Open Thread - Christmas to New Year

I am going to put up several of my Christmas and New Years Posts from years gone by.  pl 

Comments

[confusedponderer]

To all readers of SST, and especially our host and his family, my best wishes for a happy 4th advent.

PS: Time for that Hot Tom and Jerry ...

[William R. Cumming]

Wondering if the political elite (whoever they might be) will be able to distinguish between corruption and governance in the Neu Jahr?

[Nancy K]

Col Lang, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, peaceful New Year.
Thank you for all that you do.

[Charles I]

Thanks Pat. As I recall they are universally charming and moving, offering us civvies a more tender, poignant aspect of your experience.

And more reason to respect our serving men and women all the more this time of year. One of whom, a Canadian, is reported blown up today, after heavy - I think six - U.S.losses this week.

Merry Christmas to you and family with best wishes for the holidays and New Year.

Same and thanks to all the Cliffords, FB's, Richard Sales, Sidneys, Prof. Silverman's et al hosted here for our tremendous benefit and edification.

There will be a total lunar eclipse tomorrow evening the 20th - the Solstice - commencing at 7.33 PST, visible from all of North America, lights and horizon permitting. The moon is seasonally quite low on the horizon, so a city skyline is no good.

I'll be in my usual tree for this bonus Rite d' Champaignon, though they're calling for snow squalls. Apparently there will not be another Winter Solstice total eclipse for hundreds of years, so make hay while the sun don't shine!

[Maureen Lang]

confusedponderer,

"PS: Time for that Hot Tom and Jerry ..."

Have finally made & tried Dancing Dan's signature drink & may I say, it's extraordinarily good for a holiday punch bowl.

Happy Holiday Week To All!

[Tyler]

Love those stories. Its like pulling back the curtain into a different, better world of sorts.

Merry Christmas.

[Jake]

Merry Christmas to all! Remember those in need.

[R.L. Kirtley...Yours in Peace]

Villagers All,This Frosty Tide.....Let Your Doors Swing Open Wide.....Though Wind May Follow.And Snow Beside.....Yet Draw Us In By Your Fire To Bide.....Joy Shall Be Yours In The Morning

[Castellio]

For those following current tensions in Korea:

http://japanfocus.org/-Tim-Beal/3459

Best to all

[Norbert M. Salamon]

Merry Christmas and God's Blessing to all!

From memory of Christmas in Hungary pre 1956:
Notwithstnading Communist rule almost all places of employement shut down at noon.
After returning home Father and Mother set up the Chrismas tree, gold and silver painted walnuts, apples some home made decorations by my [younger] sister and me, plus few candles.

Presents were put under the tree, and left there for a few hours. Had one of the few family suppers together [most times either parents were at work in the evening] of the year, serving Capon to break the Advent Fast.

After supper, light the cqandles, family sings a few religious/Christmas carols, open presents, and get into our SUNDAY BEST clothing to go to the midnight mass {RC].
We, the various children have taken wood/coal [as each family could afford] to the church of choice, to allow some heat therein, for often the temperature of the night [and church] was well below freezing.

The next morning we were allowed to sleep in, to compensate for the late night.

The Chrismas tree was taken down on the twelth dqy of Chrismas.

[Fred]

So Iraq can now have a civilian nuclear progarm? Wasn't that one reason we went to war?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/world/middleeast/16nations.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=Iraq%20SEcurity%20Council%20Biden&st=cse

Maybe they should outsource the research to Iran....?

[J]

Colonel,

The Simon Wiesenthal Center are at it again trying to stir up mischief. Can't the SWC at least wait until after Christmas to sling their mud? What a bunch of tripe on their part, a bunch of Scrooges.

Helen Thomas' jibe tops list of worst anti-Semitic slurs of 2010

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/helen-thomas-jibe-tops-list-of-worst-anti-semitic-slurs-of-2010-1.331542

[Annie Burns]

Paintings by American Soldiers on exhibit at the National Constitution Center.

http://constitutioncenter.org/artOfTheAmericanSoldier/default.aspx

[Anna-Marina]

2 + 2 are not equal 4 in the Manning story

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/12/23/bradley-manning-and-the-convenient-memories-of-adrian-lamo/

[Fred]

Turkey insists on an apology from Israel for killing its citizens.http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/12/2010122518442337113.html