DECEMBER 22, 2025

“I am determined to enjoy each day to the fullest.  I don’t want to wish away Christmas.  I want to enjoy these last moments of Advent and look forward to Jesus’s birth with anticipation.”

–Shelley Shepard Gray.

GOOD MORNING JOHN AND KAY BAYS! John and his mother have been sailing around the Caribbean, and will be spending Christmas in Bolivia, and New Year’s in Peru. Kay Bays has always been a world traveler, and she passed on that habit to John.

GOOD MORNING CHEF DEAN! THANK YOU FOR THE LOBSTER HUSHPUPPIES! Absolutely delicious!

Frank said it best. It’s been several years, and everything out of the Club kitchen has been wonderful.

In fact, I can remember the very 1st day I met Chef Dean, after he took over. His food has been excellent. We are so fortunate to have him.

The Reindeer Classic was a BIG TIME! Thursday was cold and rainy, but by daybreak on Friday, the skies cleared, and the wind began to blow. Hard, which was great for drying the course. The temperatures were in the low 50s, but with the wind . . . it was brisk.

I wore shorts. I am a fool.

Our team consisted of Frank, Jason, Adam, Sarah, and me. We were a jolly bunch, with Sarah leading the cheering. Adam hit most of our golf shots. Frank and I beat it around, and Jason occasionally joined us, when he was not hitting it left.

The Reindeer Classic is 18 holes, with all the holes set up as par 3s. Captain’s choice.

There were also many unwritten rules. First of all, there is copious amounts of drinking, the timing of which is key. You need to lead off drinking. If you make a birdie, you drink. And in between, you can drink. After the round is over, you continue to drink. You can stop drinking when you get home and go to bed.

Jason brought flavored moonshine shots. The cookies and creme, and the peanut butter were good. But the eggnog flavored was the best!

There were Fireball shots. I do not much care for Fireball. Jason and Frank are still disappointed in me.

Sarah provided a hot apple cider and honey, flavored with Woodford Reserve. Delicious!

Unbelievably, our team tied for 1st place, along with 3 other teams, shooting -6 under par. Then there was a chip off involving 2 members of each of the 4 teams, conducted, thankfully not outside, but on the Club’s golf simulator. Adam and Frank chipped off for our team, and sadly, finished just a little behind Dean Johnston’s team. So we finished 2nd. Which meant we could return to drinking.

Bill Sibbick should have received a prize for the best Christmas sweater. It was festive and bright. Very, very bright. No lights needed.

Chris Boswell was there. He had fun. Chris always has fun.

The Club was packed, both on the golf course, and inside the clubhouse after the tournament. Lots of people to see and greet, wishing all a very Merry Christmas. There was a tribute to our PGA professional, Robert, as this was his last tournament. Everyone was smiling and laughing. IT WAS A VERY BIG TIME.

My childhood friend Rob wrote me an email before the tournament, wishing me well, but advising me that having fun was the point. Rob, mission accomplished.

The Board of Trustees for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts voted unanimously to rename it The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Cue the Leftist meltdown.

Former CNN reporter Jim Acosta stood outside the Trump/Kennedy Center and declared it a “dark day for democracy”. Members of the extended Kennedy family decried the move. And Senator Chris Van Hollen (D. Md.) got into the act, denouncing the move. He was probably upset that it was not renamed after his drinking buddy, Abrego Garcia.

Finally, Dru weighed in. Dru has never been to The Kennedy Center. He is too busy following Leftist memes on Facebook. And watching women’s sports with Rocky.

The truth is, that before Mr. Trump’s 2nd term, The Kennedy Center was in disarray and disrepair. It was fiscally and physically on the brink of collapse. Mr. Trump and his allies launch a massive effort to rescue the Center, and raised a record number of funds–PRIVATE funds. The annual playbill which had devolved into a celebration of every disfunction and perversity in America has now become more traditional, substantive, and family friendly.

It is rich for the Kennedy clan, and assorted Democrat politicians, to rail against President Trump. They have done nothing–NOTHING–for years to maintain or improve the Center. But for President Trump, the building would have become a homeless shelter beside the Potomac River. The name change is fine. Everyone calm down, and move on. Thank you.

Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R. Ut.) wants to raise taxes on the “rich”. Sigh. We are so very glad that he lost to Barack Obama. So glad.

Did you know that American mortgage applicants are required to be racially profiled by their banks? Before a bank can issue you a mortgage, it must record your ethnicity, race, and sex. The failure to do so runs afoul of regulations promulgated by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Board, and fines and other penalties can be levied upon the bank.

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! It is reminiscent of Jim Crow laws, which Democrats enacted and enforced, but now rail against, even as they enact and enforce more racial laws.

The CFPB is the brainchild of Senator Elizabeth “Lieawatha” Warren (D. Ma.). It is not surprising that her creation would be race obsessed, as she is a racial liar, who lied repeatedly about her heritage in order to gain an advantage professionally. But the racial profiling of ordinary Americans who seek only to purchase the “American Dream” is vile and offensive. It is very un-American. The sooner we rid ourselves of the CFPB and all such laws and regulations that classify Americans by their innate characteristics, the better.

“They’re arresting people simply for the offense of being in the country illegally . . . it’s not something that should cause deportation . . . .”

–Representative Steve Cohen (D. Tn.).

There is stupid. And there is &@^!* stupid. Steve Cohen is &@^!* stupid.

Representative Ro Khanna (D. Ca.) is threatening to lead the impeachment process against Department of Justice officials due to their failure to timely release ALL the Epstein files. Get a life!

Ro Khanna is not stupid. But he is &@^!* mean and partisan. He does not want to accomplish something. He wants to destroy everything.

A Wisconsin jury convicted State Court judge Hannah Duggan of felony obstruction of an ICE operation to arrest an illegal alien. LOCK HER UP!

Representative Elise Stefanik (R. N.Y.) dropped out of the race for New York Governor, and further announced that she was leaving Congress. She is not done. She is too talented. She will be back.

Oklahoma took a 17 point lead over Alabama in a first round game in the College Football Playoffs. It was not enough, as Alabama stormed back, and eventually won by 10.

Miami went down to College Station and beat Texas A&M, 10-3, in a game that neither team seemingly wanted to win. The 12th man is desolate. Maybe next year.

Oregon and Ole Miss decimated their opponents. On to the next round.

Lee Corso will be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, class of 2025. Congratulations!

Norman Podhoretz, the communist intellectual who navigated the spectrum to become a conservative intellectual and influencer against the former Soviet Union, has died at age 95. He abandoned faculty lounge debates to advise presidents, and publish books and magazines. He was a giant among scholars. R. I. P.

Former NASCAR driver and humanitarian, Greg Biffle, and his family, perished in a plane crash near Statesville, North Carolina. R. I. P.

Former CNN war correspondent Peter Arnett has died at age 91. R. I. P.

Lou Cannon, longtime Washington Post columnist, and biographer of Ronald Reagan, has died at age 92. R. I. P.

Former Seattle Mariners pitcher Mike Campbell has died at age 61. R. I. P.

Actress May Britt has died at age 92. R. I. P.

Former Stoneleigh Golf & Country Club Director of Golf Bob Benning has died at age 93. Bob was a long time PGA member, who counted among his colleagues and close associates, the great Claude Harmon, and his son, Butch, a sought after instructor. Before coming to Stoneleigh, Bob was the head PGA professional at the Congressional Country Club. There he established the area’s first dedicated youth golf program, which grew in size, and became a model for many other clubs in the Middle Atlantic. When Bob came to Stoneleigh, he established his youth golf program, as well as the Bob Benning School of Golf. Bob was a legendary teacher, with particular interest in developing youth talent. For years, the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA has held the Bob Benning Classic at Stoneleigh, a 2 day tournament showcasing the up and coming young golfers in the Washington, D.C. area. Bob always attended the tournament, mingling with parents, and encouraging the players. And he always presented the champions’ trophies to the winners. Bob Benning was a great advocate for, and representative of, golf. He will long be remembered, and missed, by many. R. I. P.

GFK