No one ever said wishing you a Merry Christmas was going to be easy

The bulk carrier "Ken Emerald" did, indeed, depart these shores today -- while we were out purchasing our Christmas tree -- depriving us of a second chance to take more photos in the dark of night for the Christmas card. So we've turned to Photoshop to make something edible of this lemon for Christmas Cards '04.  We're on the case.

Meanwhile, Tony Snow has the goods on our clueless fellow citizens who think non-Christian Americans are too faint of heart to be wished a Merry Christmas:

This year, the Theophobes went too far: They chased the Salvation Army away from Target, banned “Merry Christmas” at Macy's,denied Christians a place in Denver’s “Parade of Lights,” booted fifth-and-sixth grade carolers from San Francisco’s Union Square, and eliminated the Declaration of Independence from the history curriculum at Stevens Creek Elementary School in Cupertino, Calif.

Target, the single largest collection source last year for Salvation Army donations -- $9 million out of the $90 million taken in during the Christmas season -- decided to shoo away Salvation Army solicitors so as not to give offense to the miserly. In being solicitous of Scrooge, however, Target may have reaped a retail whirlwind.

We ourselves just opened our pocketbook the wider for the Army and the stores who welcomed them outside their doors.  Post 9/11, we gave and gave and gave to the Salvation Army every chance we had.  Post Target idiotarianism, we stuff dollar bills into Salvation Army buckets coming and going outside any store that allows.  Today it was our local Stop & Shop supermarket, where the bell-ringing gal was having a ciggie break when we entered the store.  We approached her with a dollar bill, and she confessed her bucket was inside at the moment, but we could trust her.  We did and then stuffed another bill into her bucket on our way out. You don't have to believe in any particular god or religion to know these are good people, earnest and true.