;After extensive research, I&#8217;ve concluded that for Santa to deliver presents to the billions of homes that celebrate Christmas, and to do so in one continuous night across 24 time zones, he &amp; his reindeer must open wormholes through the fabric of spacetime between each delivery,&#8221; he tweeted.
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After extensive research, I&#39;ve concluded that for Santa to deliver presents to the billions of homes that celebrate Christmas, and to do so in one continuous night across 24 time zones, he &amp; his reindeer must open wormholes through the fabric of spacetime between each delivery.
&mdash; Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) <a href="https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/1606786528407158784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Tyson went on to explain just how many homes per second Santa would have to visit in order to reach every family who celebrated the holiday, adding, &#8220;In case you were wondering, for Santa, in a single 24-hr Earth-night, to deliver presents to all those who celebrate Christmas, he must visit 25,000 homes per second.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In case you were wondering, for Santa, in a single 24-hr Earth-night, to deliver presents to all those who celebrate Christmas, he must visit 25,000 homes per second.
&mdash; Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) <a href="https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/1606787493428346880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Critics were not impressed with Tyson&#8217;s lesson, however. One <a href="https://twitter.com/aginnt/status/1606881806351241217" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it &#8220;wins for the most unfun Christmas tweet of all time.&#8221;
&#8220;Got the same 24 hours Santa got and using your time to tweet this smh,&#8221; another <a href="https://twitter.com/yc/status/1606903147552976896" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
Tyson wasn&#8217;t quite finished, however, and he followed up with one more tweet reminding the people who were offended by the religious undertones of the &#8220;Merry Christmas&#8221; greeting that &#8220;Happy Holidays&#8221; might not be quite as atheist as they thought.
&#8220;Just to affirm that whoever says Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, is using a word that etymologically derives from &#8216;Holy Days,'&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Just to affirm that whoever says Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, is using a word that etymologically derives from “Holy Days”.
&mdash; Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) <a href="https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/1606789323000512512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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It wasn&#8217;t the first time that Tyson <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/neil-degrinch-tyson-astrophysicist-neil-degrasse-tyson-dragged-for-sucking-the-magic-out-of-christmas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used science</a> to throw cold water on Christmas magic, either. In 2021, his Christmas tweets argued that Santa could not possibly live at the North Pole. &#8220;Since the Northern Arctic is just ocean, Santa’s North Pole workshop has only ever existed on a floating sheet of ice.&#8221;
Tyson also suggested that families should help the rotund Christmas gifter to get his weight under control, calling on them to leave &#8220;carrots, celery, &amp; hot tea for Santa on the table instead of milk &amp; cookies.&#8221;
In 2020, Tyson took issue with <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/neil-degrasse-tyson-santa-doesnt-know-zoology-rudolph-was-misgendered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Santa again</a> — claiming that the jolly old elf had misgendered his own most famous reindeer. &#8220;Santa doesn’t know Zoology: Both male &amp; female Reindeer grow antlers. But all male Reindeer lose their antlers in the late fall, well-before Christmas. So Santa’s reindeer, which all sport antlers, are therefore all female, which means Rudolf has been misgendered.&#8221;

Neil deGrasse Tyson In Conversation With Gayle King: Starry Messenger

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Tries To Ruin Christmas. Again.

Christmas

General

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Science

Holiday watchers were thrown into a panic Saturday morning as the famous NORAD &#8220;<a href="https://www.noradsanta.org/en/map" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Santa Tracker</a>&#8221; website crashed.
The Daily Mail reported that the site was down at around 6:21 a.m. EST Saturday morning, and was down for less than 90 minutes. The brief outage sent social media users into a frenzy as they were unable to enjoy a cherished holiday pastime. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has been &#8220;tracking&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/santa-claus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Santa Claus</a>&#8216; progress delivering presents around the world since 1955.
&#8220;Oh no! The trusty [NORAD] Santa tracker has crashed as technology goes on the blink,&#8221; The <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11571671/NORAD-Santa-Tracker-LIVE-Follow-Father-Christmas-flies-world.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a> reported. &#8220;We&#8217;re not sure what this means for Father Christmas, but hopefully it&#8217;s a technical error only and he&#8217;s still out there delivering presents.&#8221;
Screenshots from the NORAD website at the time showed a blank blue screen with no information on Santa&#8217;s location. The Daily Mail speculated at the time that the interruption could have been caused by blizzard conditions from the colossal &#8220;bomb cyclone&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/once-in-a-generation-winter-storm-expected-to-affect-most-of-u-s-midwest-likely-to-be-hardest-hit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winter storm</a> that blanketed most of the United States this week, since the Santa Tracker uses data from American satellites.
In response to the outage, Santa watchers panicked on Twitter, scrambling to come up with explanations for the young children in their lives.
&#8220;The NORAD santa tracker website has crashed and i have no clue how i’m going to explain this to the kiddos when they wake back up for the day,&#8221; one user wrote.
&#8220;Is the NORAD Santa tracker website/app down for anyone else?,&#8221; asked another. &#8220;Seems like of all the days, today would be fairly important to be running&#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;Where is Santa?,&#8221; another user tweeted. &#8220;NORAD can you please get it back up because I NEED to know where Santa is and I might just have to go to either Google SANTA tracker [or] Flightradar24 SANTA1 flight?&#8221;
Other users had more fun with it, and several blamed the outage on recent events besides the winter weather blast.
&#8220;The NORAD Santa Tracker is down. Our defense system is down,&#8221; one user joked. &#8220;An attack on American soil is imminent. Hide your kids, hide your wife. We have hours left until the fat man and his animals invade our shores.&#8221;
&#8220;I don’t want to worry everyone but… Norad’s Santa Tracker is down,&#8221; one user wrote, before taking several swipes at ELon Musk&#8217;s takeover of Twitter. &#8220;What’s going on? Has Elon banned live sharing of Santa’s &#8216;assassination coordinates?&#8217; Have the reindeer demanded WFH this year?&#8221;
&#8220;Norad santa tracker isn&#8217;t working, they must&#8217;ve given all the money for that to Ukraine this year,&#8221; said another.
NORAD restored the site at around 7:30 A.M. EST. &#8220;Thank you for your patience!&#8221; NORAD wrote on its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/noradsanta/posts/pfbid01PgJ2BRoYjqfNTx8dJeMkJQEFzSg61wncrh9c4RV9XNr7RYzR1YpmMaVs3HePNQFl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> page. &#8220;We are up and running! (Santa has been up for hours.)&#8221;
As of the publication of this piece, Santa has already delivered more than 2.5 billion presents, and is en route to Madagascar.
The U.S. Air Force began &#8220;tracking&#8221; St. Nick&#8217;s progress on his annual journey Christmas Even in 1955, when a child, looking to call Santa Claus through a number in a Sears catalog, accidentally dialed the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center. The tradition has been repeated every year since; NORAD took over the tracker in 1958.

Santa Claus carrying sack of gifts, portrait, close-up

Santa Watchers Panic As NORAD’s ‘Santa Tracker’ Crashes Early Christmas Eve Morning

Santa Watchers Panic As NORAD's 'Santa Tracker' Crashes Early Christmas Eve Morning

Twitter

U.S.

Actor Tim Allen said he&#8217;s &#8220;better as Santa Claus&#8221; than in any other role as he praised his new Disney+ series, &#8220;The Santa Clauses,&#8221; for remembering that Christmas is about a Christian holiday.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-allen">69-year-old</a> recently discussed playing jolly old Saint Nick again 28 years after he first donned the Santa suit in the hit 1994 movie, &#8220;The Santa Clause,&#8221; with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tim-allen-getting-back-into-santa-suit-retirement-not-in-vocabulary">Fox News Digital</a>.
&#8220;You know, you get around that suit, and I haven&#8217;t changed,&#8221; Allen explained. &#8220;It&#8217;s become that stupid thing, and it ain&#8217;t me.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m nowhere near as nice as that guy,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s just amazing how I become that guy, walk on set and people react to it, and I honor it. I don&#8217;t make any jokes anymore as I watch my performance, and I literally think I&#8217;m better as Santa Claus than I am as anything else because I think for any actor to tease or put on a costume, it&#8217;s easy to become that thing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tim Allen on getting back into the Santa suit and why retirement is not in his vocabulary <a href="https://t.co/Rt8cleaVaV">https://t.co/Rt8cleaVaV</a>
&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1602639509065273344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We honor the Christian tradition without heralding it,&#8221; Allen continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s not – it is what it is. It&#8217;s a Christian holiday. So, we don&#8217;t belabor it, but we don&#8217;t ignore it. I love the way we deal with it.&#8221;
Allen embraced the challenges of reprising his Kris Kringle role on a streaming format instead of the big screen.
&#8220;I see the beginning, middle and end as though it&#8217;s a six-hour movie,&#8221; &#8220;The Santa Clause 2&#8221; star shared. &#8220;I said, &#8216;This thing is very, very good,&#8217; and this is early on, and we continue down this path.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a new format for me, and then I can get my head around it creatively,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s not a television show. It&#8217;s not a movie. It&#8217;s what we&#8217;ve been forced, challenged to do now is a hybrid. It&#8217;s a long movie or a very produced, very creatively elevated television program.&#8221;
The first episode of &#8220;The Santa Clauses&#8221; was released on Disney+ on November 16, and the last show will be available on December 14.
Disclosure: The Daily Wire has announced plans for kids’ entertainment content.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tim-allen-shares-what-it-took-to-get-him-to-don-the-red-coat-for-another-santa-clause-after-third-film-overshot-the-runway">Tim Allen Shares What It Took To Get Him To Don The Red Coat For Another &#8216;Santa Clause&#8217; After Third Film &#8216;Overshot The Runway&#8217;</a>

FOX Summer TCA 2018 All-Star Party – Arrivals

Tim Allen Says He’s ‘Better As Santa Claus’ Than Other Roles, Says New Christmas Series Doesn’t ‘Ignore’ Christian Holiday

Tim Allen Says He’s 'Better As Santa Claus’ Than Other Roles, Says New Christmas Series Doesn’t ‘Ignore’ Christian Holiday

Celebrities

Disney

Entertainment

Hollywood

Tim Allen

The tomb of the famed Saint Nicolas whose memory was immortalized as Father Christmas and still later Santa Claus has reportedly <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11329305/Tomb-Santa-Claus-Burial-spot-Saint-Nicholas-discovered-underneath-Turkish-church.html?ico=most_shared_articles_mol.web.desktop_">been found</a>.
The original Saint Nicolas served in the fourth century as the Bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. He was famed for his anonymous gift-giving, including surreptitiously stuffing coins into peoples’ shoes.
“The first church was submerged with the rise of the Mediterranean Sea, and some centuries later, a new church was built above,” Osman Eravsar, the chief of the cultural heritage preservation board in Antalya, said of the church in Demre.
“Now we have reached the remains of the first church and the floor on which Saint Nicholas stepped,” he continued. “The tiling of the floor of the first church, on which Saint Nicholas walked, has been unearthed.”
After the church was inundated with rising sea levels, a new church was built atop it to protect Saint Nicolas’ tomb.
“Turkish archaeologists reportedly detected a crypt 5ft beneath the marble slabs which make the church&#8217;s floor,” The Irish Sun<a href="https://www.thesun.ie/tech/9591329/grave-father-christmas-discovered-ancient-church/"> reported</a>.
Prior research believed the remains of the saint had been stolen by Italian thieves in the 11th century, but Turkish archaeologists aver that the bones in Italy were those of an unknown priest.
One story told of the original Saint Nicolas relates that he bequeathed three poor girls marriage gifts consisting of bags of gold to prevent them from turning to a life of prostitution. He was said to have climbed up to their windows and thrown the money in so they would not be embarrassed by receiving the money in public.
The Roman emperor Diocletian, who hated Christians, reportedly imprisoned Nicolas, but he was released by Emperor Constantine, who embraced Christianity.
After his death, Nicolas became the patron saint of Russia and Greece and cities from Fribourg to Moscow. Literally thousands of European churches were dedicated to him.
In Holland, Saint Nicolas was known for the Reformation as Sinterklaas; when Dutch colonists came to America that name evolved into Santa Claus. “His legend of a kindly old man was united with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents,” <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Nicholas">Britannica</a> notes.

Santa Claus looking through binoculars

Tomb Of The Original St. Nick Reportedly Discovered

Remains Of The Original St. Nick Reportedly Discovered

Fans got their first introduction to Ralphie&#8217;s family and friends nearly 40 years ago in the film that would become a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christmas">Christmas</a> classic — and a sequel to &#8220;A Christmas Story&#8221; will drop this year on HBO Max in November.
In the highly anticipated film titled &#8220;A Christmas Story Christmas,&#8221; fans will check in on &#8220;grown-up&#8221; Ralphie — played once again by Peter Billingsly — who &#8220;must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it, this time as a dad,&#8221; according to the a description from the streaming site, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/08/hbo-max-dates-four-holiday-movies-including-sequel-a-christmas-story-christmas-1235099541/">Deadline</a> reported in a piece published Wednesday.
&#8220;With the same attention-to-real-life tone of the first, Ralphie reconnects with childhood friends, reconciles the passing of his Old Man and sows the seeds for the origins of the beloved holiday classic,&#8221; the film&#8217;s logline read, per <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1343552/the-a-christmas-story-sequel-finally-has-a-release-date?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&amp;utm_source=eonline&amp;utm_medium=rssfeeds&amp;utm_campaign=rss_topstories">E! News</a>,
It will reportedly take place in the 1970s, with Billingsly playing an adult Ralphie, bringing his family to his childhood home for the holiday, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/a-christmas-story-sequel-peter-billingsley-1235159114/">Variety</a> reported. Erinn Hayes, Julianna Layne, River Drosche, RD Robb and Scott Schwartz along with Zack Ward and Julie Hagerty also star.
The new movie is directed by Clay Kaytis with producers Irwin Zwilling, Marc Toberoff, Cale Boyter, Jay Ashenfelter, Peter Billingsley and Vince Vaughn.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="A Christmas Story (1983) Official Trailer #1 - Family Comedy" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cfjEZ88NHBw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
For those who might have somehow missed the original movie, the film follows a kid in the 1940s, (Ralphie) on the adventure that culminates in him getting the one Christmas gift he would die for, a Red Ryder BB rifle from Santa Claus. Through a serious of hilarious incidents, everyone from his teacher to the Santa Claus mall tells him he will &#8220;shoot his eye out&#8221; if he gets one.
But regardless, Santa does deliver that BB gun on Christmas morning and well, not to spoil it, but the advice he got from others about the potential risks of owning a rifle do not seem completely unwarranted.
Despite the cult following the legendary Christmas movie has had, it was originally considered a box office flop in 1983 when it hit the big screen, E! News noted.
&#8220;A Christmas Story Christmas&#8221; debuts on HBO Max November 17.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-christmas-story-star-peter-billingsley-says-crew-gave-him-real-chewing-tobacco-they-really-screwed-up">&#8216;A Christmas Story&#8217; Star Says Crew Gave Him Real Chewing Tobacco: &#8216;They Really Screwed Up&#8217;</a>

A Christmas Story-2

‘A Christmas Story’ Sequel Will Drop This Year. Here’s When To Expect It

'A Christmas Story' Sequel Will Drop This Year. Here's When To Expect It

Movies

One of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sarah-palin">Sarah Palin</a>&#8216;s opponents in her bid for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alaska">Alaska</a>&#8216;s sole <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives">House</a> seat is jolly personality with massive name recognition and a tradition of handing out largess to future taxpayers.
His name is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/santa-claus">Santa Claus</a>.
The state is implementing a new voting system in Saturday&#8217;s special election to replace longtime <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-alaska-gop-congressman-don-young-passes-away-at-88">Rep. Don Young</a>, who died in March. Palin is the most experienced politician in the 48-person field, but one opponent is a Democrat socialist from the (real) city of North Pole who legally changed his name to Santa Claus.
&#8220;I&#8217;m happy to announce that I&#8217;m a Candidate in the Special Election for the U.S. House of Representatives for Alaska in 2022!&#8221; Claus says on his Twitter page. &#8220;I&#8217;m an independent, progressive, democratic socialist, with an affinity for Bernie Sanders, and aim to represent ALL Alaskans :-)}&#8221;
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I&#39;m happy to announce that I&#39;m a Candidate in the Special Election for the U.S. House of Representatives for Alaska in 2022! I&#39;m an independent, progressive, democratic socialist, with an affinity for Bernie Sanders, and aim to represent ALL Alaskans :-)} <a href="https://t.co/DrYTU63Xp3">https://t.co/DrYTU63Xp3</a> <a href="https://t.co/r8HplPVC3z">pic.twitter.com/r8HplPVC3z</a>
&mdash; SANTA CLAUS FOR ALASKA (@SantaClausforAK) <a href="https://twitter.com/SantaClausforAK/status/1509949060995715081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The race is the first since the state switched to nonpartisan primaries and ranked-choice voting. The changes followed a 2020 ballot measure. The system was supposed to debut in the regular primary in August, but the death of Young, who had held the state&#8217;s sole House seat since 1973, sped up the timetable.
Voters cast ballots for single candidates in today&#8217;s primary, then the top four finishers advance to the general election, in which voters pick four in order of preference. If a candidate tops 50%, he or she wins. If no one gets a majority, the last-place finisher drops out and his or her supporters&#8217; second, third and fourth choices are reacts. The elimination process continues until there is a winner.
Palin, the former governor and the 2008 running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, is considered the front-runner. Others include Nick Begich, a Republican whose grandfather held the seat before Young and Al Gross, a surgeon who ran for Senate in 2020.
Begich is the state GOP&#8217;s choice. His grandfather died in the same 1972 plane crash that killed then-House Majority Leader Hale Boggs. His brother Mark was a U.S. senator from 2009-2015.
Palin has scored endorsements from a slew of Republicans, including former President Donald Trump.
Claus, a city councilman in North Pole who changed his name two decades ago, has a legitimate shot to make the top four, and perhaps even win the seat, pollster Ivan Moore <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/alaskas-new-voting-system-sarah-palin-facing-santa-claus-congress-rcna32441">told</a> NBC News.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up snagging the seat for real, through a combination of people who are just being mischievous and wanting to see a situation where Santa Claus wins,” Moore said.

Sarah Palin V. The New York Times Defamation Trial Begins

Sarah Palin Vs. Santa Claus, Dozens More In Alaska House Seat Special Election

2022 Election

Alaska

Sarah Palin

Russian economist Alexander Butmanov toasted the death of the national stock market on live television, telling the stunned host that he would go back to his old job, playing Santa Claus.
Journalist Peter Liakhov tweeted a video clip of the segment broadcast on a Russian business news channel along with the caption, &#8220;A snapshot of the Russian economy: an investment expert goes live on air and says his current career trajectory is to work as &#8216;Santa Claus&#8217; and then drinks to the death of the stock market. With subtitles.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A snapshot of the Russian economy: an investment expert goes live on air and says his current career trajectory is to work as &quot;Santa Claus&quot; and then drinks to the death of the stock market. With subtitles. <a href="https://t.co/XiPVTSUuks">pic.twitter.com/XiPVTSUuks</a>
&mdash; Peter Liakhov (@peterliakhov) <a href="https://twitter.com/peterliakhov/status/1499341576518217730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;With me in the studio today is Alexandre Butmanov,&#8221; host Elina Tikhonova began, introducing him as an &#8220;economist, founder of the investment group &#8216;Allies,&#8217; and expert on stock market strategies.&#8221;
&#8220;Alexander, hello,&#8221; Tikhonova said, and he replied, &#8220;Greetings. Good day. I am not saying anything.&#8221;
&#8220;Yes, we are all at a loss for words now,&#8221; the host agreed, asking, &#8220;Are stock market strategies outdated now, or do you still hope to remain in the profession?&#8221;
&#8220;Worst case scenario, I&#8217;m going to work as Santa Claus, as I did 25 years ago,&#8221; Butmanov replied.
&#8220;But that&#8217;s only once a year,&#8221; Tikhonova pressed.
&#8220;Excluding jokes, let&#8217;s do this quickly,&#8221; Butmanov continued, ducking out of frame only to return a moment later with a green glass bottle. &#8220;I send regards to Sergei Usychenko, who drank 12, 13 years ago to the death of the stock market.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, I&#8217;m drinking carbonated water,&#8221; he announced, opening the bottle. &#8220;Dear Stock Market, you were close to us, you were interesting. Rest In Peace, dear Comrade.&#8221;
Butmanov proceeded to drink from the bottle, prompting the host to raise her eyebrows.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to comment on this stunt because I don&#8217;t want to believe it,&#8221; Tikhonova said.
Russia&#8217;s national stock market is struggling under the weight of <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/quit-pussy-footing-around-tom-cotton-blasts-biden-administrations-weak-sanctions-on-ruthless-dictator-putin/">sanctions</a> imposed primarily in financial sectors against Russian banks and other financial institutions, all resulting from the ongoing <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/how-can-you-defend-them-stephanopoulos-grills-russian-foreign-minister-over-kremlins-lies-attacks-on-ukrainian-civilians/">Russian invasion</a> of Ukraine.
As Business Insider <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/russia-stocks-plunge-ukraine-conflict-sberbank-gazprom-lukoil-sanctions-economy-2022-3">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Russia&#8217;s biggest bank plunged as much as 95% on the London stock exchange Wednesday and other companies crashed by similar amounts as the war in Ukraine and ensuing sanctions caused investors to dump the country&#8217;s assets.
<a href="https://www.londonstockexchange.com/stock/SBER/sberbank-of-russia/company-page" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="40" data-uri="0d3a32a0d76df42246db041a3d15f292">Sberbank</a>, which has more than 135 million customers, plunged to as low as $0.01 Wednesday morning, having stood at $16.12 at the start of the year. The company&#8217;s depository receipts — certificates representing shares — are listed in London, although its main listing is in Moscow.
The lender said Wednesday that it had decided to withdraw from the non-Russian European market after facing &#8220;an exceptional outflow of funds.&#8221;</blockquote>
Additional sanctions could <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/russian-billionaire-puts-chelsea-football-club-up-for-sale-as-sanctions-questions-swirl/">target assets</a> owned by those who reportedly have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including real estate, yachts, and other high-dollar items. The possible threat of such sanctions from the United States and other western nations has already prompted at least one Russian billionaire to put the Chelsea Football Club up for sale.

Ukraine war – ruble

Russian Economist Drinks To The Death Of The Market, Says He’ll Get A Job Playing Santa Claus

Russia

Sanctions

Stock Market

Ukraine

Actor and comedian Tim Allen is slated to return to the North Pole as the star and executive producer of a new &#8220;Santa Clause&#8221; series scheduled for Disney Plus.
The new project brings back &#8220;Scott Calvin&#8221; from the original trilogy of &#8220;The Santa Clause&#8221; films launched in 1994. &#8220;The Santa Clause 2&#8221; was released in 2002, while the third film, &#8220;The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,&#8221; completed the original trilogy in 2006.
Production is reportedly scheduled for March of this year.
&#8220;Calvin (Allen) is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can’t be Santa forever. He’s starting to lose a step in his Santa duties and, more important, he’s got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world, especially his two kids who have grown up at the Pole. With a lot of elves, children and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the Pole,&#8221; <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/01/tim-allen-the-santa-clause-sequel-series-disney-plus-scott-calvin-jack-burditt-last-man-standing-1234912715/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a> reported on Friday.
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Tim Allen is returning to Disney — and to the North Pole <a href="https://t.co/OdeLHDoETz">https://t.co/OdeLHDoETz</a> <a href="https://t.co/F5WlBBVnxP">pic.twitter.com/F5WlBBVnxP</a>
&mdash; Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) <a href="https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1482028083146375173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Disney <a href="https://d23.com/just-announced-tim-allen-returns-to-the-red-suit-for-the-santa-clause-a-limited-series-for-disney/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Friday that Jack Burditt (&#8220;30 Rock,&#8221; &#8220;Modern Family,&#8221; &#8220;Frasier,&#8221; &#8220;Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt&#8221;) is the executive producer and showrunner, and Kevin Hench (&#8220;Last Man Standing&#8221;), Richard Baker, and Rick Messina also serve as executive producers.
Allen&#8217;s voice has become well-known to many film lovers as the voice of the iconic &#8220;Toy Story&#8221; series of films. His role as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, shouting, &#8220;To infinity and beyond,&#8221; has touched the lives of millions of film lovers.
In more recent years, Allen has starred in the television series &#8220;Last Man Standing&#8221; that concluded last year after nine seasons. The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tim-allen-sends-farewell-message-as-last-man-standing-closes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> about Allen&#8217;s farewell message regarding the series:
<blockquote>Tim Allen’s sitcom “Last Man Standing” will be coming to a close on Thursday night after a nine-season run and one network change. Ahead of the final episode, Allen thanked fans for their support and commitment over the years.
“I don’t want to wrap up this story,” Allen said in the video he shared on Twitter.</blockquote>
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Join me <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tonight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tonight</a> <a href="https://t.co/rk2DwcWJkZ">pic.twitter.com/rk2DwcWJkZ</a>
&mdash; Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) <a href="https://twitter.com/ofctimallen/status/1395420736634822657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote>Allen’s co-star, Nancy Travis, said that we will remember the great time she had throughout the years.
“I will just take away the memory of having a great time,” she said.
Speaking with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tim-allen-last-man-standing-farewell-montage-finale">Fox News</a>, Allen said he had to hold back tears when shooting the final episode.
“Our prop guy said, ‘Which of these did you want to take?’ and it was pictures of the family from the hallway that was going away,” Allen said. “I walked in and looked at Nancy and [I’m] literally surprised I got through that scene.”
“She really looked at me [and said], ‘Are you OK?’ and I was not OK,” he added.
Nancy Travis said that somber departures are part of working on a long-running show.
“It’s the nature of what we do,” she said. “But this job, in particular, we just all formed such close bonds and relationships.”
“We just tried to portray a family and the nuances of a family, and the relationships within a family. To be able to bring that into somebody’s living room every single week is pretty incredible,” she added.</blockquote>

Tim Allen To Reprise Role As Scott Calvin In New Disney ‘Santa Clause’ Series

Jared Schmeck became an instant Twitter-trend when he ended a Christmas phone call with President Joe Biden by saying, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon&#8221; — a phrase that has been used both as a euphemism for the phrase &#8220;f*** Joe Biden&#8221; and as a critique of legacy media for running cover for the Biden administration.
Schmeck, a former police officer and father of four from Oregon, ended the call by saying, &#8220;Merry Christmas &#8230; and let&#8217;s go Brandon!&#8221;
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/lets-go-brandon-kids-dad-trolls-biden-during-santa-tracker-call-and-biden-responds/">Biden responded</a>, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon I agree.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Joe and Jill Biden took calls from the NORAD Tracks Santa program and a dad ended the call by saying, &#8220;Merry Christmas, and let&#8217;s go Brandon.&#8221;
&#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon, I agree,&#8221; Biden replied. <a href="https://t.co/K4q0jIB6ww">pic.twitter.com/K4q0jIB6ww</a>
— Kyle Morris (@RealKyleMorris) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Schmeck told <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2021/12/oregon-father-of-four-who-told-president-biden-lets-go-brandon-on-christmas-eve-call-said-he-meant-it-in-jest.html">The Oregonian/Oregon Live</a> that he has received threats since making the comment, but says that he meant no ill will against the president and doesn&#8217;t even dislike him — he only meant to voice his frustrations in what he perceived as a &#8220;joking manner.&#8221;
&#8220;At the end of the day, I have nothing against Mr. Biden, but I am frustrated because I think he can be doing a better job. I mean no disrespect to him,&#8221; Schmeck said. He told the outlet that he did not think of himself as a &#8220;Trumper,&#8221; instead describing himself as a &#8220;free-thinking American and follower of Jesus Christ.&#8221;
He also said that the opportunity to speak to President Biden directly was unexpected — he and his family have called the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/the-santa-colonel-how-one-air-force-officer-turned-a-sears-ad-typo-into-a-holiday-tradition/">NORAD Santa Tracker</a> hotline every <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/whats-merry-about-all-this-read-the-letter-general-anthony-mcauliffe-sent-his-exhausted-surrounded-men-at-the-battle-of-the-bulge/">Christmas Eve</a> for years, and he had expected the call to be automated and had not expected it to be livestreamed.
&#8220;We just waited on hold and then they answered. And I thought, ‘wow, this is real,'&#8221; he said.
Immediately after the call, Schmeck&#8217;s wife reportedly outed him on Instagram, saying, &#8220;My husband may or may not have just told joe and jill Biden ‘let’s go Brandon’ on the phone.&#8221;
Schmeck also posted his own video of the call, with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on speaker, on his own YouTube channel:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="We talked to President Joe Biden on Christmas Eve! #letsgobrandon" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F1ulpuUKI4Q?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2021/12/oregon-father-of-four-who-told-president-biden-lets-go-brandon-on-christmas-eve-call-said-he-meant-it-in-jest.html">OregonLive reported</a> that Schmeck said he&#8217;s been receiving &#8220;vague but threatening phone calls&#8221; since the phone call:
<blockquote>
Schmeck called his remark a “joke,” and a reflection of his frustration with Biden’s policies, including the federal vaccine mandates, inflation and global supply chain problems that have caused shortages in consumer products.
“And now I am being attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech,” Schmeck said, adding that he’s been receiving some vague but threatening phone calls since the Santa tracker call.
“I understand there is a vulgar meaning to ‘Lets go Brandon,’ but I’m not that simple minded, no matter how I feel about him,” the 35-year-old father said Christmas morning. “He seems likes he’s a cordial guy. There’s no animosity or anything like that. It was merely just an innocent jest to also express my God-given right to express my frustrations in a joking manner&#8230;I love him just like I love any other brother or sister.”
He went on to say he “stood 100% behind what I did and what I said.”
</blockquote>

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-NORAD-SANTA

‘Threatening Phone Calls’: Father Who Said ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ On Christmas Call With Biden Says He Only Meant To Voice Frustration

Joe Biden

Let's Go Brandon

President Joe Biden spent part of his day Friday taking calls from children about their Christmas wishes on the special line dedicated to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)&#8217;s Santa Tracker, and one child&#8217;s father reportedly ended their call with the phrase &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon.&#8221;
President Biden, according to CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond, replied, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon, I agree.&#8221;
&#8220;On a call with President Biden &amp; First Lady Jill Biden intended for kids calling into NORAD to track Santa, a father ended the call by saying &#8216;Let&#8217;s go Brandon,&#8221; which is code for &#8220;F*** Joe Biden&#8217; 
Biden replied, &#8216;Let&#8217;s go Brandon, I agree,'&#8221; Diamond tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On a call with President Biden &amp; First Lady Jill Biden intended for kids calling into NORAD to track Santa, a father ended the call by saying &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon,&#8221; which is code for &#8220;F*** Joe Biden&#8221; 
Biden replied, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon, I agree.&#8221;
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDiamond1/status/1474438840865677314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Biden had just wished the father &amp; kids a Merry Christmas for what it&#8217;s worth &amp; spent time asking the kids what they wanted for Christmas,&#8221; Diamond added in a follow-up <a href="https://twitter.com/JDiamond1/status/1474438949410070531">tweet</a>.
Several other reporters <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshNBCNews/status/1474441030535716871">confirmed the story</a>, some saying that the father had said, &#8220;Merry Christmas and let&#8217;s go Brandon.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> ended today’s Christmas festivities with a call to NORAD’s Santa tracker. They spoke to several children and parents.
One father ended a call by saying “Merry Christmas, let’s go Brandon.” Biden responded “let’s go Brandon” back but kind of shrugged it off. <a href="https://t.co/9u8egStrkZ">pic.twitter.com/9u8egStrkZ</a>
— Alexis Shanes (@alexisjshanes) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexisjshanes/status/1474443757521100804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Father on call with Joe Biden: &#8220;Merry Christmas and let&#8217;s go Brandon!&#8221;
Biden: &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon, I agree.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/nCEy1E9UiP">pic.twitter.com/nCEy1E9UiP</a>
— The First (@TheFirstonTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFirstonTV/status/1474447403289755651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/mike-rowe-details-real-meaning-of-clever-lets-go-brandon-chant-admits-what-makes-him-want-to-say-it/">Let&#8217;s go Brandon</a>,&#8221; as Diamond noted, has become a euphemism for the profanity &#8220;F*** Joe Biden,&#8221; beginning with a NASCAR race win from driver Brandon Brown. NBC reporter <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/5-times-the-media-lied-to-promote-the-liberal-narrative/">Kelli Stavast</a>, speaking to Brown after the race, claimed that spectators who were chanting the more colorful &#8220;F*** Joe Biden&#8221; were actually saying &#8220;Let&#8217;s go Brandon&#8221; — and Biden critics everywhere quickly adopted the more palatable phrase as both an insult to Biden and a criticism of media for trying to hide anything that reflected poorly on the White House.
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/lets-go-america-brandon-brown-finally-speaks-out-on-viral-lets-go-brandon-meme/">Brown</a> has since spoken out about the fact that his name has become a meme, saying, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go America&#8221; instead.
As the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lets-go-america-brandon-brown-finally-speaks-out-on-viral-lets-go-brandon-meme">Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>“I am fully aware that the millions of Americans chanting my name know little about me or about my winning the Talladega race that day. But I have spent the last few weeks getting to know more about them, and I’d like to share a little more about myself,” Brown wrote.
Brown noted he is not strongly political and has no intention of telling people how to vote in elections.
“I have no interest in leading some political fight. I race cars. I am not going to endorse anyone, and I am certainly not going to tell anyone how to vote,” he said.
“But I’m also no longer going to be silent about the situation I find myself in, and why millions of Americans are chanting my name. I hear them, even if Washington does not,” Brown added.
Despite the declaration, Brown expressed that he will not “hesitate to speak” on important issues during the upcoming racing season.</blockquote>
&#8220;To my fans, to NASCAR fans and to everyone who has chanted my name: I dedicate myself this upcoming season to compete hard on the racetrack and to spotlight issues that are important to me and to millions of Americans across the country,” he concluded.

‘Let’s Go Brandon’: Kid’s Dad Trolls Biden During Santa Tracker Call — And Biden Responds

A new ad for the postal service in Norway portrays the story of a man falling in love with Santa over the years and ends with them kissing to celebrate the decriminalization of homosexuality in Norway. 
The nearly <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/santa-finds-gay-love-in-heartwarming-new-holiday-ad-in-norway-204356039.html">four-</a>minute long ad, entitled “When Harry Met Santa,” begins with a shirtless man wandering downstairs and discovering Santa dropping off gifts before vanishing up the chimney. 
Throughout the ad it is apparent that the two become friends as they are seen sharing cups of tea, talking, and even feeding each other chocolate. At one point the man writes a letter to Santa saying, “All I want for Christmas is you.” 
At another junction, Harry falls asleep on his couch and wakes up to Santa looking fondly at him telling him “You’re snoring,” before saying “I’ll be back next year.” The two also fashion Christmas tree ornaments for each other.
Apparently, the two are only able to meet up briefly once a year as Santa makes his annual toy run leading Harry to become increasingly sad and lonely. 
At the end, a postal worker knocks on Harry’s door to drop off mail and wishes him a Merry Christmas. He walks back inside and finds Santa who tells him, “Well, I arranged some help this year, so I can be with you.”
Then taking a new twist on the song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” Harry and Santa proceed to kiss multiple times before zooming out to the words “In 2022, Norway marks 50 years of being able to love whoever we want.” 
The ad, for Norway’s postal service “Posten” was celebrated by LGBT activists and the media. 
&#8220;Posten is an inclusive workplace with great diversity, and we would like to celebrate the 50th anniversary with this fine love story,&#8221; Monica Solberg, Posten’s marketing director told <a href="https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/11/norwegian-postal-services-gay-themed-christmas-ad-going-viral/">LGBTQ Nation</a>, “In addition to showing the flexibility of our services, we want to put it in a socially relevant setting, with themes that are important for the society around us and for us at Norway Post.”
She also claimed that the “right to love whoever you want” was a “fundamental human right” that shouldn’t be political, especially in democracies.
“Norway Post has connected people for 375 years, and will continue to do so regardless of orientation or gender identity,&#8221; Solberg continued. 
The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/video/2021/nov/24/norwegian-christmas-advert-goes-viral-as-santa-claus-gets-a-boyfriend-video">reported</a>, “Heartwarming Christmas advert featuring Santa getting a boyfriend goes viral.” Adweek <a href="https://www.adweek.com/creativity/santa-is-gay-in-this-heartfelt-christmas-ad-from-the-norwegian-postal-service/">proclaimed</a>, “Santa Is Gay in This Heartfelt Christmas Ad From the Norwegian Postal Service,” with subheading “Posten continues tradition of subverting classic festive tales.”
Controversial ads are not <a href="https://www.adweek.com/creativity/santa-is-gay-in-this-heartfelt-christmas-ad-from-the-norwegian-postal-service/">new</a> for Posten, which in previous years has in one made Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, a mailman, and in another entitled “Make Christmas Great Again,” had an angry Santa supposed to be like former President Trump. 
Ads have become increasingly more political with everything from candy bars to life insurance ads making not-so-subtle political messages. 
Last month an ad for the U.K. based John Lewis Company, featured a young boy wearing makeup, jewelry, women’s shoes, and a dress he took from his mother’s closet causing mayhem in his house. 
“These latest attempts by woke companies to normalize gender confusion and the destruction of innocence in young children is perversely wrong; indeed, it’s nothing short of child abuse,” Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project told The Daily Wire at the time.

Goodbye Mrs. Claus: Norway Postal Company Makes Santa Gay In New Ad

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