Some took our advice last weekend. Many enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. Christmas decorations came out and began to be displayed. Oklahoma University fans were pleased and Oklahoma State University fans dismayed by a regional football game.

On Sunday, as the weather turned cold, fireplaces were stoked and good books were enjoyed. Another great overtime football game was available nationwide on Sunday night. All in all, for some, a great weekend with a few timeouts sprinkled in.

But not for all. We saw several homeless folks huddled under blankets in Spiva Park as the temperature dropped. We heard of huge crowds scrambling for bargains on Black Friday and of overwhelmed store clerks. At a few gatherings, we heard some intense political debate over a variety of things, most of which are out of our individual control. Afghanistan, health care and Sarah Palin (pro and con) seemed to top the list of those topics.

Certainly the world will continue to move, forward or backward depending on our politics, during the next 25 days until Christmas. People will continue to be cold, hungry, get sick without sufficient health insurance, some will die, and some will be born. Life on life’s terms will continue unabated. The alarm clock will also continue to sound as we begin another day.

We wonder if it is possible or even a good thing to try during these next 25 days to take the focus off of politics.

Today, we will hear the pros and cons related to the president’s speech on Afghanistan. Later in the week there will be yet more shrill cries related to health care reform. These are important issues and deserve our thoughts and attention.

It would also, however, maybe warm our own hearts if we took some hot soup to those folks huddled under blankets in Spiva Park and elsewhere or dropped more than loose change in the Salvation Army buckets around town. As individuals we can make a much bigger difference in doing so than more arguments about which party or individual is doing the next right thing for all Americans.

At least during the next 25 days.