CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

HOLIDAY THOUGHTS FROM "THE CAULDRON"
As we here at A Bubbling Cauldron bank the fires for the holidays and turn the old pot down to simmer, we want to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year.

THINGS ARE BLEAK
I know things are bleak this year. We have the highest unemployment in decades, banks are folding up all around us and the domestic automobile industry is teetering on the brink of collapse. Our state legislators seemed determined to further complicate things with their chronic mismanagement of our state finances. It seems that the only news we see these days is bad news, and it probably would be worse except the news media seems to be withering before our very eyes, including our very own Daily Pilot.

A LITTLE NUDGE FOR YOU
That being said, I'm sure you need a little nudge getting into the old Christmas Spirit, so I hope these photographs help with that process.

THE TREE
We have a friend who, every other year, creates the most magnificent Christmas Tree I've every seen in a home. She only erects it every other year because it is so full of ornaments and lights that it takes most of a week to put it all together and another week or so to dismantle it and store it away. There are so many lights on the tree that it takes two electrical circuits - one in the garage and one in the house - to power them all. We can practically hear their electric meter spinning all the way to our house!

COUNT 'EM
Look closely at these pictures. There are well over 3,000 ornaments on this ten foot tree! Every one of them is placed with great care for the greatest impact. You can spend hours looking closely at this tree and probably would still miss hundreds of ornaments.

THANKS TO OUR FRIEND
Thanks to our friend for her contribution to the spirit of the season. I hope seeing her handiwork helps bolster yours.

E. SEALS, ONE MORE TIME
Last year at this time I wrote a blog entry about the Elephant Seal colony on the Central California coast, above San Luis Obispo, near Hearst Castle. I wanted to remind you again because it's the beginning of Prime Time with the critters again - pups are being born as I type this. Click HERE to read that entry again.

SURROUND YOURSELVES WITH LOVE
This is the time of the year to surround yourselves with those you love. Enjoy their company, share your gifts, stuff yourselves with holiday goodies and take a few moments to remember the reason we celebrate this holiday in the first place.

WE'LL BE BACK...
We'll be back next year - maybe sooner - with more observations to get your attention, provoke your thoughts and encourage your involvement in community affairs. Until then we leave you with these "touching" lyrics, extracted from the 1958 Stan Freberg holiday classic, GREEN CHRI$TMA$...

We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And please buy our beer!

A Very Merry Christmas To You All