All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

Christina Ruffini is a CBS News broadcast associate based in Washington.In the aftermath of the holidays, I have been left with more than a few things that I would like to give back.

First there was the collection of bargain impostor perfumes I received from my anosmatic aunt, which exploded in the mail and arrived at my door smelling like a French brothel.

Then, there was the half-empty bottle of liqueur I got from a friend who simply shrugged and said, "Sorry, I had unexpected company."

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Christina Ruffini is a CBS News broadcast associate based in Washington.
In the aftermath of the holidays, I have been left with more than a few things that I would like to give back.

First there was the collection of bargain impostor perfumes I received from my anosmatic aunt, which exploded in the mail and arrived at my door smelling like a French brothel.

Then, there was the half-empty bottle of liqueur I got from a friend who simply shrugged and said, "Sorry, I had unexpected company."

Read full post…

Christina Ruffini is a CBS News broadcast associate based in Washington.

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Step away from the lights; back off from the ribbons; put down the hot cocoa.

Even though there is still more than a month left until the big guy in red makes his rounds, Christmas is breaking out all over. I haven't even gotten one bite of Thanksgiving Turkey, yet I am already being force-fed sugar plums and candy canes at every turn.

The local mall has been smothered in sprigs of holly. Downtown is plastered with industrial-strength garland. Bell ringers are out in force, trying to guilt me out of my hard-earned change. I can't even hear Jingle Bells - which has already started playing at every big-box retailer - without feeling compelled to reach into my pocket and dig around for a donation.

Everywhere I go, it seems like people are trying to jump-start the joy. Maybe it's because we've had such a rough year. Perhaps the theory is that by nudging up the noel, we can put the mortgage meltdowns, gargantuan gas prices, epic election and, of course, that Phillies win at the World Series, behind us that much faster. But gingerbread glee is not ...

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Christmas became a national holiday in 1870. Before that, celebrating it was often no big deal -- and sometimes it was banned, says Katie Couric.

For more, just click the monitor at left.

Mark Knoller is a White House Correspondent for CBS News.

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If you think you’re in holiday overload, consider the president and first lady.

Last evening, they hosted the last of 25 holiday receptions, events and programs that have brought upwards of 10,000 invited guests to the White House since Nov. 29.

These were parties for friends, political donors and supporters, administration officials, members of Congress, the news media and the Secret Service, among others.

And the Bushes stood for photos with nearly each and every one of their invitees. That’s a lot of holiday handshaking.

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The "C&C" staff takes a back seat to no one when it comes to celebrating the holidays. We are a festive bunch. That includes trimming the tree. (Don't ask us to untangle the lights, though. There was that unpleasant incident a few years back when the knotted string of lights was finally hurled against the wall -- making a festive display that took lots of spackle and paint to remove. But we digress.)

So when we heard about the recent unpleasantness at the Seattle airport, we were baffled. And befuddled.

Certainly, we can appreciate the rabbi wanting a spirit of inclusiveness at a major transit hub. But it seems to us a menorah is an overtly religious symbol. A Christmas tree, frankly, isn't. Indeed, its roots (pun intended) are purely pagan and it has nothing to do with the nativity story at all.

It seems to me, the point of this holiday season is, inevitably, light -- spiritual, salvific, or electric. We are entering the darkest time of year. We crave wattage. Whether it comes from a candle in a menorah, or a bulb in a tree, or a baby in a manger, we seek illumination, and radiance.

Bring back the trees. String bulbs. Light candles, whether in a menorah or on a branch, and let's keep darkness at bay.

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It’s that time of year again. Time to deck the halls, bake cookies, and spread holiday cheer by suing the pants off your neighbors. CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen unwraps all you need to know to have a Merry Litigious Christmas. – Ed.

I wish I could report happily that the law is crystal clear when it comes to holiday displays (like crèches or Menorahs) that inevitably are placed onto government property this time of year. I wish I could explain clearly when the first amendment prohibits such displays and when it embraces them. But alas I cannot. And neither, apparently, can the Supreme Court, which has failed miserably during the past generation in providing any risk-free guidelines about the annual late-year ritual of feverish litigation that is as expected as Rudolph and as scorned as Scrooge.

Right now, as near as I can tell, it is constitutional for local officials to allow a holiday display that has “religious” connotations so long as that display is included among other displays that tamper down any idea that local government is endorsing one religion over another or religion per se. This legal logic has led us to the Jersey City model of holiday displays whereby local officials, to save their Christmas tree and Menorah display from being held unconstitutional, added to that display a sled, a Santa Claus, Kwanzaa symbols and, of course, that post-light of constitutional symbolism: Frosty the Snowman. You read that right. Frosty truly saved Christmas in Jersey City that year.

So although it’s a little late in the game for this year, if you are still hankering to see a “holiday” display on your town’s public property make sure you think big, expansive, and crassly commercial. Think crèche but also think jumbo plastic Santa. You’ll increase your chances that a federal judge out there will allow your display to stand through the holiday. Also, it’ll keep your mind off otherwise bugging your neighbors by complaining about the “peace symbol” wreath they have chosen to place upon a wall of there home this season. Again, I’m not kidding. Some stout folks (with clearly way too much time on their hands) who are running a homeowners association in southwest Colorado are complaining about these days that the peace symbol is offensive to some who live in the private subdivision. Can you imagine? Of course you can. Tis the season.

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