Next week, the annual Christmas Holiday will be celebrated throughout the world.

It is time when many families and friends will get together as 2024 winds down to the end of the year.

It gives us a time to reflect on this past year and look forward to 2025. As we all know, in our great Upper Peninsula, we usually don’t have to be singing the famous Bing Crosby Christmas song, “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.”

A white Christmas in the U.P. this year is almost certainly guaranteed.

For those of you who may be traveling by car during this very busy time of year, please be certain to travel safe.

Do yourself and your passengers a valuable service and take a short break from your driving every several hours or so, and of course, do not drive when you are overly tired, and absolutely do not ever “drink and drive”.

Let us now add a little humor to your holiday season with some silly Christmas humor.

1. People who are afraid of Santa Claus are said to be “Claustrophobic”.

2. The nationality of Santa Claus is said to be “North-Polish”. 

3. Santa named his new pet dog “Santa Paws”, and named his new pet cat “Santa Claws”. 

4. Santa’s alphabet has only 25 letters, instead of 26, because it has “Noel” (no letter L).

5. Be advised that Santa’s favorite motorcycle is a “Holly Davidson”.

6. Santa has 3 gardens at the North Pole and he therefore has to “Hoe, Hoe, Hoe” all year long.

7. On Christmas Eve before he took off, Mrs. Claus advised him that the weather looks like “Rain Dear”.

8. After Santa visits your home, this is the time you can hopefully then “feel his presents.”

Please recall that laughter truly is good medicine. Be aware that there is much scientific evidence to prove the many health benefits of humor and laughter.

Medical specialists at the Mayo Clinic and elsewhere have studied the effects of humor with regard to medicine and healing.

They all agree that laughter does provide multiple health benefits, and perhaps the most obvious would be that laughter can be a great form of stress relief.

As our year 2024 comes to an end and we move on to our New Year, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a most joyful and happy holiday season.

I sincerely hope you have a special time with family, friends, co-workers, and all with whom you share this special time of year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of the best-selling SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet book and his new joke book, entitled “Laughter Is Good Medicine.” Dr. Jim’s website is sosdietbook.com.