Friday / Weekend Open Line (And Christmas, Too!)


Our Christmas present to readers is a full video presentation of the lighting of the Henderson Christmas Tree.  It actually occurred on November 29th, 2011 but we’re posting it here now for our readers.  It’s aboot 45 minutes long.  Enjoy the presentation of the tree lighting, and numerous musical numbers from area churches.  View the video here


A short term agreement was reached Thursday, and for 2 months into 2012 at least, your paycheck will continue to have an about $40.00 weekly tax break as it has for 2011.  The message from President Obama:

For the past several weeks, I’ve stated consistently that it was critical that Congress not go home without preventing a tax increase on 160 million working Americans.  Today, I congratulate members of Congress for ending the partisan stalemate by reaching an agreement that meets that test.

Because of this agreement, every working American will keep his or her tax cut – about $1,000 for the average family.  That’s about $40 in every paycheck.  Vital unemployment insurance will continue for millions of Americans who are looking for work.  And when Congress returns, I urge them to keep working to reach an agreement that will extend this tax cut and unemployment insurance for all of 2012 without drama or delay. 

This is good news, just in time for the holidays.  This is the right thing to do to strengthen our families, grow our economy, and create new jobs.  This is real money that will make a real difference in people’s lives.  And I want to thank every American who raised your voice to remind folks in this town what this debate was all about.  It was about you.  And today, your voices made all the difference.


NORAD Tracks Santa is an annual Christmas-themed entertainment program, which has existed since 1955, produced under the auspices of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Every year on Christmas Eve, “NORAD Tracks Santa” purports to follow Santa Claus as he leaves the North Pole and delivers presents to children around the world. The program began on December 24, 1955 when a Sears department store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper which told children that they could telephone Santa Claus and included a number for them to call. However, the telephone number printed was incorrect and calls instead came through to Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center. Colonel Shoup, who was on duty that night, told his staff to give all children that called in a “current location” for Santa Claus. A tradition began which continued when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) replaced CONAD in 1958.

Here is this years live map.  As you can see on Friday, Santa is still preparing.  But be sure to come back to this page to track Santa for Christmas!

The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center (NTSOC) opens on December 24th at 6:00 a.m. EST (5:00 a.m. CST, 4:00 a.m. MST, and 3:00 a.m. PST) until 5:00am EST (4:00 a.m. CST, 3:00 a.m. MST, and 2:00 a.m. PST) on December 25th.

Located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the NTSOC receives up-to-the-minute status reports from our radar, satellites, and Santa cams. Official Santa trackers are standing by to update you on Santa’s current location!

Check the map above, or Call the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center for Santa’s current location!  Call: (877) HI NORAD / (877) 446-6723


Various businesses may be closed for the Holiday weekend, I suggest you to call your intended local business to check their operating hours.  City Hall is open Friday, however they will be closed Monday, December 26th.


I’ll share with you one of my favorite Christmas movies.. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.  … because it’s just so bad.  Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a 1964 science fiction film that regularly appears on lists of the worst films ever made. It is regularly featured in the “bottom 100” list on the Internet Movie Database, and was also featured in an episode of the 1986 syndicated series, the Canned Film Festival. It was directed by Nicholas Webster, and it stars John Call as Santa Claus. It also includes an 8-year-old Pia Zadora playing the role of one of the Martian children.


Welcome to the Open Lines!