So Happy Christmas. I love you baby.
December 14, 2010 - 9:00pm
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It's beautiful! Thank you Catchfire, and peace.
I could have been someone!!!
I remember singing this song standing on top of a Bar in Putney where I used to work/live for a brief while.
N.R.KISSED wrote:
I could have been someone!!!
Ive got a feelin this year's for me and you...
I really enjoyed that Catchfire, thanks!
I also want to say that I have met N.R.KISSED a couple of times, and he is someone.
This is a tagline. It has nothing to do with the comments posted above. Just a tagline...really. Please disregard.
Thanks for that, Catchfire.
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I built my dreams around you.
Peace, everyone. And love.
I also want to say that I have met N.R.KISSED a couple of times, and he is someone.
Oh, I thought he was like me. A forum bot.
I've met you, Papal Bull. So you're someone too!
Merry Christmas! I had a nice Christmas Eve with the German side of my family (which celebrates on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day). So my son opened most of his presents tonight, although he'll open his stocking tomorrow morning. (He doesn't believe in Santa anymore, but it seemed to me that it would be a nice way to have a fun Christmas morning.) And we had a big roladen meal with homemade potato dumplings from scratch, which my Oma taught my mother and I how to make this afternoon.
Then we're off to the other side of the family to do the same thing over again there tomorrow afternoon! I'll also be getting two Christmas dinners because my mother is cooking a turkey for noon tomorrow (Germans have big meals at midday), and then my father's wife is cooking turkey for supper at their place for the evening.
Everyone's off to bed now, and I'm about to go too, just thought I'd check in and say Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it! :)
Peace, Joy and Prosperity to one and all
Hey what's that clatter.......
Did you just spring from your bed to see what was the matter?? ;)
Alright, it's 12:02, and our stockings are hung by the chimney with care, which means I should get to bed. I'm spending the night at my parent's place for the first time in a few months. It's very strange, but somehow comforting! Best wishes to everyone!
Christmas services in Boom Boom town are finally over. I heard a noise just a short while ago, and woke up to find some gifts unddr the tree. And the beer gone. Hope Santa doesn't get nabbed for drunk driving.
Merry Christams to eveyone.
I think that drunken Santa showed up here Boom Boom., I smell stale cigars and wood chips and the place is a mess.
Well, really, Rudolph does the driving, so I wouldn't worry about that too much, Boom Boom. ;)
I'm the first one awake here. My son doesn't know he has a stocking to open this morning (he opened all his gifts last night) so that's probably why he hasn't bounded down the stairs at some ungodly hour this morning. Actually, I think my Oma is moving around upstairs now too, so I'm not the only one up now.
No tree or stockings this year for me, although I did open one present my parents mailed me. It was a navy blue sweater vest. Some things never change.
Still, me and the SO made eggs benedictine, coffee and orange juice and it was delicious. We will now spend the rest of the day cooking and drinking wine, possibly with a short walk somewhere in the middle.
Eggs benedictine? Is that different from eggs benedict? I love eggs benedict - actually, I like florentine. :)
Oh, sorry. Benedict. I drifted into fake French for some reason. Anyway, with or without the 'tine' they were delicious. Florentine equally so.
I'm awake again. And wondering what to cook for breakfast. I'll probably go for one scrambled egg, toast with bakeapple jam (got a big jar of the stuff as a gift last night!) and maybe a snausage or two, and lots of coffee. Have to bulk up this morning because I have a lot of snow shovelling ahead of me today. We got hammered with the freakin' white stuff overnight.
*sigh*
I positively hate winter.
ps: this thread is one of the reasons I can never leave babble for very long - I love you gals and guys!
All us guys and gals love you too, Boom Boom.
We had heavy rain overnight but it's now sunny and warm -- almost +10 -- in Halifax. There are just odd little patches of snow around but mostly bare ground.
We all had stockings this morning (our son is 14) and some good presents. My son gave me a silver square medallion (necklace) which he had engraved with "Sharon" on one side and "Mom" on the other. It's quite funky and attractive. (I mention it because it's nice when a 14-year-old boy has a little sentimentality and knows his mother's taste in jewellery.
)
We just finished with our stockings and gifts. There are four of us in my immediate family (Mom, Dad, sister and I) so we each drew names. For the name we drew, we filled their stocking, and then for the other two family members we bought a gift for under the tree with a strict $20.00 limit. It was great on the wallet, and also reinforces the fact that the holidays don't have to be about buying, buying, buying, but more about gathering for a great meal and enjoying one another's company.
I'm sure that's a lot easier said than done for families with small children, but it's great to be at an age where gift exchanging like that is not quite as stressful as it could be.
For this Christmas I got two pairs of gorgeous hand knit heavy socks from some of the seniors here - perfect for winter wear! And a nice batch of homemade fudge! And a jar of wonderful bakeapple jam, perfect and healthy on toast.
I'm cooking a chicken for tonight. I wanted to get a turkey, but neither store here remembered to order cranberry sauce. I can't eat turkey with cranberries - it just doesn't seem right. I'll add some carrots from my garden that I kept in the freezer.
This is a nice community on Quebec's Lower North Shore - about 90 people altogether, goes up to about 110 when folks come back to visit over Christmas. If we could eliminate winter altogether (not likely!) it'd be about perfect. My summer garden produces more than I could ever consume, so I give away most of it. I also do the painting at the church for no charge, and folks seem to appreciate it. Here, one good turn deserves another.
We are shortly sitting down to a feast of a family favourite, ruby ribs, made with chili and mango chutney...yummmm. I think there is a special Riesling and a bad ass chocolate truffle cheesecake chilling. This year we hung Bags of Glad, where we all dropped in notes/poems/drawings expressing our gratitude of each other. Reading out the messages in our Glad Bags was touching and often hilarious. The partner is always able to pen some heart wilting poetry when he sets his mind to it. We did do stockings as the two sweet girls love this tradition -- where else might one stuff some jelly belly's and fair trade chocolate?
Warm wishes for all you fine babblers!
Well it's been a quiet day. Just the two of us. We decided not to make the 6 hour trek to the Aunts house this year because of the weather. Though I do miss the typical lots of people around day I am also kind of liking this quiet thing as well.
I JUST got the turkey in. Since I wasn't expecting to be doing dinner this year I got the turkey two days ago and stuck it in the fridge. Though it's small and should have been thawed, it wasn't. So cold water baths it was. It doesn't matter though because we're the only ones eating so dinner can be late without anyone griping. :) I'm also making some of our other favorite dishes and salad. Everything is actually done now except the potatoes so I guess it's time to just sit back and relax for a few hours.
I got a lot of the usual stuff, a new hat, socks underwear and my yearly lounge pants. My husband gave me a small antique spice cabinet. It's all handmade and handpainted and absolutely beautiful. Between the two of us we got at least a drawerful of candy and chocolate. I don't know what happened this year. It's nuts. Hilariously though we both ended up with three new toothbrushes each. Looks like we're going to need them.
Want to wish everyone all the best and a good rest of the day.
My family is engrossed in a competitive game of Cranium, which just had me acting out David Suzuki. Certainly not what I expected to be doing this Christmas!
Looked after the "gang of three" yesterday afternoon - daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law - with dinner here...a rib roast so they didn't have to face bird two days in a row. Presents opened on Christmas Eve in Dutch fashion, a tradition much favoured by a 7-year-old who gets a second go the next morning. Then off to a neighbour's offering of drinks, which, like Neighbourhood Watch, is really more a chance to find out what the Joneses are into these days.
Christmas dinner was spent with the 7-year-old's Oma in her long-term-care residence, which featured many Santa hats and much hugging of some of humanity's finest specimens. Got to drink two glasses of wine and somehow found room for a second serving of turkey dinner. Arrived home and within minutes was visited by a neighbour who had time to join me in a drink and catchup on doings. A machinist, he arrived in Canada with his wife from Poland, 25 years ago and plans to retire at 60 to a little acreage in the Annapolis. There will be a big garden and much self-sufficiency. He realizes the industrial life is not conducive to long life. But has had to change workplaces lately as The Three get smaller. We exchanged gifts of wine...and he plans to save the Monti Garbi I gave him until a convenient sunny day next Spring, when we will again catch up.
Another neighbour came knocking at 6 p.m. to plead for a rain date on our planned drinks. I was more than obliging, and after naming a time for Boxing Day, collapsed for two hours. It was a different Christmas day for me, one which I just had to share with the good folks of babble.
May all our good will find expression in the new Enlightenment out there in '09.
Communist Christmas:
http://rathergood.com/christmasLOL !!!! That's hilarious.
We are all equally important someones.
I went over to my Aunt's house for lunch with my family and hers. We had an organic turkey :), purple carrots, and lit the pudding on fire afterwards :). I got the best gifts ever from my older cousin- Bitch magazine's compilation in book form and a book about feminism, vegetarianism and cruelty to animals. My kitty Maria got a ton of junk food some of which she inhaled tgis morning and a toy she's been chasing somewhat as well.
New year, new link: And This year's for me an' you...
Happy Christmas my arse I pray God it's our last
(Best Christmas song ever!)
The world is a sadder place without Kirsty MacColl.
Indeed.
She did something very difficult and remarkable with her life: carved out an identity of her own after being born in the shadow of a very famous and imposing parent. Her music had humor, originality, passion, and a deep sense of justice. If you want to honor Kirsty's memory, you can donate to two charities she supported:
Casa Alianza Mexico, which provides care and rehabilitation for homeless children and others at risk in Mexico
http://www.casa-alianza.org.uk/
and Cuba Music Solidarity, which Kirsty had supported enthusiastically.
email: musicfund@cuba-solidarity.org.uk
The Justice For Kirsty campaign has now suspended operations, and has passed on the remaining unspent donations it received to those two groups.
My favorite part of the video is the end, where, after the horrible slagging the couple gave each other, they end up waltzing. Their's something very, VERY Irish in that.
Merry Christmas to those who do Christmas. Well, merry belated Christmas. :) I'm back in the country, but I'm still on vacation from moderating babble for another week. Just wanted to say hi and merry merry. :)
Merry Merry, Michelle! Hope you had a great trip!
Welcome back, Michelle. Where did you go? How was it where you were?
The world is a sadder place without Kirsty MacColl.
LTJ - The first time I heard of Kirsty McColl was on CKUA, a public supported radio station in Alberta, during a fund raising campaign. This song is always requested during fund raising campaigns (when user requests take precedence over all else).
I then bought this song from iTunes for $0.99, converted it to an MP3, and added it to my online jukebox, which nobody ever uses except for me.
In These Shoes? was one of the last songs she recorded before she was killed snorkeling after being hit by a speed boat owned by Slim Carlos, who is one of the world's richest men, being the owner of the largest cell phone network monopolies in latin america.
It is an interesting story but nothing as good as the songs and music from Kirsty.
You need a web browser with windows media player (only IE) or Apple Quicktime (any other browser) for this link to work properly, and because the server (my 10 year old desktop in Holland) is rather limited in horsepower, you may have to be patient or you may cause it to crash. But very few people read Babble, so I am betting a bottle of beer it will work for you.
Merry xmas everybody, and a happy new year.
Support our troops, bring them home NOW! Sorry, I digress.
I was in Cuba, Ken, and it for a few days it was like spring in Toronto, but we got a couple of hot beach days too. All in all, a great time, although radiorahim is covered in bites on his legs. I have them too, but he got them way, way worse - so now I'm looking for that old thread where Tommy_Paine posted a cure for itching. :)
Thanks for the link about Kristy McColl, Diogenes. I'll check it out.
I'll be doing Christmas today with the little one when he arrives, and then we'll all be going to Picton and Trenton to do Christmas with the extended family. I'm really looking forward to it - I love Christmas with my family. :)
I'm really looking forward to it - I love Christmas with my family. :)
Merry Chistmas, Michelle!
My favorite part of the video is the end, where, after the horrible slagging the couple gave each other, they end up waltzing. Their's something very, VERY Irish in that.
Given that it's only been, what, 15 years, since the Irish legalized divorce, and they still can't do it without a five year waiting period, I suspect there is a lot of truth to that statement.
Welcome back Michelle. It wasn't the same without you. Actually I'm on moderating vacation myself this week, (I know, no one noticed) though I've still been doing commercial spam patrol and one or two other sundry things.
Christmas has been a blur in the oldgoat household as we've had our bathroom totally gutted from the studs and floor joists out, all the iron plumbing replaced, and suddenly discovered all the knob and tube wiring had to be replaced. It all started with a small leak in the kitchen ceiling. My house is full of huge holes, we have partial power, the various trades didn't get along, and today we fired the electrician. His boss is taking over the work and offered us a financial break to help make up for the damage he did. ...and then there's whats left of my various lines of credit not to mention my VISA card.
I'm curious - it just occurred to me to ask: when you fly to Cuba and back from Canada, do you fly through US airspace?
oldgoat - eek! Some Christmas you've had! Sorry to hear it's been such a mess.
Boom Boom, strangely enough, yes we did fly over US airspace. I didn't think we would be. I'd heard (and assumed) that you fly off the US coast to get there. I didn't think flights to Cuba go over the US, since the US demands passenger lists for all planes that go over US airspace. I mean, I don't really care much - just because the Americans are blockading Cuba doesn't mean that I or my country has to - as a Canadian citizen, I haven't done anything wrong.
My understanding is that they have a very narrow "corridor" for flights between Canada and Cuba. Other times I've been down there (mostly flying on Cubana Airlines), the flight path is from Toronto to New York and then fly off the coast of the US in international airspace then over the Bahamas and on to Cuba
This time (on Air Canada) we flew from Toronto down to around Washington, DC and then out over the ocean.
Hmm...I thought I heard the pilot on the way down mention several states we'd be flying over when he mentioned the flight path. But I might be mistaken - not having flown in 20 years, I was too busy bouncing in my seat in anticipation of take-off to concentrate much on what anyone was saying. :D What a rush that was! Or perhaps the several states I heard him say were the ones you'd have to fly over on the way to DC, I don't know.
Edited to add: I just checked the flight path - it was New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and then over the ocean the rest of the way.
Thanks for the info.
Merry Be-lated Christmas to everyone. It has been a whirlwind of a week for me. My first Christmas with kids in quite awhile since we went to visit my partners child on Christmas Day and then ended up bringing him back for the week. I like having kids around the house, it changes the pace of life.
Though on our way up to visit his son we had a hilarious venture around Toronto looking for a place open for breakfast - we finally found one in the Stockyards.
I'm watching The Town that Christmas Forgot (2010). So far, so good.
Thanks for bumping this, Boom Boom. Hugs and all that.
And a warm xmas to all, however you choose to celebrate and Happy New Year
Wow - that movie (The Town That Christmas Forgot) is a bit of a tear-jerker! And the toy store in the movie has a wonderful electric model railway - pretty awesome, really.
Anyone up for watching It's A Wonderful Life?
ETA: just came in from unplugging my outside Christmas lights - wow is it windy!!!
Merry Christmas to all and the best to you and yours in the year ahead. I've managed to convince my family to forgo all the adult gift giving and concentrate on the celebration. (The food has gotten way better and so has the company) Haven't gotten it to fly in the workplace yet. Gawd, do I hate receiving cards.
Sorry to be a Scrooge, this is a cool thread.
A different take on the 12 days of Christmas (today is day 11!!!)
Boom Boom, I'm a bit obsessed with It's a Wonderful Life, so don't get me started!
Okay, then A Christmas Carol it is.
I actually had the privilige of seeing Kirsty and Shane do a rendtition of this song at the London Fleadh 93 in Finsbury Park, brilliant. Sadly Kirlsty was run over when she was diving by an idjit from the mexican oligarcy a few years later.
A different take on the 12 days of Christmas (today is day 11!!!)
Actually the 12 days of christmas start on christmas. Unless you meant something else in which case please carry on
Ohhh, I did not know that! I always assumed it was a count down!
Dec 25 until Jan 6, thus the play Twelfth Night.
I'm having an email exchange with a friend who is complaining about the govt or retailers not allowing employees to say "Merry Christmas" but instead "happy holidays" or some such. Anyone aware of this, or is this another myth?
As far as I know a myth. My ex worked in retail at several different places through the years (at the height of the start of politically incorrectness as well) and was never banned from saying it.
I think this is the season when the bigots come out and whine.
Thanks for posting (and reviving?) that, Catchfire. And here is my next favourite Christmas song:
The Kinks - Father Christmas
(I'll be more sentimental next week - probably post David Bowie and Bing Crosbie singing Little Drummer Boy. Maybe some Nana Mouskouri ... Old Toy Trains anyone? It's just me, then? ok.)
Wow. I had almost forgotten what an amazing song "Fairytale of New York" is. Just beautiful.
And I'll be spending Christmas in New York this year! Although, in our family, it's known as "Chinese food and movie day"...
Brilliant, Ripple! I hadn't seen that. Consider it added to my short playlist of acceptable Christmas carols.
May all your chinese food be delicious, and your movies without Tim Allen, Dodger.
[...]
You scumbag you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy christmas your arse I pray god it´s our last.
Yeah, warms the cockles of my heart too.
[...]
You scumbag you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy christmas your arse I pray god it´s our last.
Yeah, warms the cockles of my heart too.
It's an Irish immigrant thing. The lyrics weren't actually aimed at gay people at all. It's what a couple says when they're in a massive argument and they throw the verbal kitchen sink at each other.
Yep got that Ken, it is culturally relative, much like the UK usage of the word "cunt" that talked about in here several months ago. I also edited out the references of the male voice in this ditty to his partner as as "old slut on junk". I guess I am just not particularly sentimental about the negative aspects of the immigrant experience - even though I had grandparents who were just off the boat from Ireland.
Of course I am much more sentimental about my personal Christmas favourite (Bernard and the Genie) even though the question remains open about the Genie's dietary habits (was it caecotrophy or coprophagy?).
Seasoned greetings.
Yep got that Ken, it is culturally relative, much like the UK usage of the word "cunt" that talked about in here several months ago. I also edited out the references of the male voice in this ditty to his partner as as "old slut on junk". I guess I am just not particularly sentimental about the negative aspects of the immigrant experience - even though I had grandparents who were just off the boat from Ireland.
Of course I am much more sentimental about my personal Christmas favourite (Bernard and the Genie) even though the question remains open about the Genie's dietary habits (was it caecotrophy or coprophagy?).
Seasoned greetings.
It really has nothing to do with the immigrant experience. The song is in narrative form in which the characters, two people with extreme substance use issues get into a screaming match. Does one expect the exchange to be free of terms of abuse? It is a desparate misreading to suggest the song for that reason is sexist or homophobic. Is it reasonable to judge a story by the behaviours of it's characters?
I tried finding Jerry Colonna singing "He's Too Fat for the Chimney" on the web. Here's the closest I got, but you have to endure seven tunes before Colonna sings.
The flip side of this 78 is "Sleighbells in the Sky" (quick Google - It's Brunswick 05212, from 1953). I have the record some damn place, and have it recorded on a cassette, but I can't find the dat burned things.
Rule #17: Never get into arguments about interpreting lyrics with fan boys.
Rule #17: Never get into arguments about interpreting lyrics with fan boys.
is
Rule #18: Be casually dismissive if your point lacks merit?
It's a Wonderful Life is a personal favourite. The better half and I watch it at least once a year and try to make it out to a showing on the big screen, though this year we weren't able to. As you can see, I was quite vocal about my love of the movie in the previous thread. There is a charm to it that draws me back year after year despite it's over-the-top American dream ideology.
I've got to say, I give a little fist pump every time George delivers his speech in defence of the "rabble!"
"Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about ... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you'll ever be!"
oops... formatting problem - see next post
Barack Obama's 'Twas the 24 Hour-Period Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a Congress-person was stirring, not even John McCain's crab louse.
The Legislation was hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
Congress was nestled all snug in their lobbyist-funded beds,
While visions of the political progress danced in their heads.
And Michelle in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.
When out on the Washington Mall there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter (the Secret Service was on it too).
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast (by this I mean the surface, get the head out of the gutter) of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick (not to be confused with Joe Biden),
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles with American Flags tied to their talons, his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Lincoln! now, Roosevelt! now, Washington and Adams!
On, Jefferson! On, Monroe! on, on Pierce and Kennedy!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry Democrats that before the wild McConnell fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to Capitol Hill the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with American exceptionalism and soot.
A bundle of legislation he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler (and John Boehner wanted him arrested because he looked like a vagrant), just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth (and he paid a high tax for that tobacco),
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath (yes - he was smoking in a Federal Building).
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly
(That did not please Michelle - Santa: an Obese Hero)!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread (But of course, I was glad we weren't in AZ, because we know he would be deported).
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
For all you babblers who have accused me of immaturity and childishness, I have my reaons.
Saskatoon a Christmas sweet spot for kidsSaskatoon is the best city in Canada to be a kid at Christmas, according to a study at the University of Toronto.
Nyah nyah.
@ Al-Q
The only Christmas disadvantage I have noticed is that you have to drive further to find a good Christmas tree than you do from Winnipeg.
Though we have a distinct advantage in the sledding hill department.
And ho ho ho:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31zazozRYeo
I dunno, 8th street isn't far.
I dunno, 8th street isn't far.
Neither is Byoona Vista Park, but that's cheating in my books.
So what's up with sexually inspired xmas songs? Supposedly Ella Fitzgerald self-censored her recording of "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" and it was re-released after her death. I've also heard discussions about whether "Baby It's Cold Outside" is more or less describing date rape.
I like both songs and never really thought much about the lyrics other than being clever.
Anyway, on a more traditional note, best wishes for a merry xmas. Here are the Skydiggers doing their beautiful rendition of "Good King Wenseslas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZaMadbyOJI
To Catchfire.
Hugs,
Maysie
Twas the Night before Christmas (Postmodern Version)
by Bryan Stone, Boston University School of Theology 12/10/2010
Twas a Postmodern Christmas, when all through the regime
Not a concept was stirring, not even a meme.
Essentialist dogmas were nurtured with care,
And imperialist ambitions still hung in the air
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While grand narratives of progress danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just performed gender before taking a nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew in a craze,
And incarnated an internalized masculine gaze.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Hegemonically othered the objects below.
When, what to my binaried eyes should appear,
But a sleigh simulacrum, and virtual reindeer.
With a little old driver who had friends in Havana,
I knew right away it was postmodern Santa.
More rapid than eagles discourses they came,
As he named and destabilized each language game!
"Now Heidegger, Nietzsche! Now, Levinas and Lyotard!
On Derrida, Foucault! On Butler and Baudrillard!
To each modern foundation, to each stucturalist wall!
Now deconstruct! Deconstruct! Deconstruct all!"
His aesthetic was queer, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes juxtaposed with ashes and soot.
A bundle of kitsch he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pastiche of red, white, and black.
What some crassly call fat, he called "differently weighted,"
The politics of hate in one stroke out-narrated
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Intertextual clues I had nothing to dread.
He spoke less in words than ambiguous gestures,
And filled all the stockings with empty conjectures.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
with critical distance, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew heterotopically spatial
But I heard him exclaim, as I stood there half-dreaming,
"Liberation to all, and an excess of meaning!"
For crying out loud, Maysie, it's Christmas Eve. Can't I have one day of peace?
No.
Some vacation. Merry Christmas, Maysie.
And to one and all as well!
"Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities. We must share in other peoples' suffering; even if you cannot help with money, to show concern, to give moral support and express sympathy are themselves valuable. This is what should be the basis of activities; whether one calls it religion or not does not matter."
-- The Dalai Lama
Didn't know if I should post this in the "pro" or "anti" Christmas thread:
Santa’s secret cables leaked from the North Pole
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/12/20/101220ta_talk_greenman
excerpt:
· The song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” has more basis in truth than was previously thought; elves worried for years about Santa’s philandering, which began to decrease only recently, after Mrs. Claus discovered an illicit text message from an Arizona school-board member.
(formatting seems to be turned off)
To all our Muslim friends, happy Eid al-Santa!
Happy Santa Clara!
Wish I were there...
I hope all who celebrate are enjoying their day!
tidings of joy
this could melt the coldest heart
for the more intellectual types
if christmas retains any real human value in to the future, I wish it to be that.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all!
To all our Muslim friends, happy Eid al-Santa!
Hate to break it to you it should be belated Eid, Eid was quite a few months ago now.
Which Eid are you referring to?
Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Eid Mubarak, Eid al-Ghadeer, Eid E Shuja, for example?
Which Eid are you referring to?
Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Eid Mubarak, Eid al-Ghadeer, Eid E Shuja, for example?
Eid al-Fitr was September, Eid al-Adha was November, Eid Mubarak is not a date but a greeting, Eid al-Ghadeer was in November, Eid E Suja I haven't heard of.
I was specifically thinking of Eid al-Fitr since my muslim friends have told me this is the most comparable to Christmas since it is more about the children and family receiving gifts than any other of their holidays. However I haven't heard of any other Eid celebrations for December either.
So what's up with sexually inspired xmas songs? Supposedly Ella Fitzgerald self-censored her recording of "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" and it was re-released after her death. I've also heard discussions about whether "Baby It's Cold Outside" is more or less describing date rape.
I played Ella's "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" on the show last night. You have to really strain to hear sexual innuendo in that tune. That said, I threw in Julia Lee and her Boyfriends' "Christmas Spirit" ("I could go for your long...whiskers") and Cliff Edwards'
"I'm Going to Give it to Mary With Love" to fulfill my CRTC Christmas Sexual Innuendo content requirements.
Bah, humbug.
No tricks, Boom Boom. I saw what you posted before, you ol' softie.
You can never leave the Mob, Boom Boom.
They have long tenacles.
I hear they even have a local branch in Kegaska.
Drones flying overhead, too.
Those are mosquitoes, boom Boom.
Wearing winter coats and tuques, no doubt. Only in northern Quebec.
It's raining again, and the roads are skating rinks.
Local ladies are forming a choir for th 23rd. The school is putting on a Christmas show. I haven't got my lights up yet, too many building materials between me and Christmas stuff in the garage.
But hey it's Christmas!
Closing for length.