Rhubarb Report: Episode 30

The holiday season is upon us. Notice the politically correct phraseology – this time of year is not just for “Merry Christmas” anymore. When I was growing up in small-town Canada, I guess I just didn’t realize that there were many end-of-season celebrations like Hanukkah or Christmas or Kwanzaa going on concurrently.

Even though the holiday season is upon us, there is always a fresh batch of rhubarb to harvest. The world would have to be on global shutdown to prevent rhubarb from appearing!

With glad tidings and good spirits in mind, here is Episode 30 of the Rhubarb Report.

1. There are many that will agree, and just as many that will disagree. With that preface, let me trumpet the end of the Iraq war. You remember, the war brought to us built on the shaky premise of WMDs. Oh, yes, those crazy WMDs that they never really did find because, dang it, they didn’t exist. But I digress.

The interesting irony of it all is that the final official day in Iraq, the day that the American flag was officially lowered, was none other than Bill of Rights Day. Strange irony, or good planning? Regardless of whether you agree with the foreign policy or not, let’s be happy that our troops are coming home. One less war in the world is a good thing to report during the holiday season.

2. Yes, the college basketball season has begun, and with it the basketball version of “Longhorns Update”. It is still a little early to talk about Longhorns basketball in-depth though. We are only 12 games into the season with a record of 9 – 3 thus far. On the national scene, it is looking like there may not be a dominant team this season. That makes the Big 12 conference schedule even more exciting, with a handful of teams that look to be solid March Madness prospects. The Longhorns, however, may still be a little wet behind the ears, with 6 true freshman. Fortunately, Coach Barnes tends to get his teams well-prepared for conference play. Stay tuned for the first hoops installment of “Longhorns Update” in days to come.

3. One holiday that many are not aware of is Festivus, celebrated on December 23. The holiday first made its appearance in an episode of “Seinfeld” in 1997. It is a response to the mass commercialization of Christmas. Frank Costanza describes Festivus to Kramer during this episode:

Frank Costanza: "Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way."

Cosmo Kramer: "What happened to the doll?"

Frank Costanza: "It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!"

Kramer: "That must have been some kind of doll."

Frank Costanza: "She was."

Here is a brief video history of Festivus:

I suspect that in 1997, nobody figured that the holiday season would now include the use of pepper spray to get that last minute holiday gift special. Frank Costanza may have really been on to something here.

Photo credits: Wikipedia