Opinion: A Huckabee Xmas story

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Given Mike Huckabee’s past as a Baptist minister -- as well as the campaign spotlight he’s put on his religion (the ‘Christian Leader’ ad; the controversial Christmas ad, with its intentional or coincidental cross image) -- one would imagine his family’s holiday ritual would be of the most traditional sort.

That’s partially the case, as he revealed during an interview in Iowa. As the Republican presidential candidate looked ahead to taking a short (very short) Christmas break back home in Arkansas, he told the political crew from MSNBC that he and his wife would be at their local church on Christmas Eve. ‘It’s a huge community-wide celebration, and we do that every year,’ Huckabee said.

But then came the shocker: ‘... we have an unusual tradition that after the Christmas Eve service we go out and eat Chinese food. Don’t ask me why.’

We wonder if the custom began before or after ‘A Christmas Story’ hit movie screens in 1983, with its payoff scene in a Chinese restaurant.

The unexpected Huckabee anecdote comes at the end of a piece in which, as headlined, he talks about religion, tolerance and morality.

-- Don Frederick