Introduction to Business 101: Golf with THE Chuck A Tribute to Enduring American Grit This column is dedicated to Americans who believe peace is preserved by strength, borders matter, and leadership doesn’t take holidays — even when the calendar says it should. December 24–28, 2025 (Best enjoyed with a properly built Old Fashioned, a Deployment Freedom Cigar, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you’re safe — even if too many Americans aren’t.)
Cold-Humor Opener
Christmas week is supposed to be quiet. It never is. The holiday kicked off right for Chrisi and me — attending Midnight Mass at St. Peter Catholic Church here in Geneva, Illinois, where the ancient hymns and candlelit vigil reminded us of the true light breaking into darkness, the reason for enduring hope amid a turbulent world. Then, as I sat on the back patio of my in-laws’ home — Eagle Brook Country Club behind me, die-hard golfers grinding through cold fairways ahead — I watched discipline in motion. No crowds. No cameras. Just fundamentals.
In my hand: a Col. Mike Ford Old Fashioned, built the right way, with Tears of the Left Bourbon — a Kentucky Straight Bourbon produced by Bardstown Bourbon Company in collaboration with Rob Schneider, clocking in at 90.94 proof (45.47% ABV) and crafted in small batches for that smooth, freedom-forged flavor. Paired with a Deployment Freedom Cigar, a premium hand-selected tobacco blend from Deployment Brands that burns clean and steady, with every purchase supporting cigars sent to our troops and first responders downrange.
The kind of pairing that makes you think clearly — and notice uncomfortable contrasts. Safe suburbs. Warm bourbon. Cold air. Meanwhile, Chicago logged a grim tally over the holiday weekend: at least 28 shot and 6 dead, including incidents like a mass shooting on December 28 that left one dead and three critically wounded, and earlier Christmas night violence injuring six more. Political leadership still refuses National Guard support because admitting reality would mean admitting failure — rogue blue states and major cities don’t care about you, prioritizing ideology over safety. That’s the business lesson of the week. And it’s also the golf lesson. Let’s tee it up. 
WEEKEND LESSONS TEED UP
(December 24–28, 2025)
Lesson 1 — Leadership Doesn’t Clock Out (Christmas Eve & Christmas Day) While much of Washington enjoyed a federally sanctioned five-day pause — thanks to President Trump’s executive order signed on December 18, designating December 24 and 26 as federal holidays, extending the standard Christmas Day closure for most executive departments and agencies — Trump didn’t disappear. He shifted terrain. Public schedule light: On December 24, he participated in NORAD Santa calls and connected with service members worldwide from Mar-a-Lago.
Private actions heavy: On Christmas Day, he directed precise U.S. strikes against ISIS in northwest Nigeria, citing the genocidal levels of Christian killings by groups like Boko Haram and Fulani jihadists, which spike around holidays. Trump warned that continued attacks would bring more consequences, emphasizing that radical Islamic terrorism won’t prosper under his watch. Quietly, the pressure cooker stayed on high elsewhere: Around Christmas Eve, the White House ordered U.S. forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a “quarantine” of Venezuelan oil — blocking sanctioned tankers and starving Nicolás Maduro’s regime of its economic lifeline, tied to alleged drug trafficking and terror financing.
No fanfare, just execution. In business terms, this is the owner showing up during the holiday shutdown to check inventory himself — ensuring essential services like national security remain operational, as the order allowed agency heads to require personnel for defense or public needs. In golf terms, it’s walking the course at dawn when no one’s watching — because championships aren’t won during holiday scrambles. Leadership Takeaway: Visibility is optional. Responsibility isn’t.
Lesson 2 — Golf Reveals Who You Trust (December 25–26) Trump was seen golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach during the holiday stretch — not alone, not randomly. Among those nearby or paired: Saquon Barkley, bringing an elite NFL performance mindset; Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War, embodying clarity over comfort; and John Phelan, Secretary of the Navy, representing discipline and readiness. Golf exposes everything: patience, temperament, honesty. You don’t bring people into that space casually. Deals get tested on fairways long before they’re signed in boardrooms. Meanwhile, the federal holiday on December 26 meant government offices closed, but most banks, post offices, and businesses operated normally — a reminder that real work doesn’t halt for calendars. And down in the Caribbean, the naval armada kept the quarantine tight on Maduro’s oil flows. Leadership Takeaway: If you don’t know who someone is over 18 holes, you don’t know them well enough to trust them with national security — or your company.
Lesson 3 — Strength Without Noise (December 26–27) News coverage stayed light. That’s intentional. Earlier in the month, decisive actions were already in motion: fentanyl designated a Weapon of Mass Destruction, voluntary pricing agreements with pharma manufacturers, and intensified counter-terror operations abroad. But during December 24–28, no major new legislation or orders — just execution amid the recess, including the sustained oil quarantine squeezing Maduro’s narco-linked regime. Trump’s Christmas messages touted a record stock market, low crime, no inflation, 4.3% GDP growth (two points above expectations), and trillions from tariffs, while slamming “radical left scum” for failures. Real leaders don’t leak. They move — like the strikes in Nigeria, and the steady chokehold on Venezuelan oil that funds threats abroad and instability at our borders. No holidays for dictators who exploit systems or traffic danger. In golf terms, this is laying up safely instead of forcing a hero shot — because you’re playing the long game. Leadership Takeaway: Restraint is not weakness. It’s confidence.
Lesson 4 — Borders, Law, and Reality (December 27–28) Here’s where business clarity matters. Security failures are rarely philosophical — they’re operational. Take the Minnesota welfare fraud scandal: GOP Rep. Brandon Gill highlighted how billions in misdirected funds “could have been funneled to Al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia,” turning a patronage system into a national security risk. It’s not partisan; it’s management failure. Nations — like companies — must enforce rules consistently or accept predictable consequences, like the need to deport those exploiting systems or threatening safety. The same grit applies south of the border: The ongoing quarantine on Maduro’s oil tankers over the holidays cuts off revenue streams allegedly fueling drug cartels, human trafficking, and migration waves — forcing accountability on a regime that steals assets and exports chaos. You can be compassionate and enforce the law. Welcome legal immigrants and remove threats. That’s not politics. That’s governance. On December 28, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago to discuss a revised 20-point peace plan for Ukraine, seeking lengthy security guarantees amid Russia’s war. (A follow-up with Netanyahu on Gaza and Iran came the next day.) In golf terms, it’s enforcing stroke penalties evenly — because the integrity of the game depends on it. Leadership Takeaway: If rules only apply sometimes, they apply never.
Golf Translation — Why This Week Matters
Holiday golf is honest golf. Cold hands. No crowds. No excuses. This Christmas week wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t meant to be. It was about continuity, control, and clarity — the same traits that separate winning organizations from collapsing ones. While some cities burn and others deny reality (like Nigeria’s government downplaying Christian genocide, or Chicago resisting National Guard help, or Maduro clinging to power amid economic strangulation), leadership at the top stayed steady. That matters more than headlines.
Wrap-Up — A Proper Finish
Friday, I kept tradition — annual Christmas-week cigars and bourbon with our Deployment team agent Big Nik, on the banks of the Fox River at the Bulldogs cigar-friendly bar. Last night, I finished this article with a MB Roland Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon neat— an uncut, unfiltered expression with a thick, luscious mouthfeel, notes of savory caramel popcorn, cherry, clove, and exceptional qualities from local grains and pot still distillation.
My wife Chrisi chipped in with some sharp last-minute edits and suggestions while we watched the latest episode of Taylor Sheridan’s Landman — that gritty oil boom drama with Billy Bob Thornton that’s been dominating Paramount+ this holiday season. No shortcuts. That’s the theme. No shortcuts. Not in golf. Not in business. Not in national security — whether striking terrorists in Nigeria or quarantining oil from a narco-regime in Venezuela. America doesn’t need perfect leaders. It needs steady ones — especially when the calendar says “holiday” but the world says otherwise. — Chuck Cordak “Life’s too short for weak pours, weak swings, or leaders who confuse comfort with competence.” 
Detailed Activity and Policy Breakdown Table
| Date | Key Trump/U.S. Actions & Events | Federal/Business Impact | Security/Policy Notes (incl. Venezuela) | Cultural/Other Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 24 (Christmas Eve) | NORAD calls, service member outreach; oil quarantine order issued; Midnight Mass traditions observed locally | Federal offices closed; private sector open | Quarantine focuses on blocking Maduro’s oil revenue amid drug/terror links | Holiday faith celebrations (e.g., Midnight Mass at St. Peter); partisan messages |
| Dec 25 (Christmas Day) | Directed ISIS strikes in Nigeria; golf sightings | Full holiday closures | Continued naval pressure on Venezuelan tankers | Comedic roasts on urban/immigration issues |
| Dec 26 | Light schedule; quarantine enforcement ongoing | Federal closed; businesses mostly open | Incremental squeeze on regime’s economic lifelines | Welfare fraud-terror financing discussions |
| Dec 27 (Saturday) | Private downtime; no major announcements | Standard weekend | Sustained operations against alleged narco-threats | Chicago violence highlights domestic gaps |
| Dec 28 (Sunday) | Zelensky meeting at Mar-a-Lago | Standard weekend | Broader strongman accountability, paralleling Maduro pressure | Mass shootings add to holiday weekend toll; new Landman episode airs |
This table captures the blend of holiday restraint, targeted security actions (e.g., Nigeria strikes, Venezuela quarantine), diplomatic continuity, and personal faith moments like Midnight Mass, underscoring persistent pressure on global threats alongside spiritual anchors.
The Christmas week exemplified steady leadership and personal grounding: Starting with Chrisi and me at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva — a beautiful vigil of hope and renewal in our local community — through counter-terror strikes and the quiet enforcement of the Venezuelan oil quarantine maintained through the holidays. This long-game economic isolation, combined with military readiness and family faith traditions, reflects enduring American grit in protecting borders, interests, and values, even as the world celebrates. Wrapping up the column with Chrisi’s input over Landman with a MB Roland neat felt like the perfect cap to a week rich in contrasts.
Key Citations
- St. Peter Catholic Church, Geneva – Midnight Mass (YouTube, Dec 25, 2025)
- St. Peter Catholic Church Official Site
- White House orders military to focus on ‘quarantine’ of Venezuela oil
- Trump Hits ISIS in Nigeria on Christmas
- GOP Rep. Gill on MN Welfare Fraud
- Chicago Weekend Shootings
- Landman on Paramount+
- Tears of the Left Bourbon
- Deployment Brands Cigars
- MB Roland Single Barrel
- https://youtu.be/MAJ66c6QyY8
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I thoroughly enjoyed this well-reasoned, well-researched, exquisitely crafted article. You also reminded me…I need to get that “Tears of the Left” bourbon. Thank you for a great read. (I have had almost no time for golf the past two years–had to oversee the rebuilding of our two Tennessee cabins after a wildfire, and a MAJOR caseload. But you reminded me why I need to make more time for that “good walk spoiled “.
Well done, sir. Well done.
Rob Croskery, LTC, Retired, USA.