It's important to keep up your families traditions every year.

Everyone has their Holiday traditions. Caroling. Decorating the tree. Going to Costco.

Every year we go to Florida to visit the family during the Holidays. We hit all of the stores to get supplies because Grandpa is there and he is cooking up a storm. So we go to Penn Dutch to get meat and veggies. Now Whole Foods to get condiments and gluten free supplies. And of course Costco to pick up stuff in bulk.

Now of course there is a Costco in Brooklyn but I never go there. It is too far and you need a car. But in Florida we rolled right up. Any you know what the best part of shopping in Costco is. Of course.

The Hot Dogs.

I begged and I pleaded and I got permission to have a hot dog. Man was I happy. I got on line and was able to score a nice dirty greasy hot dog. It was just like Nathans.

I ran right over to the condiment section and loaded up. I had to take my chance to have all the bad stuff in one shot because they watch me like a hawk. Relish. Onions. Deli Mustard. The works!

I managed to gobble it down from the door of Costco to the car. I was one happy dude. A greasy Hot Dog and a Mountain Dew. I felt like a native Floridian.

Merry Christmas to me!

Just a few days after Christmas remember......

Merry Christmas Country Style!

"Welcome to our CBS Country Christmas"  Party. The whole gang is here. Well except for you. I mean I know you went to Florida for Christmas but you really missed out. Later  we are going to skinny dip in the Water Tank. That Miss Hathaway is a real hose bag."

Merry Christmas to All and to all a Good Night!

We are working in the store until the last minute trying to get those last minute shoppers. We are getting a bunch of dudes who are desperate and are very happy to get quality lingerie to give to their ladies without having to go two steps out of their way.

We will work until about nine and then go home to eat. Then Midnight Mass at St. Mary's Star of the Sea.

We are not doing the traditional fish because Lisa is allergic and I don't like it all that much.

We will be off the grid for a couple of days with a secret project. More as it develops.

Back in the Day you could say Merry Christmas.

I taped all of the Christmas episodes that recently aired on METV. Doris Day. Adam12. Emergency. Gunsmoke. Bonanza. I Love Lucy. The Odd Couple. The Honeymooners.

You know what was odd? They could all say Merry Christmas. In fact in the "Doris Day Show" she turned to the camera and wished everyone a  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

If she did that today she would be suspended. Or fired. No matter how popular she was or how good the ratings.

America has really lost it's way.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you who spend some of their precious time here at "Trooper York."

It has been a tough couple of months here and we are going to have a lot of changes in the new year. But with faith and love you will always come out right in the end.

I wasn't really up to traveling this year so we spent Christmas day with my best friend and his wife in Park Slope. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner of roast pork and fingerling potatoes with asparagus and a mushroom/sausage stuffing that was out of this world.

I hope all of you had a happy and healthy holiday and that you were able to enjoy your friends and family in the spirit of the season.

May God bless you and keep you through out the New Year.

Christmas and Beer. They just go together

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Julie sings it for Christmas

Lisa and I enjoyed this episode tonight.

I taped a bunch of Christmas shows on METV and this was one of them. The way entertainment should be instead of serial killers and housewives.

Merry Christmas to our guys overseas!

Christmas the way it used to be

Smokey Christmas

Merry Christmas Baby

I hope you are home for Christmas

Merry Christmas

You're A Mean One

Everybody's is Waiting!

What did you give up for Lent?

So what did you give up for Lent? Lisa gave up cursing. I gave up rage. I am calm and taking things one day at a time.

What did you give up for Lent?

I gave up rage for Lent?

But Christmas isn't that far away.

A Christmas story from Michael Haz

Michael Haz said.......

What a beautiful morning! It's sunny, clear and bright where I am. No snow yet, that's unusual, but the day is simply extraordinary, the way Christmas Day should be.

Our Christmas celebrations are over, it will just be the two of us at home today. Christmas isn't usually like that, but we are basking in the joy of the pending birth of our first grandchild, due to arrive later today, or perhaps tomorrow. We'll see.Mer

We're both a little sore today, happily so. We skated in our family's long-traditional Christmas Eve Day ice hockey game yesterday afternoon. There were dozens of family, extended family and other friends on the ice. Count 'em up, divide by two, and there's your teams.

It looked like maybe twenty skaters per team, all on the ice at the same time. There were little kids who were in their league uniforms, high-schoolers, college kind home on vacation, and the rest of us. The rec league players beat the heck out of each other, but were pretty gentle with everyone else.

The game was followed by pot-luck chili, joking, photos, and exchanging gifts with those we won't see today.

Then home for a nap and a half bottle of Advil.

We went to midnight Mass in a old, beautiful church downtown. It was said in Latin, like in the olden days (and the way is should always be said, in my opinion). The choir was strong, the homily magnificent. We were home by 2:00 AM, had a glass of wine and at long last fell asleep.

This morning is quiet. Mary is still asleep and I'm taking time to reflect on the Day, the year, and the value of good friends.

I wish all of you a very blessed and Merry Christmas. May our Lord continue to hold your soul and the souls of those you love safe in his merciful heart.