[Shara]

one more night of fireworks and 'oliebollen' and waffles... and I'm done!

[pedonbio]

 

[rtpoe]

As I drive home from work in the early evening, I get to see a lot of lighting displays in front of houses. I've worked out a scoring system. Any final score above zero qualifies as a "good" display.

Start with ten points. Anyone making the effort to do something deserves some credit.

ADD

1 - 5 Points: The effort taken to set up the display. Are there lights on the second story? Do the lights go all the way up to the top of the tree? Do the lights go around to the side of the house?
1 - 5 Points: The aesthetics of the display. Is everything 'balanced', or just on one side of the front door? Do the lights look like they were carefully placed and not just tossed at random?
2 Points: If you can see decorations *inside* the house.

SUBTRACT
5 Points: Any excessively large inflatable/wireframe figures. Say over 6' tall.
5 Points: Anything that moves.
5 Points: Any words or lettering.

I actually saw something that hit on all three 'negatives' tonight. A large, lit-up Santa figure that lowered its pants to reveal underwear with the phrase "Happy Holidays" on it.


INSTANT FAIL: Any corporate mascots. Cartoon characters are OK, but no M&M Guys or Coke Polar Bears.

[gOOber]

In this busy holiday season, please remember to keep Saturn in Saturnalia.

[pedonbio]

.

[gOOber]

.

Attaboy.

[rtpoe]

"Let it Snow" by Bit Shifter



Needs a better video with Christmassy versions of the classic arcade games....

[gOOber]

Felix Saturnalia omnes!

[pedonbio]

 

[rtpoe]

Deviant Art's JollyJack demonstrates the best way to decorate a tree.

[Zorro]

There are different versions of this that cover the other branches of the military.
 
I served on 3 different aircraft carriers from 1971 to 1981.

I spent Christmas and New Years in the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and the Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam during those years and can definitely relate to this poem.
Fair winds and following seas to my shipmates both alive and those who went on to the Supreme Commander.

A Sailor's Christmas


'Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.

They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.

They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, once I saw clearly.

A Sailor lay **83**, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,
This was the United States Sailor today.

This was the hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.

Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear."

I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!
But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.

The Sailor say's to our country "be free and **82** tight,
No harm will come, not on my watch and not on this night."

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to **82**,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,
I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night's cold chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.

The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,
Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Secure!"

HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT

[rtpoe]

What if the "War on Christmas" were a real thing?

"The United States has 16,000 military personnel in Alaska, mostly at major Air Force bases outside Anchorage and Fairbanks (home to the 354th fighter wing). A military airstrip at Barrow, the country's northernmost point, could also be used a forward operating base, as could Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland, 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle...

"But Santa's best defense is that the North Pole is—spoiler—really cold. The US Navy doesn't have any icebreakers, and the Coast Guard only has two, both of which are research vessels...

" 'I cannot think of too many worse environments to infiltrate and then exfiltrate from than the North Pole,' says Andrew Exum, a former special adviser for Middle East policy at the Department of Defense who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. 'I have no idea how many elves would remain loyal to Santa Claus, but given the open terrain, you would probably want to surround Santa's workshop with at least a company of Army Rangers before sending in a team from one of our special missions units to capture or kill Santa himself.' "


"What Would Happen If We Really Went to War Against Christmas?" Tim Murphy, Mother Jones, Dec. 18, 2013

[tdotter]

^I'm sure Frosty the Snowman would help Santa kick some ass,too.

[Zorro]

Each year a company donates wreathes to lay at the headstone of every grave in Arlington National Cemetery.

[rtpoe]

I could have put this in the Anniversaries thread, or the YouTube thread....

Forty Five Years Ago:

On December 23, 1968 at 21:59:52 GMT, Apollo 8 achieves lunar orbit. Man arrives at the Moon.

Apollo 8 was originally planned to be a test of the Lunar Module in Earth orbit in early 1969. But in September of 1968, the Soviets had sent a couple of animals around the Moon - and brought them back safely. Clearly, they were ahead of us in getting to the Moon. When the LEM kept having engineering problems, George Low, manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, suggested that they simply send the Command & Service Module combination into lunar orbit? It would mean rushing things, but it was something they'd have to do anyway.

Apollo 8 lifted off at 7:51 AM EST on December 21, with Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders aboard. Once at the Moon, they orbited it ten times, checking equipment. Bill Anders did most of the reconnaissance photography, checking potential landing sites.

On December 24, they gave a special broadcast, with over a billion people listening in:



The Command Module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 8°8?N 165°1?W at 10:51:42 EST. Total mission duration was 6 days, 3 hours, 42 seconds. Apollo 8 came back with a ton of "Firsts": First manned flight of a Saturn V. First launch from the Kennedy Space Center. First manned mission beyond Earth orbit. First manned mission to reach the Moon.... From a technical standpoint, this was a much greater achievement than Apollo 11. By July of 1969, all the engineering problems had been solved. Apollo 8 was when we proved we could actually send men to the Moon and bring them back safely.

http://www.gizmag.com/apoll-8-45th-anniversary/29991/

"And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth."