Christmas Open Thread

1st?

8th.

Merry Christmas to all and may the peace and joy of the season be upon all of you…. Even the E-4 Mafia.

So KoB is FIRST to wish us all Merry Christmas. All is right in the TAH world.

The Graybeard Clan celebrated on Christmas Eve in our traditional way – food, lots of food, a reading of the Christmas Story from Luke and Matthew, sing a Christmas carol and pray; then one reading child identifying who a gift was for, two passing them out, then taking turns around the family circle opening them. That way we can all see and enjoy what the gifts are. (And help solve any confusion among younger members about whose toy that is.)

4-year-old granddaughter won a gift card in the local newspaper’s annual coloring contest, and used it to buy her cousins some really neat gifts. Airborne Son and Favorite Second Daughter-in-Law may have helped some, but only by offering suggestions. That was neat to see.

All 6 of our children (in-law, out-law, and by-law) and all 10 of our grandchildren enjoyed. (Well, the 2-month-old had some opinions otherwise when her diaper was wet or tummy empty, but….)

The downside? Oldest Son developed a migraine, and Second D-i-L was fighting one. There was a bit of a squabble between two grandson-cousins typical of young boys.
That is all.

God has blessed the GB Clan beyond all asking or thinking. ‘Cause the ol’ coot Patriarch sure ain’t nuttin’ special to deserve such a wonderful family.

God bless you all today, and every day.

SEVENTEENTH & A very Merry Christmas to all.

Merry Christmas to each of you and may God bless you and yours.

Merry Christmas to all my fellow dickweeds and weedettes!

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH THIS PERSON??? “MSNBC Columnist Calls For End Of NORAD Santa Tracker ‘Out Of Concern For Santa’s Safety’ From US Military: The Columnist Wondered If A Military That ‘Wrongly’ Kills Would Ever Come Clean If It Assassinated Santa”: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/msnbc-columnist-calls-for-end-of-norad-santa-tracker-due-to-military-saturated-american-culture “An MSNBC columnist is calling for the end of the NORAD Santa tracker, claiming that it is time to “decouple” Santa Claus from American military culture.” “In an op-ed published on MSNBC.com, opinion columnist Hayes Brown took issue with the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s 60-year tradition of tracking Santa Claus’s imaginary journey across the globe delivering presents and explained why “if had my way, this year would be the last.” “No, I’d prefer we end the tradition because it’s about time that we decoupled St. Nick from the world’s most powerful military,” Hayes Brown wrote. “American culture is saturated with a desire to associate the military with the saccharine. We get videos of soldiers returning home to their pets or children but never questions about why they were deployed for so long or what threat they were fighting; military jets flying over NFL games give us an injection of jingoist testosterone before more regionally focused battles of testosterone are played on the field; and we get the Netflix movie “Operation Christmas Drop,” a seasonally themed rom-com that cheerfully seeks to boost approval for America’s military base in Guam.” “Brown explained that he does not consider himself a “scrooge” and does acknowledge the joy the practice brings children but ultimately believes: “The messier business of war that goes on in the background doesn’t jibe with the Christmas spirit.” Brown pointed to drone strikes that have caused civilian casualties across the world and have helped “military officials avoid the political headaches that come from massive ground deployments.” “Brown outlined examples of the U.S. military, in his belief, not being held accountable for military strikes that left civilians dead and then wondered aloud if the military would be held accountable if it killed Santa Claus in a drone strike.” “Earlier this month, a friend of mine mused… Read more »