Menorah retrieved from Hurricane Katrina muck in Lakeview is part of White House Hanukkah celebration

"Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of Jewish survival, and on Thursday, President Barack Obama and some 500 notables, mostly Jewish, celebrated the second of the holiday’s eight nights by lighting a menorah fished from the muck of Congregation Beth Israel’s flooded synagogue in Lakeview after Hurricane Katrina."

Click here for more on the celebration.

Gulf seafood to star at White House holiday parties

"From the White House to the Capitol on Wednesday, Washington's political class was consuming lots of Gulf seafood.

White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford plans to serve more than 2,000 pounds of Gulf Coast shrimp and seafood during a series of holiday parties, which began Wednesday night with a reception for volunteers."

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Golf Legend Betsy King Returns to Africa

"This December, golf legend and LPGA Hall of Fame legend Betsy King, from Scottsdale, Arizona will make her third trip to Africa to help aspiring young female golfers in Kenya, genocide survivors in Rwanda and AIDS orphans in Lesotho. King will go with LPGA golfer Stacy Lewis and two LPGA teaching pros: Suzanne Strudwick and Susie Corona."

Click here for more on the trip.

One Simple Step to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

"Tis the season for worrying about holiday weight gain. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the the self-help to-do lists to avoid packing on the L-Bs for the winter, but would rather not get Santa-fat this December, I have come up with a one-step program to help you out. Actually, one size does not fit all, so I have created ten, one-step programs so you can find the one that works best for you."

Click here for more about these one-step programs.

On a Horse and a Prayer: Going for Gold in 2012

"Donna Ponessa is getting ready to compete in the Equestrian events in an Olympic event (the 2012 Paralympic Games) and she knows exactly how much time it will take to get ready. Her clock is already ticking down and her sights are honed on London."

To learn more about this extraordinary young woman, click here.

Don't even think about silencing those holiday bells

"I have a recurring holiday dream. In it, I spend a day visiting every Salvation Army bell ringer in the city of Chicago. I drop some change in the kettles and offer those kind souls a firm handshake and a sincere thanks for all they do. And then I take their bells. I take their loud, incessantly clanging bells and I gather them up and throw them all into Lake Michigan."

Click here for more on Rex Huppke's dream and changed perspective.

Religious Freedom and National Security: Joined at the Hip

"If you’re like me, you typically associate national security with diplomacy, intelligence, and, of course, the military. That’s why I was intrigued by a recent conference at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University."

Click here to read more of Chuck Colson's commentary.