RUSH: Hey, folks, I hope everybody had a wonderful weekend, a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and now we are officially into the — well, we call it the Christmas season here, but that’s not meant to leave anybody out. Christmas is a national holiday and we are inclusive here at the EIB Network, and so we welcome everybody into our spirit, feelings of joy and goodwill and all of that.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I flew to St. Louis on Thanksgiving Day. The family had dinner there together. There were 25 of us that were able to assemble this year. And then after dinner flew back Thanksgiving night, had golf and other things the next day.

And then Saturday was back to Missouri because my niece, Christen, is engaged, and the engagement party was Saturday night in our hometown, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Cape Girardeau, when I was growing up, you know what it looked like at Christmas? Have you seen the movie It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart and the gang? Remember, whatever the name of that town was, the Christmas decorations that were on the street posts across the street with the stars and the angels. Well, that’s what Broadway was when I was growing up, Cape Girardeau. Cape Girardeau looked just like the town in It’s a Wonderful Life? I’m having a mental block. Something falls, Middlebrook Falls or something.

At any rate, they had similar type decorations up on Saturday night, even though they’ve been modernized. But it was a — I mean, 200 people showed up. Bedford Falls. That’s what it was. Bedford Falls. Any time I watch It’s a Wonderful Life I think of my hometown when watching that. And, no, I do not get tired of watching it. In fact, I love Christmas movies that tug at your heart and cause you to cry. I love those things, the Hallmark-type stuff.

And you know why? You know why I love those things? Because they are a link to a wholesome, decent culture that has not been corrupted or polluted by anything. It’s not a desire to skip back in time. It’s just a remembrance of what the anchors of our culture and society used to be. And I don’t watch those old Christmas movies and get snarky about it. I look at ’em and I enjoy ’em for what they are. ‘Cause at one time that was America, and at one time that’s what America was, and at one time they made movies that reflected what America was, rather than preach to America about what it should be or what they don’t like about it, which is what happens now.

Anyway, 200 people showed up. They set up a smoking section for me in this place. It was about 50 degrees out and I was willing to go outside, perfectly willing. I was perfectly comfortable out there, “No, no, no, you gotta come in.” So they set up a little smoking section for me inside the — it’s a place called Celebrations. It’s not a restaurant. It’s a gigantic room with a couple bars, little dining rooms that you can rent for private parties and stuff. And me being a powerful, influential member the media — you know, I shouldn’t mention the name. Now this place is gonna get beat up on Twitter like you — well, they’ll get business.

Anyway, they set up a smoking section for me, it was right outside the kitchen. And people walked back, said hello. Some of these people I had not seen in 40 years, even though I’ve been back, but it was this party that got everybody together. It was fun. It was fun. And there were relatives of some of the old townies that I had not met. It was a two or three hour thing, heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, cash bar, my brother went cheap. You had to pay if you wanted adult beverages. No, no. It’s a way of limiting the consumption of adult beverages, the cash bar. He didn’t go cheap. Just typical familial humor.

But I finished that, and my cousin Stephen and Marsha drove me out to the airport, and I got back about 2 o’clock Sunday morning, got up, played golf, and thought about watching the Steelers last night. And I did. I watched all told maybe a quarter. Well, I have to admit it. I can’t sit here and say that I didn’t watch it.