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Bud Jones had an idea in last week's Tallapoosa Journal about the possibility of an annual celebration of the buzzards like they do up near Cleveland, Ohio. There is a legendary radio station in Cleveland called "The Buzzard"that took it's name from the buzzards that migrate to Northern Ohio and since the buzzards come through Tallapoosa anyway, why not have a pancake and sausage breakfast like up in Hinkley and perhaps turn it into a fund raiser to help families during the holidays? I have been busy the last few days. About as busy as Tiger Wood's public relations team. This is a week that we rush to get the last minute gift for that brother in law of yours who covets your "Billy Bass" singing fish you have hanging in the living room. This is the week that by Christmas Eve you will have every aisle memorized at Wal Mart. Don't forget to buy batteries. Every toy now needs about 35 AA size batteries to operate. I refuse to purchase anything that says "some assembly required". I once tried to put an entertainment center together and it took the mechanical engineering department at Georgia Tech to fix my mess. This week we'll hear music from artists we don't hear any other time of year. Andy Williams, Brenda Lee, Bing Crosby, and Burl Ives will not be heard from the 26th until after Thanksgiving 2010. Have you reserved your seat for the Possum Drop to ring in the new year? I am looking forward to the next week winding down and pulling up a television set and watching Jean Shepard's "Christmas Story". I was given the leg lamp from "Christmas Story" last year as a gift. It is securely locked in the basement. What would the holiday be if we didn't have Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey and Donna Reed as Mary in "It's A Wonderful Life". I enjoy selecting French on the audio menu and watching "It's A Wonderful Life"in French to honor of Marion Stringer my high school French teacher. I took 4 quarters of it at West Georgia and once in Paris ordered in French off the menu and wound up with fried beef tongue and scrambled goose eggs. Seems they couldn't understand my southern French accent y'all. Now the bowl games are all over television until the BCS national championship on January 7th as the Crimson Tide of Alabama will take home the trophy. "Roll Tide", yes, I said it. How many of you remember when it was it was the Orange Bowl in Miami, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, the Sun Bowl in El Paso and the granddaddy of them, all the Rose Bowl in Pasadena? Can any of you recall the Poulan Weed Eater Bowl from Shreveport or the American Bowl from Tampa? The Peach Bowl came along in the late 1960's and it drew rather sparce attention for many years until Truett Cathy and Chick Fil A made it their bowl. I think tickets to the Chick Fil A Bowl should come with side of waffle fries. I counted 30 bowl games to be televised between now and the 7th of January. We have selections from the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho to the Little Caesar's Pizza bowl from the garden spot of the upper Midwest, Detroit. I am about to make a sexist statement in that the members of my gender will watch football on television anytime and anywhere. If the President of the United States is on television giving an address on economic policy and I have the option to watch the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, I'll take Utah and the point spread. Men love football. We need football. I have been jazzed up since the announcement on the 10th that former University of Georgia Coach Vince Dooley is heading up the committee on football at Kennesaw State. Go Owls! The Lord saw fit for ESPN and the NFL Network to please the seed of Abraham. I have watched the replay of the SEC Championship game 5 times since the game was played. "Roll Tide", yes, I said it again. The Lord gave women the Lifetime Movie Network, E, and Oprah's Channel. HGTV and the Food Channel were created for both sexes. Comedy Channel was created for guys who have no idea what they want to do when they grow up. TV Land was created for baby boomers who remember a kinder and genteel era of television before reality television and crude story lines for alleged comedy shows. "Frazier" is the last show that really made me laugh. "Family Guy" is something I wouldn't watch in front of Jimmy Bryan and the choir of the First United Methodist Church of Tallapoosa. It is a great time of year with excitement in the air and a sense of goodwill. I have had a good holiday season in that I have not had to go to a mall. Whoever created online shopping should be given a prize. I ordered a Chia Pet wearing my Old Navy boxer shorts and a bath robe the other day. This is the time of year that we get so stressed in all the last minute hurry up to get'er done before dark on Christmas Eve. We eat Claxton Fruit Cakes, drink egg nog, and there seems to be an infinite amount of candy and sweets everywhere. We gather around the tree and recall when and where you got the Elvis ornament. Do you ever turn out the lights and stare at the tree for reflect on how much you love the season? You might get in the car one evening this week and do what we did and ride out toward Buncombe and see the Blackmon's huge display of lights. Mr. Blackmon's former Army buddy liked Christmas lights too. The Army buddy's home at Graceland in Memphis is all in lights right now. Please note that there are some Tallapoosans that are not going to have much Christmas unless some of us step up right now and pitch in to the efforts of the Tallapoosa Service Council. Remember the reason for the season and what His birth was all about. He commanded us to "love ye one another". What a great way to show your love in His honor by helping the Tallapoosa Service Council in their monumental task of helping others. The terrific folks at city hall have the answers to your questions on how you can help brighten a family's Christmas. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Merry Christmas and God bless us everyone.