Merry Christmas to you all and to all a good night. Well, after quite a bit more merriment of course seeing as it's only 6:11 EST time
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"Morning has broken and I have felt a presence that disturbs
me with the joy of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime of
something far more deeply interfused, whose dwelling is the
light of setting suns, and the round ocean and the living air,
and the blue sky, and in the mind of man; a motion and a
spirit, that impels." -Wordsworth
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies!
It's kinda a prerequisite I believe in Santa Claus....being Virginia and all.
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Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in
My eldest two think they know the "truth" now, but my youngest two still believe...
It's gonna be difficult this year for No. 3 son, being away from home on Christmas Eve, but apparently Santa Claus calls by the dorm for those choristers who have been especially good
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There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
Here is a neat story, and it goes well with the time of year.
Christmas Tree for Boston
Quote:
Every year a special, very large tree is sent from the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia to the people of Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Christmas Tree
Generally, the tree selected by an individual with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources comes from a private land owner.
Peter Romkey who once held the job of Christmas Tree Extension Specialist in Nova Scotia told Boston Globe Correspondent Keith O'Brien that it’s important to remember the locations of the best specimens.
He travelled far and wide in the province when people reported that they had the right tree. Most of them did not meet these specifications:
- Balsam fir, white spruce or red spruce
- Forty-five to fifty feet tall
- Healthy with good colour
- Medium to heavy density
- Uniform and symmetrical
- Easy to access
Tree Extension Specialist Ross Pentz is now responsible for finding the perfect tree. On the day when it is trussed, felled, and loaded onto the truck, news crews and hundreds of school children are there to watch.
Harvested in the Fall, the tree is transported to the Boston Common in November then, lavishly decorated with lights, it is the focal point of the city’s annual Christmas festivities. Why do the people of Nova Scotia present this gift?
Halifax Explosion
On the morning of December 6, 1917 two ships, one loaded with munitions, the other with relief supplies, collided in Halifax Harbour. The resulting fire and explosion devastated the city with almost 2,000 dead and about 4,000 injured. Whole neighbourhoods were destroyed. As stated in the "Science of Tsunami Hazards, Vol. 23, No. 3", the tsunami caused by the explosion "quickly dissipated as soon as it entered the Atlantic Ocean". A record-breaking snowfall struck the city the next day. Calls for help went over the wires.
Boston's Response
Several prominent businessmen and the Massachusetts governor who formed a Halifax Relief Expedition, arranged for a special train to depart that evening. Upon arrival with their supplies, the doctors and nurses found that relief trains from neighbouring provinces had arrived, but all help was urgently needed and gratefully received. An emergency hospital was set up for blast victims and a complete medical unit arrived from the Harvard Medical School.
Soprano Nellie Melba and violinist Fritz Kreisler performed at a sold-out benefit concert with the Boston Symphony. In her book, "Curse of the Narrows", author Laura M. MacDonald writes that "a riot nearly broke out" when a flood of Bostonians tried to donate supplies for a boat headed to Halifax.
All available military personnel worked to rescue survivors who were trapped beneath debris and at risk of dying from exposure. The Boston relief team stayed to assist and resettle victims long after the rescue efforts were completed.
As an expression of gratitude, Halifax sent a large Christmas tree to Boston in 1918. The gift became an annual tradition in 1971.
Oh my gosh, I had no idea about that, but am really proud to hear about the maritime connection. I always felt that Boston was similar to Halifax when I'd visit. In appearance and history.
The museum of the Atlantic has an exhibit about the explosion. I'd previously only really heard about the event through our Canadian heritage commercials, but it's really something to read up on or watch documentaries about. Or see artifacts from. http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/AtoZ/HalExpl.html
As for individual cities and communities sending help and rescue to people in need like that, after reading about San Francisco's part in the Titanic disaster at an exhibit in SF years ago, well, I think I'd like to hear more stories like this. Someone start a thread for it.
I guess that wasn't quite what we were talking about, though. (I realized that after I shut down the computer.) Anyway, it was great that Halifax helped the Titanic victims.
I've just been to the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and really liked it. The German Christmas market was more like the usual fair type of thing we have in Germany, with all kinds of rides and things. Still, it was great, especially because I haven't been to a fair like that for a very long time. I had bratwurst, my first German "egg nog" that was not like egg nog at all, bought candied vanilla almonds and a big gingerbread heart and tried to win a stuffed teddy twice, but failed. It was brilliant!
This was actually a social with colleagues, but Mark came along and that was a good thing because we ended up having only about an hour with them since our train left so soon (and my colleagues were late). Once we were back in Bath, we bought 8 really pretty baubles so most of our tree decorations are here now. We still need some little ones and lights, however. Mark got an artificial tree yesterday so tomorrow we shall be putting it up.
Our little fake Christmas tree is up now. I haven't turned on the lights yet, because some of the decorations were mouldy, so I figure there was a bit of damp in the shed. (Also: must not put the tree back in that shed after Christmas. It blatantly doesn't belong to this flat, even if nobody seems to be using it). It's covered in things we found in charity shops last year, but I've replaced my favourite ones, since they fell to the damp air - the little dried Chinese lantern blossoms. So cute!
My favourite Christmas film. The trailer pretty much sucks, but the film itself is full of delicious black humour and somehow still manages to be totally heartwarming.
Looking forward to going home this weekend and helping the family to plough through the Advocaat. Pretty much the only time I see my mum drinking these days. It usually puts her to sleep - but snowballs are just essential at Christmas. She's not a huge fan of alcohol at all really, but I remember Mum taught me how to mix a good one when I was about fourteen or so. A little cherry on the side and everything.
Oh, and Lidless's article from last year cheered me no end - just because of the Molesworth reference at the end.
*~Pips~*
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Avatar is a male me, drawn by a very close friend. Just don't ask why.
Oooh, Snowballs, Pips! I was weaned on 'em, too! - that and Babycham...they were the first alcoholic drinks I was allowed, and only at Christmas!!!
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There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after two days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made me take it down.
First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.
Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn’t realize that it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of the many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn’t take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.
The body did look a little fake, but what a GREAT job he did on it.
Shame it's one of those situations where no one can really win. Unless the dummy was less realistic. I mean, we've all seen those witches at Halloween that look like they're crashed into phone poles, right? I never go up to them and ask if they need help.