A joyful Christmas Eve to you! We have a lot to get to before scattering far and wide for Christmas Eve services, so let’s get pouring. Trump Threatens to Take Back Panama Canal, Renews Interest in Purchasing Greenland President-Elect Donald Trump is threatening to take back the Panama Canal, complaining about the exorbitant fees Panama is now charging American ships to pass through it. “Our Navy and commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way,” he said. The U.S. handed over control of the canal, built with enormous American blood and treasure, in 1999 for $1 under a 1977 treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter. Warned Trump, "If the principles both moral and legal of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly, and without question." Panama President Jose Raul Mulino didn’t take kindly to Trump’s threat. “As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so,” he said in video statement, “The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.” Trump responded by posting a meme renaming the canal “the United States Canal.” Under the treaty, the United States can use military force to keep the canal open if its neutrality is threatened. So what's the deal? Trump isn’t just out to get a bargain on shipping rates. And his real audience is not Panama. As OANN Chief White House Correspondent Daniel Baldwin laid out on X, Trump must be concerned about China’s growing influence at the canal and in the region. - CK Hutchison Holdings manages two ports on the canal's Pacific and Caribbean entrances; - CK Hutchison is a Hong Kong-based conglomerate; - The China Harbour Engineering Company was heavily involved in expanding the Panama-Colón Container Port; - Chinese companies are heavily involved in financing and constructing infrastructure around the Canal; - Panama was the first Latin American country to sign onto China's Belt and Road Initiative; Sounds like it's pretty important to take back the Canal from the Chinese! Incidentally, this is the same reason Trump is again talking about the United States purchasing Greenland from Denmark. "For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he said while announcing Ken Howery as the new U.S. ambassador to Denmark. When Trump suggested grabbing Greenland during his first term, it sounded like one of his loopier ideas. But after one looks deeper, and recognizes China’s growing interest in the North Atlantic, it not only sounds reasonable, but necessary. Curiously enough, the idea of buying Greenland, which is home to 57,000 people and loads of ice, isn’t original to Trump. According to NBC News, the U.S. considered purchasing the island in 1867. Then in 1946, President Harry Truman offered $100 million to Denmark for it. Denmark passed. Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, is nixing Trump's latest bid. “Greenland is ours," he said. "We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom." Again, Trump’s audience is not Denmark. It’s China. Trump is sending a message that after four years of China running the table against (or with the Chinese owned) Joe Biden, America will be reasserting its dominance from Latin America to the Arctic. It's the Monroe Doctrine on steroids. Who knows? Regardless of what the good prime minister is saying now, Trump is such a salesman that perhaps he’ll convince Denmark to give us Greenland on the cheap as a 250th birthday present. Speaking of presents, Joe Biden's given a big one to some of the nation's most wicked people. Jolaboaflod — Iceland’s “Christmas Book Flood” After earning independence from Denmark during World War II, Iceland saw the rise of a new holiday tradition: Jolabaoflod, roughly translated as “Christmas (or Yule) Book Flood.” In this tradition, family members exchange books on Christmas Eve, then snuggle in to read aloud to each other from them. That certainly beats tapping away at our smartphones. What book would you give as a Christmas gift this year? (Don’t say A Christmas Carol. That’s cheating. Or The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. That’s just sucking up.) In recent days, Stream contributor Anne Morse has suggested two of them: Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and a little-known tome by Charles Dickens (check out her story on that coming up at 2 p.m. Central Time today). The “good news” — literally — is there is always one book that makes for excellent Christmas Eve reading. The Gospel according to Luke. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” To quote the late, great Paul Harvey. “And now you know the rest of the story.” May you have a joyful and blessed Christmas, filled with good cheer, great times and deep awe at the Wonder that came upon the world on this Holy night. As they say in Iceland, "Gleðileg jól!" Merry Christmas! | 
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