PIERS MORGAN not enjoying the holidays so much.

CHAINS RATTLING, and who’s that ghost?

AT AMAZON, up to 50% off in Kitchen, Home & Garden.

HOW TO BEAT THE SPECIAL INTERESTS: Get Some Special Interests On Your Side.

THE PRETENDERS: 2000 Miles.

AT AMAZON, Year-End Deals In Electronics & Accessories.

MICHAEL TOTTEN EMAILS THAT JACK REACHER IS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD: “Tom Cruise did a better job than I expected despite the fact that he’s almost a foot too short. He nails the character. Really, he does. And I hope this is just the beginning of a new film series. If you like the books, go see the movie. Aside from one silly scene in the middle, it’s about as solid as a Jack Reacher movie could be.”

HISTORY: Curators discover first recordings of Christmas Day. “Curators at the Museum of London have discovered what they believe to be the first ever recordings of a family Christmas. They were made 110 years ago by the Wall family who lived in New Southgate in North London.”

MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Reflections On Newtown.

PROF. JACOBSON: NBC News stonewalls inquiries regarding David Gregory and “active investigation” by D.C. Police. “I spoke with Officer Alali, the spokesman on duty today at the MPD, who refused any further comment except to confirm that there is an ‘active investigation.'”

RICK TORRES SAYS THAT SEEING THIS AS A KID STARTED HIS MUSICAL CAREER: Bing Crosby and David Bowie: The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth.

FRANK SINATRA: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

DAVID CHOI: Silent Night.

POMPLAMOOSE: O Come, All Ye Faithful.

MERRY CHRISTMAS:

Via Molly Lewis. Entire Wade Johnston Christmas Extravaganza here.

ALCESTIS OBERG: Cherish holidays in good times and bad.

PETER INGEMI: The World Can Wait Til After Christmas. “I think we can go a couple of days without dealing with the MSM and their idiocy, in fact I think we’ll all do better for it.”

LIFE AMONG THE BARBARIANS: Timbuktu mausoleums ‘destroyed.’ “Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th centuries. It is a UN World Heritage site with centuries-old shrines to Islamic saints that are revered by Sufi Muslims. The Salafists of Ansar Dine condemn the veneration of saints. . . . The news that further monuments were being destroyed came one day after Islamists were reported to have cut the hands off two people.”

OKAY, IT’S CHRISTMAS AND YOU CAN’T ORDER ANYTHING — but you can send Amazon gift cards by email, or print ’em out yourself. Just in case you dropped the ball somewhere. . . .

Also, today only: Up to 67% Off “Disney Epic Mickey 2” and “Just Dance Disney Party.” And a bunch of other video game “lightning deals” throughout the day — new ones every hour.

FREE ON KINDLE TODAY: A Magic Broken.

2012: THE BEST YEAR EVER? “2012 has been a spectacular year in terms of net global prosperity, accompanied by less hunger, less disease, and less war than ever before. . . . And hey, what about energy scarcity? Pfffft. Thanks to improved efficiencies and new technologies (a.k.a. hydraulic fracturing!), both our total fossil-fuel usage and carbon emissions are on the way down. What’s more, the sane thinking involving the threat of climate change is looking a lot less catastrophic than we have always been led to believe.”

R.I.P., Jack Klugman.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!