Only in Your State asks where’s the best place to spend Christmas in Idaho.  How about at home?  The question is posed at the end of a piece about the best Christmas towns in the state.  As is usually the case, some of these towns and cities have the highest percentage of liberals (think McCall and Sun Valley), which probably means it’s about the secular celebrations.  Or ice skating in Meridian.  Twin Falls didn’t make the list, but Santa did.  Have you ever been to Santa?  Cue the banjo music from Deliverance!

Rupert has a Christmas Market

It’s nice to see Rupert get a mention.  People in Minidoka County do Christmas the right way.  The town looks like a German Christmas market from Thanksgiving until the end of the year.  Last year’s pandemic panic didn’t scuttle the celebration.  I guess the government has learned something the early colonial lords discovered.  You can’t cancel holidays.  You can slit a few nostrils, and it only breeds resentment and a greater desire to enjoy family time, grog, and then some worship.

For me, Christmas is about lights and music.

There are Some Dreadful Christmas Songs

I’m not talking about silly songs about grandmothers being stomped by deer.  My grandmothers were wonderful people.  I’m not talking about some maudlin tale about little boys buying shoes for dying moms.

I’m talking about Silent Night.  And God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman and What Child is This?

Last week I watched a Christmas Carol.  The George C. Scott version.  I wanted an early start.  Something uplifting.  Uplifting is the message of the season.  Even for an old curmudgeon.

LOOK: The top holiday toys from the year you were born

With the holiday spirit in the air, it’s the perfect time to dive into the history of iconic holiday gifts. Using national toy archives and data curated by The Strong from 1920 to today, Stacker searched for products that caught hold of the public zeitgeist through novelty, innovation, kitsch, quirk, or simply great timing, and then rocketed to success.

LOOK: Here Are the 25 Best Thanksgiving movies of all time

 

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