Believing the Unbelievable, and other "Christmas" links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• Believing the Unbelievable: Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph (Matthew 1:18–25) -- "Joseph came from the line of David, as did his fiancé Mary. Though they had royal blood, they were not rich, and Joseph would provide for his family by being a carpenter."
• Best Little Debbie Christmas Snacks -- Bless Your Rank -- "Matt guides us through the best Little Debbie Christmas Snacks. A tough choice around the holidays, but we have you covered as Matt ranks best to worst."
• Iceland is officially worshiping Norse Gods again -- "We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology."
• Man arrested in Texas after telling kids Santa isn’t real -- "Guess they wanted coal in their stockings to go with a court appearance."
• Nebraska principal bans candy canes, says ‘J’ shape stands for Jesus -- "Historically, the shape is a ‘J’ for Jesus. The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection. This will also include different colored candy canes."
• Pretty Paper -- "I was walking around, just looking over my land when my mind went back to someone I hadn’t thought about for years: a man without legs who sold pencils and what he called pretty paper in front of Leonard’s Department Store in Fort Worth."
• Radio station stops playing “Baby It’s Cold Outside” after listeners voice concerns about lyrics in #MeToo era -- The song was written by popular Broadway composer Frank Loesser, who originally performed it as a humorous number with his wife. But the lyrics, in today’s context, have taken on somewhat more sinister connotations.
• Singing Mary’s Song of Thanksgiving -- "Throughout her song, she weaves in and references God’s character: he is her Savior, he is holy, he is merciful, he is mighty and strong."
• Station nixes ban on controversial song after "overwhelming" poll results -- "After hearing from thousands of Bay Area listeners via polling, phone calls, emails and social media, KOIT has concluded that the vast majority consider the song to be a valuable part of their holiday tradition, and they still want to hear it on the radio."
• The substitute teacher who told kids Santa wasn’t real gets the boot -- Rovtar said the first graders peppered the sub with questions about the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Elf on a Shelf (the storybook ‘scout elf’ aiding Santa), and the fortune-granting powers of leprechauns. She proceeded to debunk all of it.