Some Holiday Gift Wishes

Since this is the holiday season, and giving is better than receiving, I thought I would take a moment to pass along a few holiday gift wishes. They are presented in no particular order.

–To the Civil War Preservation Trust, I wish for you unlimited funds for the continuation of the good work that you do.

–To Jenny Goellnitz, I wish for you a lifetime of Hodge-free robust good health. I have many battlefields yet to show you.

–To Michael Aubrecht, I wish for you the joy of nights of sleep uninterrupted by Jackson’s cries.

–To Duane Siskey, I wish for you a lifetime of joy living on the battlefield in Gettysburg.

–To George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, I wish for you the impeachments that you so richly deserve.

–To Dana Shoaf, I wish for you an unlimited supply of great articles for your magazines.

–To Drew Wagenhoffer, I wish for you a huge supply of great Civil War books for your insightful reviews.

–To Mannie Gentile, I wish for you a full-time ranger position. I can’t think of anyone more worthy.

–To Ted Savas, I wish for you another year of great Civil War books marked by record, unprecedented sales.

–To Al Ovies, I wish for you to have ample time to finish your excellent work on Custer and Merritt, which I believe will be a very significant contribution to the body of knowledge.

–To Clark B. “Bud” Hall, I hope that this will be the year when you tell me that your Brandy Station manuscript is done and on its way to me for review and comment.

–To Kevin Levin, I wish for you a year of continued success in fighting the good fight against the neo-Confederates of the world. I can’t fight that fight alone.

–To Steve Basic, I wish for you a great year where you finally get to enjoy life for its own sake and not because you’re too busy taking care of someone else.

–To all U. S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, I wish for you safety and a very quick return home.

–To my brothers in arms J. D. Petruzzi and Mike Nugent, I wish for you the gift of multiple printings of One Continuous Fight.

–To the rest of my fellow Civil War bloggers, I wish for you another year of perseverance and satisfaction in knowing that others care enough about what you might have to say to give their time to read your words.

–To Jim Schmidt, I wish for you the joy of seeing your first book in print.

–To my father, I wish for you a few more good years of happiness and health before you leave us.

–To Ted Alexander, I wish for you continued success at losing weight. You’ve already made great progress, and all of your friends are proud of you.

–To Dimitri Rotov, I wish for you the continued gift of insight and commentary and for you to keep the rest of us honest.

–To Stan O’Donnell, I wish for you to learn that you have some familiar new neighbors in the mansion next door.

–To Brian Downey and Harry Smeltzer, I wish for you continued success with your very ambitious projects to bring quality digital history to the Internet.

–To Tonia “Teej” Smith, I wish for you a year without surgery. ‘Nuff said about that.

–To my much loved and long-suffering wife, Susan, I wish for you a year of stability and happiness after a really crappy 2007.

And to everyone else who gives their time and effort to indulging my rantings each day, I wish for you and yours a wonderful holiday season, no matter which holiday you may celebrate, and a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2008.