Bah Humbug! Merry Christmas!

The Born Loser

The above cartoon reminds me of my husband’s Christmas stocking, illustrated on the left. One of his childhood traditions was for the family to listen to a record of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on Christmas morning.

When he was younger he was taken by the lines
 
A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every 25th of December.
 
and
 
Bah, Humbug!

We’ve never made listening to the story a part of our Christmas tradition, but we did buy him a Scrooge stocking which we hang every Christmas Eve. After all these years it’s a lot rattier looking than the picture. 🙂

Kaitlin’s stocking looks beat up too, but she protested when I suggested buying her a new one. So her old one gets hung too whenever she and Torben are here at Christmas. In our home sentiment trumps elegance. What about at your place?

Anyway

Thanks to Evan, bikehikebabe, Ursula, Cathy and rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
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11 Responses to Bah Humbug! Merry Christmas!

  1. Cathy in NZ says:

    just about every year I put up a very old and strange ‘plastic’ sort of tree…every year another ‘branch’ is not able to be attached…last year it was shredding ‘leaves/needles’ everywhere!

    i haven’t thrown it away yet but it is not up this year…and I was reminded by my Xmas Day buddy who was here a couple of weeks ago. He probably won’t be to happy tomorrow (we are ahead remember) – cause I still haven’t put it up.

    it just doesn’t seem necessary to have it up. although I did put the presents in wrap and whilst I was in that seasonal box I noticed the stocking I was given maybe 10yrs ago but as I have no one around, not much point in hanging it and filling it for me! 🙂

    i’m not feeling all that Christmassy this year…but don’t worry, I will be ok 🙂

  2. Ursula says:

    Jean, because I cannot help feeling sorry for myself I currently sniffle. Try that in June/July/August – sun and all that – and people think you are ready for the looney bin. But sniffelling in December into your well used hanky is accepted by society not so much as a sign of sentimentality as being proof that you are human. Needless to say that I have more to say on that foolish notion but haven’t got time – see below.

    So, in long, oh yes, we have a stocking – not filled; just for decoration hanging on the wall as a centre piece. Like Kaitlin’s it’s getting a little worn round the edges. Should we ever misplace it regret will be mine.

    Why am I writing to you at 0730 GMT when I should be getting ready for a last minute dash to secure fish, poultry, ham and tree? Single handedly since – and I wish my father had recognized this decades ago – teenagers need their sleep.

    U

  3. rummuser says:

    Strange! I have just received four pairs of athletic socks from Ranjan! He knew I needed them and since he was in the neighbouhood of my favourite shop, bought them for me. Not for Christmas mind you, but for him and me, every day is Christmas or Diwali! His partner Melanie has just sent some home made Christmas goodies and I can’t wait to lay my hands on them.

  4. Mike Goad says:

    Christmas has evolved, for us, over time. Sentiment is important and part of the holiday. We’ll have some of the old holiday movies on the tube. Karen has been baking cookies and, later today, will be making her Christmas coffee cake. Our old artificial tree was several years past it’s prime, so this year we have a new, “elegant” and skinnier tree that better fits in the “Christmas tree corner.”

  5. bikehikebabe says:

    Tom is drinking Fezziwig (a Samuel Adams) beer. Fezziwig was a jolly character in Scrooge’s background, a more happy time for him. (Tom told me this.)

    I got a fake Christmas tree off Freecycle. Everyone is getting rid of them because the new ones come decorated with lights. It’s been outside the front gate for 2 years.

  6. bikehikebabe says:

    Cathy & U, I’ll be OK too. The “kids” are far away. There’s Tom. He’s submersed in a book, computer or on a snowy hike. But he’s THERE & that’s a comfort.

  7. Looney says:

    We usually hang the laundry outside or in the garage, rather than above the fire place. This year we have our first organic Christmas tree in perhaps 20 years. Sadly my daughter is wanted back in Albuquerque tomorrow so I have to run her to the airport a few hours later.

    We will probably read the Christmas story together tomorrow morning.

  8. Jean says:

    Cathy,
    I’ve often thought about whether I would celebrate Christmas if something happened to Andy and Kaitlin and Torben. I certainly wouldn’t bother with a stocking and would either skip the tree or else buy a very small, decorated, artificial one that didn’t take up much room. I would get immersed in some project and not pay much attention to the holiday.

    Ursula,
    It was my mother who didn’t believe people, including teens, needed more than 5 hours of sleep a night. She considered 7 hours to be a bit indulgent and over that was downright decadent. I had chronic insomnia for years (don’t know if her philosophy had any effect on that) and one of my greatest joys now is I mostly get all the sleep I want/need. I don’t take that for granted.

    I spend a reasonable amount of time ordering and wrapping presents ahead of time, but Christmas itself is leisurely here. We buy goodies but don’t have fancy meals. When Andy was a kid he and his siblings were allowed to eat all the candy they wanted on Christmas. He continued that tradition with Kaitlin so there wasn’t much point in my cooking a fancy dinner. I foolishly tried it once and have had carefree Christmases ever since. 🙂

    Rummuser,
    When it comes to buying things every day seems like Christmas here too.

    Thank you for sending this picture of an Indian Santa Claus. 🙂

    Mike,
    I don’t bake any more but we do go up to the land and cut down a small tree in an area that needs thinning. The one we got today was particularly scrawny, but it doesn’t matter. It’s big enough to hold a few lights and ornaments and will be up only until the day after New Year’s. Andy does love the tradition of cutting down our own tree.

    bikehikebabe,
    When the kids don’t come Andy’s Christmas afternoon and evening…often to the wee hours of the morning…are spent reading some of the science fiction and fantasy books I buy him every year. So I’ve had a lot of practice getting submerged in my own projects. When we were first married he was doing experiments on particle accelerators, and he always volunteered to work on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I didn’t really mind but told him he had to stop that once Kaitlin was born.

    Looney,
    I’m sorry our daughter couldn’t stay longer.
    I hope your Christmas tree is a bit less scrawny than ours. 🙂

  9. Jean says:

    bikehikebabe,
    If all goes well click here for a link to various Santa Clauses in Thailand.

  10. Jean says:

    Looney,
    Oops…your daughter, not our daughter. Thanks, bikehikebabe, for catching the typo.

  11. Looney says:

    Jean, I had unconsciously added a “y” while reading and wouldn’t have noticed without it being highlighted!

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