John Block Reports from Washington

It's hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone. This is a time of year that brings back memories. I remember Christmas as a boy on our farm in Illinois. My sisters and I were up early to get downstairs to check under the tree and see what presents were there. I'll never forget one year when we found three shining new sleds. We were so excited. There was plenty of snow on the ground and it would be perfect for sledding.

Chores had to be done first. That meant milking cows, feeding the chickens and slopping the pigs. We all would pitch in to get it done, including my grandfather who lived with us. Our mother had gotten up early to put the turkey in the oven. It smelled so good!

Now that I have turkey on my mind, I'm reminded of the turkey President Bush received from the Turkey Federation on Thanksgiving. A big plum bird. How wonderful! Laura could have fed the whole family a turkey dinner. Or they could have donated the bird to a church or soup kitchen to feed the hungry. But, no -- the President gave it to a petting zoo. Come on! Turkeys are for eating, not petting. It is not a dog.

Anyhow, we ate our turkey on the farm that Christmas and then went sledding across the creek from our house on a wooded hillside. My sister Jill and I maneuvered the slope just fine but Judy ran into a tree and broke her arm. How could we ever forget that Christmas?

There are many more memories that keep coming back -- a boy at Christmas on a farm.

I want to close my program by reading a few words that were on a Christmas card I received from Dr. Robert Schuller. "Lord, your love on life's journey shows us that -- there's a light behind every shadow -there's a star in every scar -- there's a hidden possibility in every painful problem. So, Lord, we are filled with hope this Christmas. And we believe in tomorrow! That's why we celebrate a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

And I'm John Block from Washington.