Political Pistachio
By Douglas V. Gibbs
The story of Christmas isn’t about Santa, Christmas Trees, family gatherings around a big meal, or sleigh bells ringing. This is about the most prophesied radical invasion in human history: when God stepped off His Throne in Heaven, traveled to Earth to wrap Himself in flesh, was born in the most humble manner, and rescued the world drowning in sin.
The world into which Jesus was born was dark; politically, spiritually, and morally. Joseph and Mary were poor, and engaged to marry. They lived while the Roman Empire ruled the Holy Land with an iron fist. Israel was under occupation, not only by Rome, but by the deceitful powers of human nature and the Prince of Darkness. The Jewish religious leaders were corrupt, and protective of their power, not realizing they were tools of the god of this world.
Deliverance was needed, and deliverance was at hand. It had been prophesied. But, the people of the world weren’t ready for the kind of deliverance God had in mind.
They expected a warrior.
God sent a baby.
Luke Chapter 2 tells us that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the census, which also lined up Christ’s birth with Micah’s 700 year old prediction of Him being born in Bethlehem.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Micah 5:2)
She was pregnant, but she was a virgin. She had been visited by the Holy Spirit, and she was not only carrying a child, but the Child.
The Messiah.
The One foretold by Isaiah: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
God With Us.
There was no room at the inn.
So the King of Kings was born in a stable, laid in an animal’s feeding trough (manger), surrounded by animals.
Why?
Because God wanted to make it clear:
He humbly came not as a member of the elite, but as a child of the most humble beginnings. He came for all, but only if you would believe upon him. There was no fanfare, or kings holding him up to the sky. There was simply a bright star. And, the angels didn’t appear to kings. They appeared to shepherds, the lowest rung of society.
Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy… (Luke 2:10)
And suddenly the sky exploded with praise:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! (Luke 2:14)
The story that would lead to the path to Salvation from Sin had begun.
The Savior had arrived.
Herod tried to kill Him. Satan tried to tempt him and corrupt Him. The world tried to ignore Him. But Jesus came with a mission. He lived a sinless life. He died a substitutionary death. He bore the sins of the world, past, present and future. His cross was slammed upon the ground and he was nailed to it, only for Jesus Christ to rise in victory on Calvary, and ultimately to Heaven where He Lives because He conquered death.
Christmas is the beginning of the rescue.
He died so that we may have everlasting life. He died so that the bondage of sin may be broken. He died so that we may surrender to Jesus. Christmas isn’t about gifts under a tree. It’s about the gift that hung on a tree. The cross was always the destination. Bethlehem was just the starting line. He was born to die a horrific death so that we may be saved and live forever.
Jesus came to save.
To redeem.
To restore.
And He’s coming again… not as a baby, but as a King.
Are you ready?
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
By Douglas V. Gibbs
My dear friends, let me tell you the story about a Christmas Miracle that happened at Trenton back in 1776…
You have to picture the scene. It’s December 1776. The American Revolution is hanging by a thread, and I mean a thin, frayed, nearly broken, thread. General George Washington’s army is cold, hungry, and demoralized. The Patriots have only won three of the first eleven major battles of the War for Independence. The British think the whole rebellion is basically over. They’ve pushed America’s small remainder of troops across New Jersey, right into Pennsylvania.
They’re already writing the obituary for the American cause.
And who’s sitting pretty for Christmas in Trenton?
Not the British regulars. Not even close. They outsourced the job. They hired German Hessian mercenaries, professional soldiers from Hesse‑Kassel, to babysit New Jersey for them.
Because nothing says “we understand the American people” like sending foreign rent‑a‑troops to occupy their towns.
But General Washington had been learning on the job, and realized it was time to think outside the box. He had developed an incredible amount of grit during all of the failures. He was ready to stop losing, and his new path to victory had vision that nobody saw coming. After all, he had something the British command didn’t: the willingness to take a risk so bold it bordered on insane.
While the Hessians were relaxing after Christmas celebrations, Washington was preparing the most daring move of the war. In the middle of a brutal winter storm that included the whole enchilada: ice, snow, sleet – he led 2,400 men across the Delaware River. A frozen Delaware River. They had to break up the ice and not only float men, but equipment too, across the river in the frigid weather complete with howling winds. Two men died just from exposure as they marched across the New Jersey landscape after the crossing had been completed. And the other two armies didn’t make it across. It was all up to Washington and his men; with bleeding feet and limited ammunition.
But Washington was determined because he knew that if he didn’t strike now, the Revolution was finished.
Despite getting there later than planned, in the morning hours of December 26, Washington’s forces hit Trenton like a thunderclap. The Hessians, commanded by Colonel Johann Rall, were caught completely off guard. While there is no historical evidence supporting the idea that the Hessians were fighting off a hangover after a day-long Christmas celebration, many historians consider that was a probability… you know, considering how the Germans love their beer, and everything.
The Americans moved fast: wide eyed, sober, coordinated, and disciplined.
The Hessians tried to rally, but it was too late.
By the time the smoke cleared:
• 22 Hessians were killed
• 83 wounded
• 800–900 captured
The American casualties?
Only a handful were wounded, including future President of the United States, James Monroe, who had to have an artery clamped to save his life.
The final tally wasn’t just a victory. It was a statement.
The Battle of Trenton was small in scale but enormous in impact. It revived American morale, proved the Continental Army could win, and set the stage for another victory at Princeton a week later. For historians, the two battles served as a turning-point in the war. The British thought the rebellion was collapsing, and Washington showed them it was just getting started.
This was the moment the Revolution got its second wind.
This was the moment America said: “We’re not done yet.”
So when you hear people talk about the American Revolution as if it were inevitable, realize that the upstart Americans were big-time underdogs. Victory was far from inevitable. It was held together by courage, audacity, leadership, and Faith in God. As the Declaration of Independence proclaimed in its final stanza, they were fighting “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” They refused to quit even when the smart money said it was over knowing that God was with them, and because liberty was worth the fight.
Washington and his troops didn’t just cross a river.
They crossed the line between defeat and destiny.
And that, my good friends, is the real story of Trenton.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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By Douglas V. Gibbs
The damage done by the Biden administration to the economy was caused by pumping fiat money into the system and creating an environment where the cost of doing business and the government’s interference with the ability to increase supply reached prohibitive levels. The massive flow of dollars into the economy is an old Keynesian tactic called “priming the pump.” The theory is that putting more money into the system so that consumers may use it to buy things encourages economic activity. Except, it actually achieves the opposite. Inserting fiat money into the system increases inflation, and as prices rise, consumerism drops. Basic economics revolves around the concept of supply and demand, and the cost of doing business. Increased supply reduces prices, and a reduction of the cost of doing business reduces prices. Government’s role when it comes to improving the economy is simple: Get out of the way. Reduce regulatory restrictions, reduce fees, reduce taxes on business, and remove as many other obstacles as possible that stand in the way of production. This is what President Trump has been doing.
From day one he has reduced federal regulations on the business sector, he has been working on reducing taxes (many of which the Big Beautiful Bill launches into effect the first of the year), and he has been using tariffs to level the playing field and encourage domestic manufacturing and production. Meanwhile, he has reversed the Biden policies that interfered with the supply chain from inventory to energy prices when it comes to transporting these goods. While some of the improvements in our economy were apparent immediately, now the numbers are really beginning to emerge and it’s looking good for the economy – and in turn looking good for the Trump presidency.
The U.S. economy grew 4.3% annually in the third quarter according to new data released. The U.S. GDP, which is the country’s output of goods and services, far outpaced the forecast of 3.2%, and the third quarter number even outpaced the unexpected annualized growth of 3.8% during the second quarter.
With the improvement in the economy becoming evident to the naked eye, U.S. consumers are growing more hopeful about their future financial prospects. Recession fears have eased at the margins and polls have shown that a large segment of consumers have moved away from saying a recession over the next 12 months is “very likely” with many instead saying the downturn is “not likely.” The largest share still believes a recession is “somewhat likely,” but overall outright alarm over the economy has receded from earlier this year.
The job market is also improving with jobless claims falling for the second straight week, declining by 10,000 to 214,000 for the week ending December 20, according to the Department of Labor. The long-term unemployment rate still remains higher than desired, but with many investments in domestic manufacturing going into action in 2026, that number is expected to move downward in the coming months.
Inflation trends eased to 2.7 percent in November, with core inflation numbers down to 2.6 percent, the lowest since early 2021 at the end of President Trump’s last presidency. The Federal Reserve, in turn, lowered interest rates for a third time this year during the early days of December, with more cuts expected in 2026. The ultimate goal for inflation would be to reach 2%.
As inflation reaches levels lower than the experts expected, and economic growth is heading in the right direction beyond their expectations, we are reminded that voters tend to vote with their wallets. “It’s the economy stupid,” coined by James Carville in 1992 is becoming the GOP rallying cry as we approach the mid-term elections. The improving economy is all a direct result of President Trump’s economic policies and tariffs. Net exports are on the rise as the trade playing field levels, A.I. is increasing productivity, businesses are investing and spending, and consumerism is the strongest it has been in four years. Reaching a 5% GDP goal in the opening quarters of 2026 looks very achievable, something the Democrats during Biden’s reign (and also during Obama’s presidency) arguing such numbers would never happen again and that their economic numbers were simply the new normal.
The state of the American economy and their own personal finances are the primary concern of American voters, and as the Golden Age begins to burn even brighter it may fool the experts one more time. Typically, the political party in power does not do well in mid-term elections. However, if the economy continues to improve in 2026 the Republicans could very well gain seats in both Houses of Congress after the mid-term elections in 2026 with representatives fully in tune with President Trump’s agenda.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
By Douglas V. Gibbs
The delicious smells of Christmas are in the air. Cookies and Pine. Sugar and spice. Christmas Trees in our homes, or on the road strapped on the tops of tiny sedans, blowing in the wind as they proceed up the road. Children’s seasonal artwork covers the face of refrigerators, bulletin boards, and kitchen tables. Santa Claus, appearing in all shapes and sizes and colors, is ringing his bells and ho-ho-ho-ing around the stores, malls, and gathering centers. Candles line mantles, with stockings hung with care, and sparkling Christmas decorations glittering and blinking in a fun-filled festive fashion. Flashing lights hang from the eaves, blow-up Santas and snowmen wave to passersby, and Nativity Scenes line the streets. Churches host various Christmas concerts and plays, the Christmas Specials dominate the television. Radios play Christmas tunes, and retail clerks smile and offer “Merry Christmas” as the shoppers scoot out the door.
Except, some of that is not true anymore.
President Donald Trump has pointed out one of the problems of the year, and has proclaimed he’s not giving in. For him it’s not Happy Holidays. It is “Merry Christmas.” I don’t care if there are those out there who think it is insensitive, or that it is offensive. They claim that Christianity is not inclusive enough, and Christ is not the only reason for the season.
They don’t know God well enough, I suppose. After all, God welcomes everyone into His Fold, through Christ, regardless of past sins – all one must do is accept His Mercy.
The war against Christmas is just another leg of Cultural Marxism. In order to initiate their socialist revolution they need to eliminate anything traditional, Christian, or not secular progressive. It’s a war that is not new, and it has been raging in all of the states for quite a while. In fact, its raging in all of the Western Countries. Statism seeks to eliminate all traditional representations of Christmas, from secular icons such as the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus, to the Christian representations such as Christmas Carols and Nativity Scenes. If God is to be removed from our culture, they need to seek to eliminate Christmas, itself.
Christmas is under siege from people whose seeks to kill religion and morality with political correctness and WOKEism. Sure, in truth they are a minority, but they are a loud segment of society. With their noise they have convinced many that even one person offended is justification enough to eliminate the offender. All dissent must be silenced. It is, from their point of view, the job of the government to purge all things from society that even resembles religion. Therefore, any sign of Christmas, or utterance of “Merry Christmas,” opens one up to complaints, litigation, angry protests, threats, and worse. And the anti-Christmas mob gets away with it, because we do not stand up to them, and say, “Enough is enough.”
Around America, retail workers are being told, “We don’t say ‘Merry Christmas,’ it has to be ‘Happy Holidays.'” People in retail are told they will be written up for saying “Merry Christmas.” So, they proclaim Happy Holidays because their paycheck is more important.
Fearless, I tell them “Merry Christmas,” and some of them return it with the same wording. But not most of them.
A war is being waged, and a counter-revolution must be in gear to stop the madness. The war is an offensive one, led by secularists, humanists, and well-funded cultural relativists. They believe America is evil as founded, and that the Christian majority must be silenced by any means necessary. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Americans for the Separation of Church and State provide the muscle for these anti-Christmas radicals. These are people who celebrate sexual perversion in our society, and support the murder of unborn babies, yet they cannot bring themselves to allow Christians to celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. The Leftists claim Christians desire an oppressive theocracy in America, they call it Christian Nationalism. Of course, their claim Christians want theocracy is ridiculous. No reasonable Christian wants church leaders running the country. But, that doesn’t mean that if one achieves public office, suddenly their beliefs must suddenly be silenced. Christian office holders praying and government workers saying Merry Christmas is not a violation of the Establishment Clause. Remember, the beginning of the First Amendment begins with, “Congress shall make no law.”
Still, the secularist Marxists threaten any public official who dares even refer to Christmas in any way in a public place, for placing Christianity in the public square to them must not be tolerated.
“Keep your religion inside the four walls of your church,” they say, as they threaten the churches if they dare preach on anything considered political, including homosexuality, transgenderism, or the murder of babies in the womb. “Christianity needs banning,” they tell us, “for it is dangerous to a free society.” Therefore, Christmas needs banning, as well.
Freedom of Speech, like Freedom of religion, has become a privilege rather than a right, according to the Leftists that infest government like a voracious parasite. There are no rights to speech and religion, they argue. The appearance of anything Christian in view of anyone that can possibly be offended is treated like a chemical spill, and according to these folks on the Left, the prevailing opinion is that the cause must be eliminated. Christmas must be neutered, they believe, and Christians must be silenced.
I refuse to accept the common narrative that even using the word “Christmas” is an invitation for a lawsuit. Our right of free speech and the right to the freedom of religious expression, were included in the United States Constitution for a reason. Our faith must not be a ‘religious privilege,’ granted by the generosity of government. The mere idea that government has any hand in our right to the free exercise of religion suggests that our freedom of religion is government-granted, rather than a freedom that is God-given.
The Founding Fathers were concerned about the possibility of what we are seeing today. They feared that the inclusion of language, such as the current myth of the Separation of Church and State, would open the door for government to ‘regulate’ religious practices, language, and even question the very presence of Christmas in our society. Such language would open a Pandora’s Box that could lead to government officials wrongly believing that they are the ‘grantors’ of the freedom of religious expression (as recently articulated by Senator Tim Kaine). Such a belief by government would then give them the alleged authority to regulate it.
Thomas Jefferson was very critical of government intrusion into religious expression. In his letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, as well as his writings in the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, and his participation in disestablishing the official church in Virginia in 1786, he explained that the goal was not to protect government from religion, but to protect the free exercise of faith from government. The philosophy marched hand in hand with the concept of keeping the powers of the federal government limited, and prohibited regulating or punishing religious practices and expressions. This idea, in fact, was so deeply embedded in American Thinking that it has been since the beginning a focal point of American History. Jefferson believed the federal government had no authority to interfere with, limit, regulate, or prohibit public religious expressions. In fact, none of the founders gave the slightest hint that they believed religion should be removed from the public square, or that the government should be completely secularized. The religious freedom clauses in the U.S. Constitution were put there for the purpose of trying to keep government from darkening the doors of the church.
As Alexis DeToqueville found in his visit to the United States in the 1830s, the politicians prayed, and the pastors preached politics, but government did not control the church, and the church did not control government. They were symbiotic, in America. A concept foreign to Europeans of the time.
As far as Jefferson, or any of the other founders, were concerned, the only time government should be involved in religious matters would be if religious expression were acts “against peace and good order, injurious to others, subversive to good order,” or acts by “the man who works ill to his neighbor.” In other words, things like Islamic jihad, the attempt to implement Sharia law in the place of the laws of the host country, or the disruptive “call to prayer” from loud speakers.
We have ways to win the war against Christianity, but it takes thinking outside the box, and not responding to everything in a reactive manner. Such as in the case of a high school football team that was told the banner they burst through at the beginning of a game could no longer have a Bible Verse on it. In response, after the banner became a simple piece of artwork with no Bible Verse on it, and the players burst through the banner the folks in the stands stood tall, holding up bold homemade signs, each with a different verse on them, or a positive Christian message, as the players rushed onto the field.
So, take a note from brave folks like those in the stands of that football game. Say, “Merry Christmas.” Encourage others to do so. We outnumber the tyrants who wish to destroy American Tradition. We are the majority. We are the righteous. It is high time we begin to act like it.
Welcome to The Revolution.
Merry Christmas.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Christmas as a holiday in America goes all the way back to the early settlers. As time passed the celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ has gathered a number of traditions along the way. Families gather each year, exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas Trees, and attending church service. Back during the English Colonies, however, whether or not you even celebrated the Blessed Event depended upon the region you lived in.
The Puritans in New England frowned upon Christmas, harshly discouraging their flock from participating in the festivities. The southern colonies were a polar opposite of the Puritans, celebrating Christmas with joy, and in some cases, all month long. The middle colonies’ more diverse inhabitants carried out varied versions of Christmas, enjoying more localized observations that were closer to the traditions of the homeland from which they came. For most Americans during the Colonial Period, Christmas served as an important day.
The majority of colonists in the English Colonies along the Atlantic Coast of the New World were Christian, and the majority of those Christians were Protestant. The northern colonies were founded primarily on a desire for religious freedom, and all of the colonies, while diverse in their beliefs, were highly religious. America’s colonial culture was a melting pot of many cultures, so in The Colonies different groups lived and worked in the original twelve (there were never thirteen colonies…Delaware was a collection of the southern counties of Pennsylvania and became independent as a state during the dawn of The Revolution), but congregated in different regions. The result was that the different parts of colonial society maintained their own unique identities and practices. Christmas is a great example of how different the various regions truly were from each other.
Massachusetts, dominated by Puritans, stood against the holiday. At one point the Puritan majority even made Christmas illegal in the regions under their influence and control. The Puritans objected to the traditions that had been added, recognizing their Pagan origin. Santa Claus was seen as a character that had been created to avert one’s eyes away from Christ’s birth. The first known reference to Santa Claus by the Puritans appeared in 1773, at a time that Puritan ministers were preaching against the celebration of the holiday. They saw no scriptural reasons for celebrating it, and viewed the holiday as one that was filled with paganism. The holiday, from the Puritan point of view, dishonored Jesus Christ, and they continued to make sure Christmas was not a part of the Winter Season until the Puritans lost power thanks to a renewed fervor that religious freedom be extended to each of the States after the turn of the nineteenth century.
The Quakers of Pennsylvania were also against celebrations of Christmas, for many similar reasons as the Puritans. Defections, however, were common. Some Puritans and Quakers would reach out to other Protestant denominations, such as Calvinists, so that they may be able to celebrate the day despite their religion’s opposition to it.
Some historians have argued the defections were a part of the reason that the strict rules against Christmas were eventually relaxed. Anti-Christmas denominations began to fear losing their congregations because of their rigidness regarding the holiday.
Despite some folks standing against the celebrations, other groups were more than happy to be festive and enjoy Christmas, anyway. After all, the Puritans and Quakers did not control all regions of the English Colonies. Because the Original Thirteen were filled with such a variety of groups and cultures, many celebrated and enjoyed the day. For some, the holiday was a part of the larger cultural experience of the region. Inhabitants of Dutch, German, and Huguenot as well as some of English descent, celebrated the day with large parties and social gatherings. Some groups joined together in the celebration, uniting their celebrations, sharing traditions and community activities.
The largest and most festive celebrations of Christmas, however, emerged in the southern colonies. While the celebrations remained small and localized for those on the frontier, for the most part in the south Christmas flourished. Granted, they were very different than what we experience today, but they were very festive celebrations, nonetheless.
A common Christmas tradition was the firing of muskets and cannons in celebration, especially in the southern colonies. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were known to celebrate the day. John Adams’ writings reveals he did not. In an 1809 letter Jefferson mentions his grandson joyfully exclaiming “Merry Christmas”. In the letter he also refers to 1762, stating that the day was one of “greatest mirth and jollity.” George Washington was known to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, as it often was throughout the colonies. In fact, he was married to his wife Martha on January 6, the twelfth day of Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany. Washington also participated in fox hunts, as was commonly done at that time of the year in Virginia as part of the festivities.
As far back as 1702, at the College of William & Mary, tradition had dictated that students would prevent faculty from entering the school as a means of starting Christmas festivities.
Worship service took precedence in almost all celebrations of Christmas in The Colonies. The southern colonies were largely devout Anglicans who saw the liturgical season of Advent, which leads to Christmas, as one of penitence and reflection.
During the Revolutionary War the fighting did not take a break for Christmas, and the Battle of Trenton began with the famous event of George Washington and his army crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Night. Fighting typically slowed during the Christmas Season, not because of the holiday, but because of the weather.
Gifts were typically reserved just for children and servants if given at all. Christmas’ religious meaning remained at the forefront of all of the celebrations. Christmas mattered to most people in colonial and revolutionary America, despite being celebrated very differently than it is today. Nonetheless, the similarities between the celebrations then and today were still focused on one fact; Jesus, the Savior of the World, had been born.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary