Apparently, Jon Daniels made an interesting impression on his fellow General Managers within Major League baseball during his first Winter Meeting as the Rangers GM.

"In every trade proposal, he's asking for the other general manager's first born, plus two pitchers."

"There might have been more grumbling about new Texas general manager Jon Daniels from his fellow GMs than about any other GM on the premises. Because he was looking to make a big deal in his debut, Daniels overpriced his most attractive commodity, Kevin Mench. And then, when he dealt his other big chip, Alfonso Soriano, he got a package back that, surprisingly, included no big-league ready starting pitchers" (Jayson Stark, espn.go.com).

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Saturday the girls and I went to Austin to see Santa Claus. We thought we zoom into Barton Creek Mall, make our way through the mall and get the girls picture with jolly ole Saint Nick.

We thought wrong!

Apparently, every other parent in central Texas had the same idea and chose the same mall to take their kids to see Santa.

It took us about 15 minutes to find a parking spot. Once we made our way through the mall to Santa's place, the line was over an hour long.

Needless to say, we decided to pass and are making plans to make another trip up later this week -- on an evening after school -- to let the girls sit on Santa's lap and convey their wishes to him.

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I love Christmas time but I think we have traditionally taken a wrong-headed approach toward Christmas.

Traditionally, we have talked about how, though the world celebrates Christmas as the birthday of Jesus, we in the churches of Christ do not because we do not know the day Jesus was born. In fact, we often argue, Jesus was likely born in the spring, when the weather was warmer, evidenced by the shepherds being out in the fields who saw the brilliant star in the sky.

Why have we traditionally insisted on arguing a tangential point when all of our friends and neighbors, who might otherwise not consider the influence of Jesus in their lives, have the thought of Jesus in the forefront of their minds.

The holiday season is not a time for arguing, it is a time for witnessing. I encourage you this holiday season to witness to the difference Jesus has made in your life. When a friend or neighbor raises the possibility of Christmas as the birthday of Jesus, use that open door to convey how Jesus has made a difference in your life.

It might just make this holiday season one to remember!