Christmas Time Is Here...All is Calm...All is Bright...

It is now 11:07 p.m. CST, Friday, December 24, 2010. The kids are settling in to bed (finally). The presents are wrapped and are under the tree. And here I am thinking about what to write. I look back on what I wrote last year at this time, and many of the things I wrote then still ring true today:

"This has been a very rough year financially, emotionally, mentally for a lot of people. In fact, I know that many people are cutting back on the usual extravagances, opting for simple get-togethers with family and friends. Many adults have agreed to skip the exchange of Christmas presents, opting to focus their gift giving towards their children, who, regardless of the state of the world right now, deserve a good holiday."

So back to the point. It is Christmas. It is a time to reflect, a time to celebrate. A time to remember what it is all about. What it really is all about. Again, from last year:

"I think I'm trying to say that as our priorities shift, I think it's more important that we think about what Christmas is all about. Yes, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. And that is why my family and I celebrate. But there is so much more to it than that. This is the time of year that we show our friends and family how much they mean to us. How much they matter to us. How much we care about them and believe that the feelings are mutual. This is the time that we put any hostilities we have aside and celebrate life. It's the time of year that we think about those who are less fortunate, and find ways to help, no matter how much or how little, and count our blessings."

Another year is soon coming to an end. In the world that we call our Hobby, it has seen the results of the dramatic changes that were announced over a year ago. Whether the Topps Company successfully took advantage of their "Exclusive License" or not gets a different answer depending on who you ask. For me, there were a lot more hits than misses. Not saying that all of their products were great (or the execution therein), but there can only be improvements. Remember, this is the first time since 1980 that they had the market all to themselves. It will take a while before they get the hang of it. Based on what I've seen so far, the future only looks bright.

Regardless of where you find yourselves these next few days, on behalf of my family, I wish you and yours a happy, a safe, a joyous, and most importantly, a very Merry Christmas. May packs of Topps cards fill your stocking on Christmas morning.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S. In past years posts, I included a few Christmas videos of songs I enjoy hearing during the holidays. This year, my daughter introduced me to what I think will rank up there in my favorite Christmas/Holiday carols of all time. From Straight No Chaser, it's the Christmas Can-Can. jba