After a winter elementary school concert, a student came into her teacher's room and asked what "pet the ham" meant. When told the teacher had no idea, the little girl became upset and said, "You should know. They sang it at our program."

Still not understanding her, the teacher calmed her down and asked her to tell exactly where she heard it. She sang, "Follow that star, follow that star to pet the ham." (Thanks to Joell Rachel, Aberdeen, South Dakota)

Are you "following that star to Bethlehem?" And if you are, are you following it for the right reasons?

How many of you curtailed your travel schedules this fall? After 9/11, getting on a plane has become a step of faith some of us are still unwilling to take. Suddenly one of the great freedoms we have taken for granted has been threaten…