Dawn pointed me to this. She’d heard the song on one of our local country stations (I’d re-programmed the radio in her car) and told me I had to hear it. It was written and produced by The Song Trust (Rory Feek and Tim Johnson) and sung by a six-year-old in Nashville who says she doesn’t want to be famous. It’s a poignant reminder that there are still troops serving away from home and that they and their families are sacrificing much this Christmas.

You can purchase a copy of the song and know that half of all profits goes to St. Judes Children’s Hospital.

I’d planned on penning something about why I love Christmas this morning but, with last minute shopping looming, I doubt I’ll find time. So I’ve grabbed another video, this one from James and apparently created by someone in Russia - I didn’t get all the pertinent details - about Santa and the Three Little Pigs.

It seems somehow wrong to follow Josh Groban with pigs but, like I said, it’s Christmas shopping crunch time for me. So without further ado, I give you…

I’ll take solace in knowing that buried deeply - very, very deeply - within the story lies a moral of some kind.

Christmas is a magical time of the year, especially for children. We all have wonderful childhood memories of Christmases long past and, as parents, we were again filled with wonder and magic through the eyes of our own children. Well, it’s Christmas season once again and magic fills the air. Do you feel it?

If you saw the movie Polar Express, you’ll recognize this song, beautifully performed live at the Greek by Josh Groban. It allows us, once again, to see Christmas through the eyes of children… if we just believe.

This video was produced using a technology called Spc X Drive II XD Coded Sound, designed to enhance the audio quality of the video and defeat the usual “tinny” sound associated with heavily compressed live performance recordings. It sounds best with a sub-woofer.

Remember doo wop? Then you’ll enjoy this fun Joshua Held Flash animation featuring Irving Berlin’s Christmas classic, White Christmas, performed by Bill Pinckney (Santa) and The Drifters (reindeer).

Click to play

This video should help ignite your Christmas spirit. It features the original members of Straight No Chaser, Indiana University’s premier men’s a cappella group, performing their comedic version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” at the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington, Indiana, December 7th, 1998. Since its founding in 1996, the group has performed at universities and auditoriums all across the country.

Struggling to find that perfect gift? Here’s a Mad TV - John Madden skit with just the ticket. Got it from  Grouchy Old Cripple. Pretty funny!

I’d been hearing this song on the radio every now and then while driving and found it really catchy. Trouble is, except for the title and a random word every now and then, I’ve had no idea what LeAnn is singing. I even heard one of the radio DJs say the same thing, so I know it wasn’t just me. So I finally got annoyed enough to look up the lyrics. Now I can understand (most of) it… and I like it even more! Give it a listen. It’s actually a little easier to understand in this live performance on David Letterman’s show…

This chalk drawing video is actually an advertisement by Sony BMG (Canada) for Alicia Keys’ latest CD album. Drawn by Victor Fraser in the heart of Downtown Toronto, it took about six hours to complete.

I enjoy the “I’m a Mac” and “PC Guy” ad series from Apple, Inc. I use both platforms (although not with Vista) and generally prefer Macs, but I think the ad series is pure genius. C’mon, admit it. Regardless of your platform preference, the ads and the two characters are endearing.

Here’s another.

The 65-year-old New Frontier, the second-oldest property on the Las Vegas strip, was taken down with the requisite fireworks and cheering November 13 to make room for a bigger, more palatial hotel casino.

The Frontier was the venue where Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut in 1956 and also featured such entertainers as Wayne Newton and Siegfried and Roy. Once owned by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, it endured one of the longest union strikes in U.S. history.

I always feel a nostalgic twinge when one of the old casinos is moved out to make way for the new. Farewell, old friend. You went out in grand style.

It’s Friday and I feel the need…the need to boogie!!!

This session was filmed live at Storyville Hall in New Orleans, June 5, 1986, and features Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. That’s Late Night’s musical director, Paul Shaffer (with hair!) running things and Ron Wood on guitar. And if you look closely, I think you’ll spot Carl Perkins on guitar, drummer Steve Jordan and Buck Dunn on bass. If this doesn’t get your feet tapping, there’s just no hope for you! Sit back, turn up your speakers and enjoy a jam session with some legendary performers.

Did you watch the CNN-YouTube Republican Debate last night? If not, I’ve linked to YouTube’s handy video recap of all the televised questions and the candidates’ answers so you can do so at your leisure.

I found Question #4 and the responses from Congressmen Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter particularly telling. See what you think.

The story floating around the blogosphere this morning, though, is about how many of CNN’s selected video questioners were apparently Democrat plants. Nationally syndicated Michele Malkin has been following the story:

“Abortion questioner is declared Edwards supporter (and a slobbering Anderson Cooper fan); Log Cabin Republican questioner is declared Obama supporter; lead toy questioner is a prominent union activist for the Edwards-endorsing United Steelworkers…”

CNN introduced them all as “undecided Republicans.” Makes you wonder about their ability to perform simple due-diligence, doesn’t it? Worth following.

Did you watch the YouTube debate in July? CNN and YouTube’s live forum featured video questions submitted to YouTube which were broadcast and answered by Democratic candidates on CNN. CNN’s Anderson Cooper moderated the two-hour debate and posed follow-up questions. The Republican counterpart is scheduled for November 28. For the first time in presidential debate history, user-generated video will have driven two unprecedented debates. I plan on tuning in.

There’s already been much debate about the effectiveness of the format. On the one hand, many believe it marks a new era in American politics, where citizen journalism gets its moment in the limelight. On the other hand, CNN is the sole arbiter of what videos are shown and questions asked. (I was a little concerned that at least four of the questions were posed by puppets.) And many feel the format marks a low point in American politics with serious discourse put in the hands of the same people who watched a video of a baby giggling 27 million times. So I suppose the ball is still in the air as to whether the whole exercise will prove to have been good for the American public.

If you watched the first debate, you’ll recognize the key players in this spoof. A would-be Anderson Cooper moderates.

Well, sort of… Not really…

Or week? We’ve all had them, some worse than others. But it’s how we handle them that separates the ass-kissers from the “I’m not going to take it anymore” ass-kickers who would apparently prefer unemployment and maybe a little hard time to putting up with… Well, give this compilation a watch. You’ve probably seen some of the clips, but together, they’re a work of art.

There. Feel better?