Ron & Jen’s Great Escape, December 20, 2023 – Ron St. Pierre and Jen Brien

by Ron St. Pierre and Jen Brien, commentary

NORAD SANTA

Every year without fail you’ll find me tracking SANTA CLAUSE on Christmas Eve. How I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that NORAD (North American Aerospace  Defense Command)  does this to allow old and young the treat of flying along with Santa all over the world. NORAD’s predecessor, CONAD (Continental Air Defense Command), began tracking Santa in 1955 (by accident!) and NORAD took over in 1958, and has never missed a year since! 

Santa flies all over the world and zips by the 7 wonders as well as many other exotic locations that NORAD captures on the “SantaCam”! It’s a great experience a family can enjoy together and really makes the countdown ‘til Christmas morning that much more special!

The joy of the holiday season got lost on so many people this year. I know it’s been a rough few years. Trust me. I get it. We all have gone through so much together as a nation and in our private lives that seemed at times it might crush us. I promise you… I really understand that… but here we are – still standing and grinding it out. This is the time of year when I hope you can at least catch your breath and laugh a little bit. If you need some help softening your tough heart check out NORAD SANTA on the 24th. You will at least smile and maybe recall a time when the world hadn’t chipped away at your child like demeanor yet.

I’ll be there….You can bet on that.

Merry Christmas, my friends,

Jennifer

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OVERDONE OVERPASS

The length of those Washington Bridge press conferences last week could have been cut in half if those taking the podium omitted their nauseating back slapping. Was it really necessary to heap praise upon each other for doing the job you’re elected to do? Give us the updated facts and spare us the all-around glad handing. With that said, props to the DOT for getting 195 W temporary lanes open in just a matter of days.

WIZARD OF AHHHH’S

Will somebody… anybody… please sit down and do what radio and TV folks call an “air check” with Governor Dan McKee? He must be one of the worst public speakers to ever get in front of a microphone and camera. There are certainly enough media folks on his payroll to point out his plethora of ummms… and… ahhhs… dominating his every sentence.

CHRISTMAS DREAM

A wonderful Christmas song is CHRISTMAS DREAM, a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1974 movie THE ODESSA FILE. It’s sung by Perry Como and The London Boys Singers. Even though the song’s “dream” seems to be more a fantasy with each advancing year, it’s always nice to reflect upon the lyrics:

Crazy things are said and done

Every single day but one

Every night should I believe

Be the same as Christmas Eve

Nights should all be silent

Days should all slow down

An end to the hurry, the noise and the worry

And I hope you believe that too

It’s Christmas, remember

Does no one remember?

The whole world needs, a Christmas dream

We need it to warm us, to calm use, to love us

To help us to dream our Christmas dream

Merry Christmas!

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Read all of Ron & Jen’s columns, here: https://rinewstoday.com/ron-st-pierre-jen-brien/

Ron St. Pierre is a veteran broadcaster whose career has spanned over four decades. Ron has programmed, performed on and managed WHJJ, WPRO, WWRX, 790 The Score in Providence, as well as WBZT and WKGR in West Palm Beach and WABC in New York City. Ron also anchored sports on WPRI Ch 12 in Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He was born and raised in Pawtucket.

Jen Brien has over 20 years of radio broadcast experience having hosted shows on WPRO and WHJJ with Ron as well as her own shows on WRKO and WBZ in Boston, WXTK on Cape Cod and WHAM in Rochester, New York. Jen was born and raised in Woonsocket and served six years in the Army MP Canine Unit.

Hazel, Ron’s dog, makes regular appearances.

“Ron and Jen’s Great Escape” podcast, a more lighthearted look at the events happening around us, can be found on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes premiering each Wednesday and listen to Ron and Jen’s Great Escape on NewsRadio 920 and 104-7 FM, Saturday morning, 7am!