Rep. Emanuel Cleaver is definitely not happy about the turn of events in Congress. When I told the Democrat from Missouri that I was writing about how Christmas was ruined, he responded, “You’re talking to the right person.”

“A high level of Scrooge-tivity instead of Nativity is the order of the day here in Washington,” he said. “It may in fact be Christmas everywhere around the world except Capitol Hill, and I think we can leave off the first part of it and say on Capitol Hill we’re not having Christmas, we’re just having a mess.”…

Rep. Richard Nugent, R-Fla., said he wasn’t “grinchy” about the prospect of returning. But months ago, he planned for his entire family to go on a cruise the week of Christmas, including his three sons in the Army, one of whom is stationed in Germany.