Christmas Greetings

[moonshadow]

So, in less than three hours, it shall be Christmas Eve, thus making tonight Christmas Eve Eve.

Today was quite rainy and cold, however we took Jax out for a little ride and stopped in Walmart for some last minute supplies to make a couple of cheese cakes and my annual banana nut bread. As I will be working tomorrow and won't be home until after 6PM, most everything will be closed by the time I'm home.

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So above is my outfit I wore today, I know there has been a little ribbing over mixing reds and greens on the boards... but hey, it's Christmas! Green sweater under red waistcoat, and a black skirt (black to symbolize the magickal darkness of winter)

I'm also sporting my new haircut today. Which by the way, was my first time getting a haircut with a skirt on! I think she handled it well, and after some chit-chat, she soon figured out I was just a "regular guy", and likewise desired a "regular guy haircut".

Christmas morning we plan to stay in, unwrap a few gifts, eat, and relax. We have nowhere to be, our family lives pretty far away. I may pop in the cafe after a while. One tradition Jenn and I have done since our first Christmas together was I'd read the nativity story aloud out of the book of Luke.... (and every year I cry about half way through... )

***

So on that note, allow me to say, that Jenn and I wish everyone a peaceful and joyous Christmas season and bright blessings for the new year ahead!

[Daryl]

So, in less than three hours, it shall be Christmas Eve, thus making tonight Christmas Eve Eve.
So on that note, allow me to say, that Jenn and I wish everyone a peaceful and joyous Christmas season and bright blessings for the new year ahead!

Awfully considerate of previous generations to create a new holiday that comes right after Saturnalia, so we can keep the merriment going right into the next year. Merry Christmas to the both of you, and to all within SC!

[STEVIE]

Hi All,
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Steve.

[Sinned]

Yeah well, being employed in retail I only get Christmas Day off and will be back in store at 07:00 Boxing Day [0]. I do get New Year's Day off but only because the Company and hence Store Manager stipulate that you either work Boxing Day or New Year's Day but not both. Just as we work either a Saturday or a Sunday but not both.

[0] The day after Christmas Day which was traditionally the day that the alms boxes were opened and the proceeds distributed. Allegedly. Also a day off for the servants to go home to their families and receive a Christmas box from their employer. You choose or not.

Merry Christmas to everyone and may the New Year bring the sorts of blessings that you would wish on others. Heh, heh.

[crfriend]

I'd like to extend my holiday greetings (not to be politically correct, but only to point out that there are a lot of holidays at this time of the year [0]), both unofficially and officially, to all. May the blessings of the season be upon you, and may you all (y'all [2]?) enjoy peace [3], health, joy, and prosperity in the coming year.

I'm getting set to head upstairs for Christmas Eve, having been invited by my landlady and SO to hang out with family. Tomorrow I head north to hang out with friends.

[0] Let's see. In no particular order: Christmas, DEC-10, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Saturnalia, the Solstice, Boxing Day, The Yule, and entirely likely a raft more that I've missed, and corrections are welcome.
[1] No, not "mousse"
[2] The more I think about it, the more I find that idiom useful. All to many people seem to have forgotten that "you" can be either singular or plural. Like "moose" [1].
[3] Thank heavens I try to proofread. Auto-corrupt originally pegged that as "peach".

[beachlion]

You forgot St Nicolaas, a Dutch/Belgium/German celebration on 5 or 6 December. It was the original Santa Claus but it was Americanized.

Anyway, I wish all members and connected people a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. St Nicolaas would have said:"Gelukkig Kerstfeest en een Voorspoedig Nieuwjaar."

[skirtingtoday]

Whatever celebration you follow, a merry Xmas and a happy and prosperous new year to you all.

[Kirbstone]

It's official, Some three hours ago Santa was given formal permission by the Aviation authorities to enter Irish air space and was photographed doing just that.
As we have a resident 6 year-old granddaughter Santa dare not overfly us without calling and a glass of milk and mince pie have been placed next the drawing room fireplace for his refreshment.

Have yourselves a merry little Christmas, all of you.

Tom

Stock_santa_sleigh.jpg

[Freedomforall]

So, in less than three hours, it shall be Christmas Eve, thus making tonight Christmas Eve Eve.

Today was quite rainy and cold, however we took Jax out for a little ride and stopped in Walmart for some last minute supplies to make a couple of cheese cakes and my annual banana nut bread. As I will be working tomorrow and won't be home until after 6PM, most everything will be closed by the time I'm home.

009mb_chmas2018.JPG

So above is my outfit I wore today, I know there has been a little ribbing over mixing reds and greens on the boards... but hey, it's Christmas! Green sweater under red waistcoat, and a black skirt (black to symbolize the magickal darkness of winter)

I'm also sporting my new haircut today. Which by the way, was my first time getting a haircut with a skirt on! I think she handled it well, and after some chit-chat, she soon figured out I was just a "regular guy", and likewise desired a "regular guy haircut".

Christmas morning we plan to stay in, unwrap a few gifts, eat, and relax. We have nowhere to be, our family lives pretty far away. I may pop in the cafe after a while. One tradition Jenn and I have done since our first Christmas together was I'd read the nativity story aloud out of the book of Luke.... (and every year I cry about half way through... )

***

So on that note, allow me to say, that Jenn and I wish everyone a peaceful and joyous Christmas season and bright blessings for the new year ahead!

Moon I love the outfit. I think you need some type of hat to pull it all together. I attached a few that are very neat, specifically the two on the right.

[Dick Ackerman]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

[moonshadow]

Awfully considerate of previous generations to create a new holiday that comes right after Saturnalia, so we can keep the merriment going right into the next year.

[0] Let's see. In no particular order: Christmas, DEC-10, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Saturnalia, the Solstice, Boxing Day, The Yule, and entirely likely a raft more that I've missed, and corrections are welcome.

Well, as for me personally, I suppose the most important anniversary of all would be on December 27th... for it is my birthday, and had I not been born... well... I wouldn't exist!

Some people pity me for having a birthday so close to Christmas. However over the last 37 (going on 38) years I have grown quite accustomed to it, to the point where I take a bit of pride in my "holiday birthday", and has become part of the "Moon Shadow Identity".

Perhaps some of the enjoyment I get out of it is the annual "annoyance" it causes family, friends, and other loved ones... "ghee, sure am glad we got our Christmas shopping out of the way... oh sh_t... I forgot about Andrew's birthday.... *sighs....* back to the store...."

...(not to be politically correct, but only to point out that there are a lot of holidays at this time of the year...

In the spirit of my "being annoying", for some reason I find myself saying "Happy Holidays" when in the company of fundamental Christians, and "Merry Christmas" when in the company of fundamental "others" (non-Christian-fundies).... anything I can do to be the proverbial fly in the ointment, reminding people to not take themselves so seriously... since 1980.

Few understand me.... Fewer still dare to even try.....

Moon I love the outfit. I think you need some type of hat to pull it all together. I attached a few that are very neat, specifically the two on the right.

Freedom4all... get back in here and post a link to where I can get one of those hats...!

What kind of Aprils fools prank is this to post such totally awesome headwear and no link!?!

[moonshadow]

Some Christmas photos:

Jenn, Moon, and Amber (with Mama Cat) sitting next to Amber pose, Christmas 2018.

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Moon poses with a gift from Jenn... a new tool bag (my other one was going on six years old, and it had been getting pretty worn out to the point where tools were starting to fall out of it...)

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[crfriend]

Great shots as always, Moon. Bravo. Where'd that fluffy skirt come from? And there are few things happier than a well fitted-out tool-kit.

On another note, and, as usual for me, a day late and a dollar short, I offer what's perhaps the best Christmas video I've ever seen, and especially true if the back-story is to be believed. The imagery in the video is nothing short of wonderful, dramatic, touching, and cute; I love the final seconds of it where the kitten is deposited home by an unseen-owner's hand. I'm not ashamed to admit that the imagery and music brought both a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. In this age of overt ugliness, we need more beauty, kindness, grace, and dignity.

Today, though, was a very nice gentle one. I spent way too much time with my landlady's family last night, only to get to bed slightly past midnight (which is almost unheard-of for me), awoke with the Devil's own hangover this morning, and then spent the afternoon with friends "up North" (by a few miles). Life's good. However, it's back to work tomorrow morning... At any rate, here's one more for the fun of it which brought a short flashback to Who Framed Roger Rabbit and a backyard video of bears in Fitchburg, MA. Gotta love Liszt.

It'll be the new year before we know it now.

[Kirbstone]

I don't know where you find 'em, Carl, but those videos were a musical feast and no mistake. The Beethoven/Chopin/Mozart and eventually Liszt to 'Son et Lumiere' was inspirational and the performers are absolutely first rate.
The trans Siberian orchestra with the little girl & the cat had an air of Mary Poppins about it. Fancy real snow falling on a grand piano ?!

We won't have the lights/amplification/rehearsed showmanship of course, but our list of invitees for our forthcoming Golden Jamboree will assemble some seriously good performers on violin, clarinet, guitar, harp and piano. I've just had my ol' Bechstein given a going-over, so it' in near-concert nick now. Muggins is working on a 'Liberace' skit, with gold suit, wig and candelabra, the tune being Franz Lehar's 'Gold & Silver' waltz....., but it'll be more like Victor Borge...a laugh a minute. We'll give 'em Leroy Anderson's 'Sleigh Ride' also for good measure.....

Tom

[moonshadow]

Great shots as always, Moon. Bravo.

Thank you sir!

Where'd that fluffy skirt come from?

The white skirt under the dress was one of the first ones I purchased from Misty Mountain Designs way back in late 2015. It's a nice little flowy number and I enjoy wearing it once in a while, though one must be careful as it stains pretty easily.