US Missile Defense Put On Hold.

The wait is over; Christmas has officially begun now that Santa Claus has been spotted by US radar in Alaska. Military experts believe he is fueling up for his long journey at a Princess Cruises' buffet, before heading into Siberia where residents are hoping he’ll bring something other than “more snow” this year.

Throughout the night, the United States Top Secret Missile Defense System will be granting Santa the skies, although he will not be allowed in restricted air space over the White House. I guess President Bush won’t get that Wii after all.

There are several tips coming directly from the North Pole this year, as Santa blogged about on his Myspace page.

“Stop!” Santa exclaimed in his blog. “Whatever you’re doing, whatever your job, whatever you think you need to do…just stop for a moment.”

The message seems especially poignant in Santa Clarita. With stores open until 2:00am, it makes it abundantly clear that we apparently NEED to have stores open until 2:00am. It’s a busy time, but the biggest mistake any of us can make is to let the holiday season pass us by. It’s the only time that a vast majority of us will be out of the office and in the home. Will you be checking your blackberry, or will you be making breakfast with your kids? Will you be the one leaping over Christmas presents to answer your phone before it goes to voicemail, or will you put your feet up and actually watch people’s faces when they open gifts?

It’s no secret that the holidays come and go every year. We have months of warning and yet we still manage to let it slip through our fingers. Not this year. It doesn’t have to be that way. You have five, maybe six hours of that prime holiday spirit, where your family and friends will all be together. Remember that it’s not a meal. It’s not a gift exchange. It’s Christmas, and it was meant to remind us how lucky we are to have life.

So enjoy those precious hours. And Santa did say that it’s okay to enjoy gifts too…I hear he’s bringing Assistant City Manager Ken Striplin a year’s supply of Tums. This is, of course, after his boss (City Manager Ken Pulskamp) was conveniently on vacation during two back-to-back Santa Clarita Disasters.

As for KHTS, all we want this year is a Tur-Duc-Hen. That’s a stuffing-filled hen, stuffed into a duck, which is then stuffed into a turkey.  If you’re in a giving mood this Christmas, all Tur-Duc-Hens may be mailed in care of Jon Dell to KHTS AM-1220 radio.

Have a very merry Christmas.