Wow. Today came fast. Is it fair to only have four shopping weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas when you’re one of those people who doesn’t have the time or energy to shop? Nope! Not fair at all. That said, we don’t go overboard with the presents. My son wanted mainly music & DVDs this year along with a stereo as his big present. Well, he got most of the music (he likes obscure music so these CDs are a little hard to find at times), got some movies (Robot Chicken the series was high on his list), and for his big present, I went to Wal-Mart and plunked down @ $250.00 for a home theater surround sound system (which includes an iPod dock along with the ability to attach his television and his XBOX 360 (last year’s big present) to it). The home theater unit puts out 1000 watts of power. I may regret this purchase! LOL Right now through his television he plays his heavy metal/rap/alternative music very loud. In fact, some nights when I’m blogging his room becomes a mini-concert and I can’t hear myself think. But! One night I was blogging and I heard something very heavenly coming from his room….it was my Simon & Garfunkel CD! I was shocked. He came out of his room after playing a couple of songs on it and I said, “You’re playing Simon & Garfunkel?”, and he said, “Yeah Mom, I like their harmony”, and I said, “Oh me too!” and proceeded to kiss his face as if he was lost and now is found. 
See? There is hope.
Anyway, I woke up this morning with Matthew Harding on my mind. He’s the guy who goes around the world and dances with the locals. I love him. His videos have a simple message to them and I think it’s a message we need to hold onto as we approach the new year with a new president at the helm: WE CAN INSPIRE OTHERS TO DANCE IF WE JUST TAKE THE TIME TO PUT OURSELVES OUT THERE and LET IT BE. Not everyone is going to ‘dance’, some will laugh and point at you, but that doesn’t mean we should stop ‘dancing’ and inspiring others to ‘dance’ through simple means! Hell, speak truth to power even if your voice cracks, people! We can do this. We can dance for peace, for tolerance, and for accepting others.
Here’s a montage of Matt Harding dancing across our great planet. Enjoy!…
I hope you all have a wonderful (as Uncle Fester Lurks puts it) Pagan Holiday tonight & tomorrow! Remember, take time to inspire. Without it, we are nothing.
Merry Christmas to everyone, except billo, happy holidays to him.
Most of us got what we wanted for Christmas.. a new President, and a more progressive government.
It’s hard to believe that we are less then a month away from the Bush regime leaving Washington forever… it has been a horrible 8 years under Bush, and thankfully now its almost over.
I hope everyone is enjoying the Winter Solstice with days now getting longer now.
I did all my shopping online right after Thanksgiving but due to four items being back-ordered for January delivery, I had to cancel and go out to the store after all. However, I went shopping midweek and JC Penney’s was not a bit crowded so I am wondering about the success of our stores this season. So many of them are now closed or have “Going Out Of Business” banners across their windows due to the “Obama Recession!” Some will be open 5:30 a.m. this coming Friday for “doorbusters”.
I saved money by shopping at the store. One toy a grandnephew wanted was marked down half-price online to $25, but due to more drastic mark-downs of late, got it at the store for $18. I bought six Houdini wine openers for some nieces and nephews “on-sale” online for $20 PLUS shipping and then Kohl’s last week had the $40 items “on-sale” for $17. Oh well, folks at FedEx need paychecks, too.
We had our family Christmas last Saturday, brother, sister, and myself together with over 40 of us in a growing family of over 60 (losing count!) spending an afternoon and evening imbibing food and drink along with gift exchanges. A dozen of us have moved back to Indiana, with one each also in Louisville, Denver, and San Diego. The last time we were all together was for the funeral of my brother-in-law. One reason for holding our “Christmas” on December 20th was due to so many conflicts once kids go off and get married as other families are in the mix. Being childless myself, this was the brood of my brother and sister who raised 12 kids between them. Included in the celebration were my brother’s two EX-wives (we all get together in our family for everything!).
My partner just got a call from his sister in Minneapolis who is not speaking to another sister in Stillwater. In their case, sisters married brothers and one brother cheated and will be remarried New Years Eve. My partner said he is glad he is in Texas away from his fighting Minnesota family. His sister talks so loudly I could hear her over the phone and she sounds like Sarah Palin whose accent is close to that of Minnesota and the Dakotas. He is from a family 9 that are mostly estranged from each other. He loves being included in our Texas family. Both of his parents have died in the past three years and some siblings didn’t even show up for their wakes or funerals. So I feel my greatest gift is that my family: mostly Republican and a few Democrats, gay/straight, and now with intermarriage…black, Chinese, Israeli, and Native American. Also, we are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, and atheist who get along so well. I love my family, the main reason I live here in Texas.
Posting blocked but Happy Holidays!
I object!
Grant, in no way, shape or form does Sarah Palin talk or sound like us Minnesotans! We don’t talk like those actors from the movie ‘Fargo’ either, although, you betcha we do use wood chippers in very created ways. Now you darn tootin better get that right, gosh darn it!
Good evening everyone! How are you tonight? Uncle, glad to hear your brother is doing better, but I’m sad about your sister-in-law. Are they keeping her in the coma or is she not responding to coming out of one? Jees. What an ordeal your family is going through right now! I’m thinking of you. (((((HUGS)))))
I don’t know Grant…Sarah Palin just sounds like a Caribou Barbie at this point.
Our tradition on Christmas Eve is to have either root beer floats or banana splits, but guess what? I forgot to get the stuff to do it this year! My son’s reaction? He’s okay with it. We’re going to watch A Christmas Story which is another tradition and a hoot and a half. It’s playing for 24 hours straight on TNT starting tonight at 8pm…
http://alt.tnt.tv/specials/christmasstory/
We’ve watched it for hours straight some Christmases.
My brother is such a “Christmas Story” fan that his kids got him a “leg lamp” as a gag gift a few years back that he has it up in the media room of his house on a table between two life-size statues of Elwood and Jake Blues (click below). I still jump and say, “Excuse me!” when I walk into that room not expecting “anyone” to be there!
http://www.importliquidators.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=211&zenid=d687d56c77470d27be31c4f8e68976dc
I like “Christmas Story” as it takes place in Hammond, Indiana where I once lived while working in the steel mill (although filmed in Cleveland it looks just like Hammond). It takes place in the same era, 1940’s, when I was growing up. The movie replicates the period perfectly, toys, clothes, etc. Our kitchen “gas range” was nearly identical to the one in the movie, the school looked similar to mine, etc. I also never tire of “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street” the latter in part due to Natalie Wood, one year older than I am who played a top role as a child actress and my first “girlfriend”.
I never got a “B-B” gun for the same “will put your eye out” argument from my mother.
We had our family Christmas last Saturday. My nephew, who won $50 about every Friday night doing Elvis karaoke that gave him beer money in college, got this gift:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000NIJ80W/so0b9-2030671-20
My “30-something nephews” acted like kids, putting together Elvis right away, and playing with indoor remote helicopters!!!
Hi Grant! Sounds like you and your family had a great time at the family Christmas gathering. Ummmmm, an Elvis talking head robot? Who the hell thought of that one! LOL Hysterical. I have to say it once again….what’s the point of maturing as we go through life? It’s more fun to be immature and laughing all the way.
Hope you’re enjoying your evening. I’m starting to get tired, and as usual, I’m waiting for my son to go to bed so I can play ‘Santa’. It was so much easier when he was little! He couldn’t make it past 8pm…9pm at the latest.
Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays wish to our site host Kay in Maine and her ardent site followers… : )
It’s been a tough year, but the electorate made both a correct and pragmatic choice concerning the election of President Obama (elect)! : )
We’d surely have been long-faced if we had elected the other “aged” guy and his rambunctious, redneck partner from the North…no?!
)
So we have alot to be thankful for this holiday season. Those of us that are alive are still “kickin’” and the dead no longer have any problems to address.
With that thought…”party hearty”, enjoy the good grub and give thanks that we still live in the safest, best nation on earth bar none this Christmas 2008.
If you drink, don’t drive and have a designated driver.
Carl Nemo **==
My Republican brother (who voted for Obama) sent me this Robin Williams routine this evening. Robin gives us some hope for the years ahead and gives us some humor as we surely need it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puMz1Q3E000
Thanks Grant…
Truly a laugh and a half courtesy of Robin Williams… : )
Nemo **==
Hi Kay,
I posted a reply to Grant concerning his supplied link, but it didn’t display. Your assist would be appreciated.
Merry Christmas dear lady… : )
Carl Nemo **==
Woo hoo another Pagan holiday with the family. Great food, fun watching and playing with the kids.
Later the ‘grownups’ started talking and the talk turned gulp…to politics…only briefly.
One comment by my very christian and republican sister was “Rick Warren is bad (I agree) he is tight with the United Nations…thats why Obama likes him” I rolled my eyes and bit my tongue.
My other republican sister brought up the Coleman/Franken race, saying Franken is just a comedian…again I bit my tongue.
Then the talk was about weird churches we’ve all attended in the past and then to jokes, my future republican brother inlaw decided to say some racial jokes…not cool…
I finally ended the joke session with the following joke: Jesus walks into a hotel, hands the desk clerk three spikes and says can you put me up for the night? Some laughter, some looks of disbelief. Hey I’m a christian but I never said I was perfect.
To you Kay, and your son and family and all your blog readers and commenters:
Merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful New Year!
Good morning everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (or a hangover!)! I did this post last night, so if you didn’t refresh your browser you might have missed it: http://whitenoiseinsanity.com/2008/12/24/heres-us-senator-barbara-boxers-holiday-card-to-her-subscribers/
Senator Boxer is a lush. LOL
Thanks Randy! I hope you and your own had a wonderful Christmas and I hope the new year brings ya some goodness.
Uncle! Love the joke!!! I’m scratching my head as to why your very christian relatives didn’t like it. *wink*
*waving to Carl Nemo* Hope you had a terrific day! As your Internet Daughter, I would like to take this time to say, “Thanks Daddy for all you do for me!”.
My other father always used to say to me, “If you can’t be good, be careful”, when I would go out. He just knew me way too well. You’re right about our country, Carl. It’s fantastic. Too bad we have morons right now forming armed militias against our new president because they’re afraid of the Fairness Doctrine. What the hell! Lunatics they are who appreciate nothing.
Ah Kay, they weren’t that offended by it.
Now if it weren’t for it being Pagan eve last night I would have responded this way to my two republican sisters:
“Rick Warren is tight with the United Nations, thats why Obama likes him”…So then why do all of the republicans like him? For his *good looks* (cough, cough) or for him being a false prophet and counterfeit christian?
All and all it was a good Pagan eve. Great seeing all of the nephews and nieces together. Now I’m waiting for my younger brother and his daughter to get into town and celebrate some more tonight.
“Al Franken is a comedian”…well then he should fit in with the rest of the jokers in the senate. Seriously what is the gold standard to be a senator. Most of the ones we have aren’t worth a damn.
Oops my last two paragraphs in my last comment were in the wrong order.
Speaking of the fairness doctrine. Why do I get the feeling if the shoe was on the other foot and the radio airwaves were flooded with progressive stations with just a few conservative stations the radical right would be all for the fairness doctrine.
Exactly Uncle. They’re so consumed with hate against the liberals that they have no idea how bad our radios & news programs are crammed full with right wing neck drooling knuckledraggers!