Open Thread: Merry Christmas
[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]
As a palate cleanser from the messed up story I just posted, let me say from my family (and I am sure Patterico’s family concurs), Merry Christmas, albeit a little early.
“But,” you might say, “I am Jewish/Atheist/whatever.” Well, fair enough Christmas is a day as much as Thanksgiving or Arbor Day, and whether you believe in Jesus or not, I still want it to be a good day for you. So here’s hoping for a day of love and togetherness, for people of all faiths (including none at all).
Meanwhile, I will be subjecting my family to my vocal abilities and plastic-guitar playing via Rock Band. So please pray for them if you are the praying type.
And in the comments, if the spirit moves you say something nice to others, share recipes, share stories, etc. Let’s share the love, okay?
Update: My joke about playing Rock Band made me think of this classic clip from Conan, back when he was after Jay Leno. Stay to the end to see him sing the Beastie Boys’ Sabotage, as Edith Bunker.
[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]
I was listening to Medved earlier today while out and about in the car, and he was giving his history of the Christmas Holiday. Apparently, it was not a National Holiday until 1870, and part of the momentum behind it was to try to bring some common ground and healing after the Civil War, since most soldiers from the North and South both experienced being away from home and the nostalgia of previous Christmas celebrations with their families.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 12/24/2010 @ 3:33 pmI know the song “white Christmas” was used very much by the US military for propaganda purposes during WWII, as sort of “this is what you are fighting for.”
Aaron Worthing (a767d3) — 12/24/2010 @ 4:35 pmJust wanted to express my thanks for your voluminous and well – written contributions to the blog, AW.
Dmac (498ece) — 12/24/2010 @ 4:38 pmA Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to all. I always find that this week in between is a good time to reflect on all my blessings – a warm house, a warm spouse, lovely children, cars that work, all the food we could possibly want and indoor plumbing. I wish all the best to all of you.
Teri
Teri (7dcb0b) — 12/24/2010 @ 4:38 pmMerry Christmas to all here at Patterico.
May 2011 bring Joy and Happiness to all.
Your Old Friend,
Oiram
Oiram (cb5bf8) — 12/24/2010 @ 4:47 pmWell said, Mario. Ditto.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 12/24/2010 @ 5:00 pmI never thought you could eat too much filet. I may have proven myself wrong. Best wishes and merry christmas and happy holidays and haunnakah and kwanzaa and winter solstice and all the other words one might use to wish you the best. May the sun shine on your face, may the win always be at you back, and if you slice, may all trouble be on the left. Best wishes to the trolls as well, except midgets. And clowns. That is all.
JD (822109) — 12/24/2010 @ 5:21 pmMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. Just back from an exhausting trip out East and it is good to be home for Christmas. Finished shopping this afternoon well before the stores closed and presents are now wrapped, which is amazing for me. Maybe I’m coming down with something.
daleyrocks (bfdac7) — 12/24/2010 @ 5:36 pm“I never thought you could eat too much filet.”
JD – I find I can eat more if I slather it with bearnaise sauce.
daleyrocks (bfdac7) — 12/24/2010 @ 5:39 pmYou folks are the best read in town. Thanks to all for the thought-provoking posts and comments. Happy Holidays to all.
Old Coot (f73cf0) — 12/24/2010 @ 5:41 pmas a Christmas present–and to allow Aaron’s family a chance to hear some real music –the opening chorus of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio
and your choice of version for my favorite Christmas carol.
Peace and joy to all of you.
kishnevi (d785be) — 12/24/2010 @ 5:50 pmIt’s been a year. I’m alive to note that I am blessed by caring and loving wife, family, neighbors, and friends, near and far, and to thank them for being so. I wish you all the very Merriest of Christmases and the most prosperous and happy of New Years.
htom (412a17) — 12/24/2010 @ 7:16 pmMerry Christmas to all. I hope everyone gets a fragile leg lamp as a present. My fingers are crossed.
ag80 (5beeb2) — 12/24/2010 @ 9:36 pmI sang the song that goes “If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife”. Sitting next to a professional singer. I am not shy.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
nk (db4a41) — 12/24/2010 @ 9:58 pmMy favorite Christmas song…
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 12/24/2010 @ 10:34 pmKishnevi- I heard this version last night and enjoyed it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odg8TqZ0UTo
I stumbled on thisversion of a classic done by the Moody Blues (British and ethereal and all that)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqKxoyeeUQ4&feature=related
A favorite, not well known, noteworthy for being written by a teenage piano prodigy who had a hell of a childhood (grandmother literally saved his life tackling his drunken father who had a shotgun pointed at him)
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 12/25/2010 @ 12:00 amhttp://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=one+small+child+christmas+song&aq=3
I think #3 on the list is the original, but volume low. I especially like #’s 5,6, and 10, though #15 is one of the more professional versions.
Red and MD–thanks.
The local rock station has a penchant for playing that Kinks song quite a bit at this time of year.
kishnevi (b3f7c3) — 12/25/2010 @ 10:00 amA Palin Christmas Gift….
AD-RtR/OS! (fb45ff) — 12/25/2010 @ 11:11 amMy local paper (the OCRegister) reports this morning that Bristol has (apparently) used some of her DWTS’s moolah to buy a 5-bdrm house in Maricopa AZ. It was purchased for $172K from a couple in the Dakota’s.
AD–saw that somewhere else. I’ve forgotten where, and I’m glad I did. You will understand why I think it was a good thing to forget where when I add that this fact was used as “evidence” that Bristol was planning on running for Congress to represent whatever district Maricopa is in.
I don’t have it handy, but isn’t there a minimum age for being elected to Congress and won’t Bristol be too young even two years from now? (And, one hopes, doing something more worthwhile than trying to be a politician.)
kishnevi (a6ffde) — 12/25/2010 @ 2:56 pmLogic, which never enters into these speculations, is that it would be a base of operations for the Momma Grizzley’s future electoral forayss, she’s been to Arizona a few times, has a solidarity with
narciso (6075d0) — 12/25/2010 @ 3:35 pmBrewer, or it could be the crazy notion, I’ll grant you that she wants to strike out on her own.
kish…
AD-RtR/OS! (fb45ff) — 12/25/2010 @ 4:35 pmA Member of the House of Representitives must attain the age of 25-years before he or she can be sworn-in.
Bristol’s DoB is 10/18/1990!
Perhaps she’s looking to run in 2016, or not?
Best Christmas: 1968.
You had to have been alive and aware of the hell on Earth that was that awful year and what salvaged it over the Christmas holiday to appreciate the full impact and context. It may seem distant as 2010 comes to a close. Back in the day, Time Magazine waited literally until the end of December to select its ‘Man of the Year’ and their editorial staff had settled on ‘The Dissenter’ for the cover. It was quickly dropped when topped by the voyage of Apollo 8 and replaced with Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. The first manned trip to circle the moon; the first televised images of the Home Planet as it really is; the Christmas Eve telecast with the crew reading from Genesis in lunar orbit— all still stirring stuff to recount and gave the world the rare gift of a fresh perspective it sorely needed.
Their closing sentiment from 240,000 miles away still resonates today to all of us- “Merry Christmas to all of you. All of you on the Good Earth.”
DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 12/26/2010 @ 2:18 am