As we pause for a couple of days to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, it’s a good time to reflect on the historic election we have just been through.

We have seen the candidates debate war in Iraq, Social Security, terrorism, taxes and the woeful state of our economy.

But let’s take a look at the lighter side of the election and some important unanswered questions, such as how many houses did John McCain really own? He couldn’t remember and we never did quite find out the answer. Was Mitt Romney left off the ticket due to philosophical differences or did McCain find out Romney owned more houses than he did? Also, we never did find out all that much about President-elect Barack Obama’s “interesting” Chicago friends, but it does seem that the governor of Illinois has brought new meaning to Chicago’s nickname, “The Windy City.”

And in announcing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, Sen. McCain made much of her “executive experience” as the mayor of Wasilla. With that endorsement, are we likely to see the mayors of Trappers Creek or Cape Yakatoga on the national stage in 2012? Probably not, but it may embolden the mayors of Buckley or Algona to reconsider their future political options. Or could you see a hat in the ring from Enumclaw?

After a year of scorching rhetoric aimed at throwing out Gov. Christine Gregoire for losing the Sonics basketball team, we now know the political impact of KJR Sports Radio — zero. Gregoire was easily re-elected and the Sonics were never a serious part of the political debate. On the other hand, their record in Oklahoma City (as of press time) is 2 wins and 24 losses. So they’re not much a part of the basketball debate, either.

Say what you will about George W. Bush’s policies, but he provided “Saturday Night Live” and “The Daily Show” with countless opportunities to have fun. John McCain wouldn’t have been any fun at all — although watching him wander around the stage in the background as if looking for the men’s room, while Obama answered some weighty questions, did provide momentary hope that not all humor would be lost in a McCain presidency. The real star was and would have been Sarah Palin. Some misunderstood her $160,000 shopping spree as indulgent when so many people were losing their jobs. But her effort to personally jump-start the economy at Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Tiffany’s should have been applauded, not ridiculed. By comparison, it made John Edwards’ $400 haircut look pretty lame as an economic stimulus. And to criticize Palin’s lack of foreign policy experience, why the nerve — I can’t see Russia from my house! Nor can most of those newspaper writers who criticized her. That alone puts her ahead of most of us.

Unlike the current president, it does appear that President-elect Barack Obama can walk and chew gum at the same time, and his inspirational rhetoric reminds many of John F. Kennedy. But we unfortunately really haven’t found much about him to poke fun at. As far as political humor goes, the next four years could be somewhat boring. We may have to rely on a more traditional source of amusement — the “loose lips” vice president. Joe Biden could be a riot.

Here’s hoping that in the difficult times ahead, we still will find something to laugh about. Happy holidays to you all and thanks for reading.