Celebrating the Joy of Christmas
The most magical time of the year
This is the most magical time of the year. Together, we once again have the opportunity to celebrate the birth and life of our savior, Jesus Christ.
Here in Mississippi and around the world, families are gathered together. The smell of freshly baked cookies fills the room, and the sound of Christmas songs fills the air. Our hearts are filled with love, and the world, at least momentarily, feels like a better place.
I know a recent reading of the headlines can make any person pessimistic and worried about our future, and our children’s future. The inability of leaders from our nation’s most prestigious universities to denounce Hamas, a barbaric terrorist organization, was shocking. Yet at the same time, they simultaneously denounce and work to block people like Riley Gaines from entering their campuses, all because she has a simple message that men are men and women are women. That “better place” seems far away, as the cultural rot that is sweeping our nation now seems ubiquitous. It is even right here in Mississippi.
And there are plenty of other things that concern me that I could share here. But then I think of the Christmas spirit. I think of Christmas mornings of years ago when my boys were younger. The anticipation and pure joy in their eyes. The hours spent putting a new toy together. The time with family over our traditional holiday meals. The image of the nativity scene, singing Christmas carols, and worshiping together. The hope of days ahead.
That spirit of Christmas should instill within us a new sense of hope — a hope for a brighter and better world. We can carry the goodwill of this season throughout the year, spreading kindness and understanding wherever we go. Because regardless of what is going on in the world, and trust me we are fighting to do what is right here in Mississippi, we know the peace we have in Christ. We know that He is bigger than any one of us and anything else going on.
We know that the true essence of Christmas lies not in the lavish presents or well appointed meals, but in the joy of knowing the One who came to this earth to save us and then to be WITH us; it lies in the spirit of grace, generosity, and compassion. It is in the acts of kindness that light up someone's day, the warm embrace shared with a friend, and the laughter that echoes through the air—all create those special moments of sheer happiness found in the meaning of Christmas.
Christmas is also a natural time to reflect. To ponder the journey of the past year and to embrace the fresh start of the year ahead. I’m excited for 2024 and the possibilities we will have to restore the culture in Mississippi.
I’ll be talking about legislative priorities in the days ahead, and like in previous years, I will need your help in passing this bold agenda to take back our culture! But for now I hope you have a joyous Christmas, and a happy holidays to those who do not celebrate Christmas!
Here are other stories that you need to see:
National School Superintendents Associations supports push to remove parental consent
These ideas are supported by The School Superintendents Association, which says that parental consent often gets in their way.
From the report:
We hope that this new survey data highlighting the increased challenges in obtaining parental consent and the impact it has on the ability of school-based providers to deliver Medicaid reimbursable services to children, spurs policy changes at the U.S. Department of Education that will make it easier for districts to bill Medicaid for these healthcare services.
Addressing the biggest issues on college campuses
Colleges didn't become radical after the latest attacks from Hamas. This is not a new problem, and not one that is going to be solved through one Congressional hearing or one president stepping down.
From IWF:
Magill’s resignation is a start, but the real problems at UPenn — and in our university system at-large — predate Magill’s tenure, and they will continue unless they are directly confronted and real change is made. The university’s embrace of the DEI victim matrix hasn’t just led to an outbreak of anti-Semitism, but to speech code policies that discriminate based on viewpoint...The current system values diversity, equity, and inclusion over meritocracy and truth. Today, university leaders, professors, and fellow students cram down their views of equity-based morality on students, with no room for dissent, which is how we got to where we are today.
Neighborhood schools become school based mental health clinics
The federal government does many things that don't get a lot of attention. That's on purpose. The push to remove parental consent and rights in schools is only growing.
From Anita Hodge:
In order for this system to move swiftly, schools are also allowed to skip over parental informed consent so that mental health treatment of children at school and billing Medicaid could move forward. Parents beware...On March 31, 2023, the White House put out a fact sheet that expanded coverage for gender affirming care which would also come under the “no parental permission” needed by reducing administrative burdens for Medicaid billing. Do parents have the right to know and give permission about their children when the school is promoting and supporting gender affirming care to your child?
We can do this. We don't have to simply believe this is the way it has to be.
I appreciate your support!
Merry Christmas,
Lesley