Silver Bells:It’ s Christmas eve and despite the government shutdown, the Norad Santa tracker is working. Just after 8 am EST Santa arrived in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia. Could it be collusion?

Get Out:  Meanwhile, the Grinch is alone in the White House during the Christmas shutdown and by all reports, seething.

  President Trump finally woke up and understood the scolding he took in Secretary of State James Mattis’s letter of resignation and told him to leave almost immediately. Mattis had said he would stay to the end of February for a smooth transition but Trump yesterday ordered Mattis out by January 1^st.

  In effect, Trump fired a man who had already quit.

  Mattis resigned in large part because of Trump’s abrupt decision to pull all 2,000 American troops out of Syria without consulting anyone in the Pentagon or national security.

  Now, reports say Trump has become furious at news describing Mattis as a principled hero standing up to the President.

  Trump named Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahanto run the Pentagon, tweeting. “He will be great!” All the President’s appointments are great until they aren’t.

Trump didn’t read Mattis’s scathing letter  the day he received it. He instead posted a glowing tweet saying, “I greatly thank Jim for his service!”

  Repeat: The President of the United States did not read one of the most historically critical letters of resignation in American history the day it was  handed it to him.

Tsunami:Several hundred people are dead and about 1,000 injured after a tsunami hit Indonesia’s two most populous islands Saturday night. The wave hit both Sumatra and Java. 

  The tsunami damaged or destroyed at least 611 homes, 69 hotels and villas, 60 small shops and 420 boats, according to the spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster management agency.

  The NY Timesreports that in just one incident, the wave crashed through a venue where a rock band was playing at an event for the state electric company.  At least 14 people were killed.

  Geologists say the wave may have been set off by an undersea landslide  on the island of Anak Krakatau.

 Anak Krakatau, which translated means Child of Krakatau, was formed after the eruption of Krakatau in 1883, one of the biggest in recorded history.

Permawar:Turkey says it will step up and support the American-backed Syrian forces that have been fighting the Islamic State. But it looks like the first thing they are going to do is attack into an area held by Kurdish fighters who have been backed by the US. It’s going to be a mess. It already isa mess.

Frozen in Time:Archeologists in Pompeii, Italy, have unearthed the remains of a petrified horse in what appears to be a stable owned by a high-ranking military officer. They’ve been finding a lot of interesting stuff in recent years.

  The eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii, near present-day Naples, in 79 AD.

Do They Know It’s Christmas?: Enough already. It’s time to hunker down, relax, and drink some eggnog. Stop shopping and stay home. Even Amazon Prime can’t deliver in time for Christmas. Play some Christmas music and follow Santa’s rounds on Norad. Merry Christmas.