Happy Christmas 2021

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Pretty!

[AndyinPA]

Nice flocked tree. They are doing them better than they used to.

[northland10]

I'm feeling a bit stressed. Tis the season. Even so, it will all work out and the stress will pass around 5 minutes after the people respond "Thanks be to God" (the five minutes after that will be taken up by Louis-Claude Daquin and his X Noel, Grand jeu et Duo).

People always ask if I am going some for Christmas and I say.. Nope, working. They ask if I am going somewhere on Christmas Day or after and I say, nope, sleeping. Tis the vocation and I have no complaints.

Happy Holidays to all.*


*(My faith is not so weak as to require others or the retail world to say the magic formula to make it Christmas "Merry Christmas." That only matters if you are defending your "cultural" traditions that apparently are so weak as to need others to enforce it for you.)

[MN-Skeptic]

This is a great Christmas themed commercial -

[bill_g]

:clappinghands:

That was pretty good. Thanks.

[Volkonski]

Taking the cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak today. Over 14,000 feet. Hope I will be able to breathe.

Unusually warm today. Will be 61F here and 25F at the top of Pikes Peak. Guess I didn't need to buy those snow boots.

[bill_g]

Take a shot of vodka. Just one every two hours. It will help with breathing at higher altitudes.

[AndyinPA]

It's probably a little late, but CoQ10 very good for high altitude. Enjoy!

[Volkonski]

I survived Pikes Peak (just barely).

SIL became Ill. Got small oxygen canister at the gift shop and revived him. I didn't know such things existed. Good thing our daughter did.

[AndyinPA]

Sorry about the SIL. It's hard to say ahead who might or might not have problems.

[MsDaisy]

This is a great Christmas themed commercial -

[Volkonski]

Sorry about the SIL. It's hard to say ahead who might or might not have problems.

Everyone but me now napping.

Maybe Pikes Peak is a bit much during the week before Christmas.

My chest muscles are feeling more than a bit sore. All those deep breathes.

[Volkonski]

Well, here in Colorado Springs for Christmas and the weather forecast for tonight is for strong west winds with gusts to 75 mph. Widespread downed trees and power outages expected.

Guess we better buy some flashlights and dinner food that doesn't need to be heated.

Bummer if power outages last into Christmas.

[filly]

I survived Pikes Peak (just barely).

SIL became Ill. Got small oxygen canister at the gift shop and revived him. I didn't know such things existed. Good thing our daughter did.

Was at a wedding in Park City Utah and half the guests were carrying around the huge cans of oxygen, like the jumbo hair spray size. Altitude sickness is no joke for many folks.

[MN-Skeptic]

I had waffled about visiting my sister for Christmas, but, because of snow predicted for Sunday, I decided to stay home. I've VERY glad I made that decision or otherwise I would have been in the interstate between the Twin Cities and Milwaukee this morning.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

[raison de arizona]

I had waffled about visiting my sister for Christmas, but, because of snow predicted for Sunday, I decided to stay home. I've VERY glad I made that decision or otherwise I would have been in the interstate between the Twin Cities and Milwaukee this morning.

https://twitter.com/patrickdmarley/stat ... 36001?s=20

Glad you dodged that bullet!

Wow, that kettlebell commercial made me !

My late mother needed oxygen on top of Pike's Peak. I tried to get the fam to go up there last summer, er, summer before last, but we had just gone through Monarch Pass and Silverton and they were all switchbacked out! The wife in particular could. Not. Handle. One more "scary" road!

[northland10]

When I did Long's Peak many years ago, one member of our group started having altitude sickness issues soon after we got passed the tree line and had to turn back (and went with another who figures he would not make it). I nearly losses my lunch on the way down bot that was just from exhaustion.

[Maybenaut]

We’re having a full house and a full cabin this year. My son and his fam are staying at the house with us and my friend and her fam will be at the cabin. If we (they or us) feel too ooky about seeing people we’re not related to, we can maintain our distance. We’re playing that part by ear.

[AndyinPA]

I've been at 14,000 feet + a couple of times in the Andes. Just want to say again that CoQ10, starting a few days ahead, is pretty good. My doctor approves of it, too.

I've been busy all day making sides for Christmas. We will have "our" Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, a leg of lamb, as we're going to the vegan/vegetarians for dinner on Christmas. We'll fortify with a lamb sandwich before we leave. Some holidays, the assortment at their place isn't really too bad. Others, we're chewing on table legs. Never know which it will be. But the grandkids make it a great day, no matter what!

[tek]

Happy Christmas to all my Fogbowser friends!

Day off today.. gonna make some cookies, pumpkin custard for dessert tomorrow, maybe fresh cranberry relish to give the flavors time to meld.

Quiet holiday tomorrow, just ms and me.. a neighbor couple will be coming over for a socially-distanced early dinner out on the patio.

Hopefully the new year will be far less f'd up than this year was. I can always hope.

[sugar magnolia]

Sausage balls, angels on horseback, and oysters Rockefeller to be made for a 3 pm Christmas meal with the kids and then nothing but naps and football the rest of the weekend.

[Foggy]

A quiet Christmas with fambly at home, my favorite. Then Monday, the lord willin' and the cricks don't rise, we'll be driving traveling to Bathysphere or wherever it is, to see my dad for a few days. Nice weather.

[Estiveo]

I'm doing nothing Christmas day because we did PIZZA CHRISTMAS! last Sunday.

Here's me, Dr. Jernigan, and the Yeti having a vaxxed & boosted Omicron safe gathering on the (chilly) patio at Jake's. (Not pictured, Bosco the photographer.)

Estiveoshot_20211224_061311.jpg

[bill_g]

Our horoscope for yesterday probably read "Be gracious when receiving gifts". It was awesome and humbling how many small things people brought us in just one day.

It started with the homeless couple that "guard" our shop at night. They tuck into the gap between two buildings. In return they keep the graffiti artists at bay, and pick up the parking lot. They gave me a Christmas card with an extended message inside expressing their gratitude. It was difficult to read through watery eyes.

Then we had four customers, former collegues, and vendors show up unannounced with handmade snack trays and cards for everyone. Not much got accomplished as we caught up with each one. But, what's work if you can't enjoy it sometimes.

The candle in the cake was at home walking to the post box in the late afternoon. The mail was light, but neighbors came out as I passed to give us bags of goodies and heartfelt cards. No sooner do I set them on the kitchen counter when a small reverse Halloween came to our door. Three more came by with cards, simple treats, and greetings.

Mrs and I honestly don't remember doing all the things these people are grateful for, but this has been a most unusual year in so many ways. It was stunning. We've never experienced this before. Perhaps we never will again, but we are grateful to have given without knowing the cost, and to have received more than we gave.