DECEMBER 30, 2025

“We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind.  He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice.”

— Pope Paul VI.

As we move into 2026, it might be helpful to briefly look back on 2025. We begin with the top 10 lies of 2025, which are:

1. Trump is in the Epstein files in a negative, damaging way

2. Joe Biden was “sharp as a tack.”

3. There was no collusion among drug manufacturers to hide vaccine threats and ineffectiveness.

4. Israel is the aggressor in the Middle East, and Muslims never invaded and slaughtered anyone on October 7, 2023.

5. Islam does not want to conquer the world, especially America.

6. Trump is using Nazi and Stormtrooper tactics to clean up crime.

7. Trump is “literally Hitler” and “literally killing people.”

8. Diversity is our strength (an oldie but goodie), and DEI is “anti-racist.”

9. Trump is not well and is showing signs of dementia.

10. Trans women are women.

We would add honorable mention as Hunter Biden’s laptop is “Russian disinformation”. Yes, that first surfaced in 2020, but the mainstream media has never dropped their lying about it over the last 5 years.

We have also recognized some awards that nicely encapsulate the year that was 2025, to wit:

Metaphor of the year: Hollywood director Rob Reiner, the onetime foil to Archie Bunker, was murdered by his son, proving that sitcom dysfunction can mirror life and be All in the Family.

Best market correction: Hunter Biden is no longer getting $400,000 for his artwork. He is down to $100 bucks to spray-paint obscenities on a Tesla.

Stat of the year: The New York Times ran a story on how foreign travel to the U.S. is down due what the Gray Lady calls the Trump Slump. This is believable when you consider that for the last four years our number one tourist attraction was the Rio Grande.

Question: When will scientists admit that the climate has been changing long before humans invented SUVs, plastic straws, or had opinions?

Cover-Up: Jake Tapper’s book, Original Sin exposes the mainstream media’s 4 year whitewash of China Joe’s cognitive decline.  The canard that China Joe was sharp, the border secure, Trump colluded with Russia, and Hunter’s laptop was fake, Tapper reveals what Washington long knew: China Joe was unfit for office as early as 2017. The book recounts one particular moment of confusion when at a Beverly Hills fundraiser, China Joe failed to recognize George Clooney and told Obama how much he loved him in Driving Miss Daisy.

The Oxford Word of the Year is actually two words: “rage bait” because apparently “click bait” wasn’t emotionally ruinous enough. Linguists use “rage bait” for anything that divides or offends.  Last year’s phrase was “brain rot,” the term for scrolling ourselves into mental mush. Together, they sum up digital life: outrage sparks engagement, algorithms fan the flames, while burning a hole in your cornea.

All in a name: As of this writing, the U.S. Navy destroyed its 5th Venezuelan drug boat. The boat didn’t have a chance with its name: Coke Zero.

Best laugh: During warm‑ups for the 2025 WNBA All‑Star Game, players wore shirts stitched by Asian slave labor that read: “Pay Us What You Owe Us”, a bold slogan for a league so cash‑strapped it can barely afford the thread.

Political Twister: President Trump’s deal with Nippon Steel because nothing says “America First” like outsourcing patriotism to a Japanese steel conglomerate. Two weeks before the deal, Turner Classic Movies spent Memorial Day defeating the Japanese.  For Japan to save U.S. Steel shortly thereafter is political good sportsmanship.

Melancholy medal: When you realize 1972 and 2025 are as far apart as 1972 and 1919.  Congratulations, you are officially older than your nostalgia.

The Confirmation Cup: In 2025, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ditched a 140‑year ritual and refused to toast the president, an unexpected move that validated Donald Trump’s longtime complaints about mainstream media bias.

Truth is stranger than fiction: After the Hooters restaurant chain went bust, Democrats disrupted a Senate hearing to protest a Kennedy being nominated for a cabinet post by a Republican president.

More effective than coal: Children awoke this Christmas to disappointment after discovering that Santa had revised his disciplinary policy and is now punishing naughty kids with tickets to the New York Giants.  Provided such naughty behavior continues, Colorado Rockies tickets will be featured next year.

Book of the year: The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer Daniel J. Flynn’s biography of Frank S. Meyer uncovers how a Marxist firebrand became a founding architect of conservative “fusionism,” blending liberty and tradition into the movement’s philosophical backbone.  It’s a richly researched portrait of a restless, contradictory thinker whose ideas still echo through today’s political discourse.

Finally, a look back at 2025 through the lens of my golf game. Every year I vow to play more golf. Usually, I do not. But in 2025, I did! I began in April (usually it is June), and did not finish until December (usually it is late October/early November). I played in 4 club member-guests, 2 invitationals (1 individual and 1 team), other miscellaneous tournaments, including, for the very 1st time, the Reindeer Classic. Big fun!

I played more daily rounds also, though not enough to suit me. Work still gets in the way, and frankly, that is largely on me (though there are some judges and attorneys who deserve some blame). I played with Holland, though not as much as I would like. English still refuses to play with me. Why, I do not know.

I am no John Minnium, but I do regularly peruse his annual “Year In Review” in preparation for establishing my goals for the year. In 2024, John played 68 different courses; in 2025 I played 6 different courses. John played golf in 16 different States, I played in 2 States. John had a hole in one (Congratulations!), I had 0 holes in one (but I have 2 career holes in one, 1 more than John, so . . . ).

I am looking forward to John’s 2025 “Year In Review” so I can establish my 2026 goals. John is now retired, so his accomplishments are going to be even tougher to approach. But hope springs eternal.

GFK