Famous First Words: Do not be afraid. --Angels
Merry Christmas – English Mele Kalikimaka - Hawaiian
One night a Viking named Rudolph the Red was looking out the window when he said, “It’s going to rain.” His wife asked, “How do you know?” “Because Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear.” / Dear Santa, When you arrive on Christmas Eve could you please throw a quick load in the washer, vacuum the living room, and wash your cookie dishes. Thank you
..........Hope everybody's dancing to their own drum this fine morning............Jethro Tull …..Another Christmas Song
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. --Isaiah 9:6
It is a near frigid (11°F) Christmas morning, but merry and bright nonetheless. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the wind has slowed; that's about all one can ask on a December day in Kansas. The sky is clear and blue, the ground is brown and leaf covered, and my heart too is merry and bright. I am sipping Holiday Cheer decaf – appropriately creamed and sweetened. It does not taste of pumpkin spice which is another Christmas gift. There is no birdsong. There is no movement – Bruno is inside, squirrels are still abed, and birds are not in sight. So...I light a pine scented incense and play Another Christmas Song one more time. Merry whatever you celebrate!!!
Hope you have the merriest Christmas yet, ePistliers
Deck the halls with Boston Charlie: "Deck Us All With Boston Charlie " - Walt Kelly - YouTube
Christmas Quote of the Week: ...Christmas: ...a baby so stoned even the cows knew it. --Stephen Gaskin
Neatest Thing I Read of the Week: Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. --Henri J. M. Nouwen
Geseënde Kersfees – Afrikaans Vesele Vianoce – Slovakian
I used to know a guy who absolutely loved hollandaise sauce. He would buy the spiciest brand he could find and would put it on just about everything. Well it turned out that because he used the spicy sauce so much, it started to wear down a hole on the roof of his mouth. He went to a doctor and asked what he could do about it. The doctor looked at the damage and determined that the man needed a metal plate at the roof of his mouth. The man was relieved but asked the doctor if he would still be able to enjoy hollandaise sauce. The doctor reassured him that his new plate would be made of chrome. So, don't worry, there's no plate like chrome for the hollandaise." / Relax, don't get your tinsel in a tangle.
..........Oh, children of the forest free...........Heather Dale …..The Huron Carol ~~Sung in Wendat (Huron, French, & English)
Trivia Questions: Other things have happened on Christmas Day. How much do you know about them?
^ What happened to Charlemagne on Christmas day in the year 800?
^^ What was George Washington doing on Christmas day in 1776?
^^^ Which of his ships did Columbus lose on Christmas day in 1492?
^^^^ What did President Andrew Johnson do on Christmas day in 1868 to heal Civil War wounds?
^^^^^ Care to guess which year Richard Starkey aka Ringo Starr received his first drum set?
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: My husband asked me just now why there are gingerbread men and not gingerbread women. I told him it's the pastryarchy. --Submitted by cj of ks
Max Picture of the Week: Max, his candy cane, a firetruck and its Santa
Christmas in Jail by Leroy Carr: Christmas In Jail (Ain’t That a Pain) - Leroy Carr - YouTube
Fake Library Statistic of the Week: 90% of libraries don't have an elf on the shelf because the staff are already experts in giving silent, judging stares. https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts
Feliz Navidad - Spanish Sungtan Chukha - Korean
Overheard among shepherds: Ever since that star appeared I've had the urge to go shopping. / A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. --Garrison Keillor
..........I gave you my heart..........The Beatles …..Christmas Time Is Here Again
Moonbeam: A new commandment I give to you, love one another. --Jesus
Naturally Occurring Mandala of the Week: Poinsettia
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: They say that for Christmas we can meet up to 8 people without any problems. But I don't know 8 people without any problems... --Submitted by cmr of ks
Santa Claus and his Old Lady by Cheech & Chong: Santa Claus And His Old Lady - YouTube
Week of the Week: It's About Time Week (25-31) –Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond / Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = knotfurlong
Boldog Karácsonyt -Hungarian Nizhónígo Késhmish Da'doohteet - Navajo
Cat Christmas Carols: O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, your ornaments are history ... Wreck the tree and blame the doggies, Fa la la la la la la la la ... 4 calling birds, 3 french hens, 2 turtle doves and would it be possible to get the partridge without the pear tree? / I was dreaming of a white Christmas but if you're out of white, I'll drink the red.
..........And the stars in the elements will tremble with glee...........Joan Baez …..The Cherry Tree Carol
^ On Christmas Day 800 AD, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “emperor of the Romans” during a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica.
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth with Spike Jones: Spike Jones & His City Slickers - All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) 1948 - YouTube
Almanac: It is December 25, 2020. The moon will be full (Cold) on Tuesday and is in Taurus. Besides being Christmas Day it is A'Phabet Day aka No "L" Day and Christmas Pudding Day. Until 1068 England celebrated New Year's on this day. In Taiwan it is Constitution Day (1946).
Among those born on this day were Jesus (B.C.E. 4), Orlando Gibbons (1583), Angelus Silesius (1624), Isaac Newton (1642), Jacobus Houbraken (1698), Jean-Joseph Cassenea de Mondonville (1711), Claud Chappe (1763), Joseph Mazzinghi (1765), Jan de Liefde II (1814), Clara Barton (1821), Esteban Salas y Castro (1825), Fernandez Arbos (1863), W. Starling Burgess (1878), Maurice Utrillo (1883), Conrad Hilton (1887), Robert L. Ripley (1893), Humphrey Bogart (1899), Gerhard Herzberg (1904), Clark Clifford (1906), Cab Calloway (1907), Henry Charnock (1920), Billy Horton (1929), Carlos Castaneda (1931), Gary Sandy (1945), Jimmy Buffett (1946), Sissy Spacek (1949), and Amy Grant (1960).
On December twenty-fifth Christmas began to be celebrated consistently on December 25th (352), England adopted the Julian calendar (597), William the Conqueror became king of England (1066), St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene (1223), The Santa Maria docked in the Dominican Republic (1492), Plymouth Colony outlawed playing games on Christmas Day (1621), Massachusetts Colony outlawed any observance of Christmas (1651), the Centigrade temperature scale was introduced (1741), Halley's comet was sighted (1758), Washington crossed the Delaware (1776), Handel's Messiah was first performed in the US (1818), Berlioz's Symphony Fantastic premiered (1830), the New Haven Railroad opened (1848), Hirohito became emperor of Japan (1926), Dick Tracy married Tess Truehart (1950), and Gorbachev resigned as president of USSR (1991).
Night Sky,12/25: As Jupiter and Saturn move apart, they're sinking quite low in the southwest in twilight http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Extra Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The easiest way to tell that Star Trek was written by white people is they say “where no one has gone before” but like 90% of the planets they go to are inhabited. --Submitted ab ab of kc
This Week: Saturday, December 26 – Boxing Day & First Day of Kwanzaa & National Thank You Note Day
Sunday, December 27 – Free Balloon Day & Howdy Doody Day & Visit The Zoo Day
Night Sky, 12/27: The waxing gibbous Moon shines roughly between Aldebaran and the Pleiades. Off to their left sparkles bright Capella.
Monday, December 28 – National Chocolate Day & Pledge of Allegiance Day & Short Film Day
Tuesday, December 29 – Tick Tock Day & WMCA Day
Wednesday, December 30 – Bacon Day & Falling Needles Family Fest Day
Night Sky, 12/30: Uranus (in Aries) is high in the south-southeast after dark, about 13° east (left) of Mars. Uranus is only 3.7 arcseconds wide, but that's enough to appear as a tiny fuzzy ball, not a point, at high power in even a smallish telescope with sharp optics — during spells of good seeing.
Thursday, December 31 – Hogmanay & First Nights & National Champagne Day & World Peace Meditation Day
Noheli Nziza -Rwandan Jwaye Nwel -Haitian
Dog Christmas Carols: O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, I do love indoor plumbing ... tennis balls, tennis ball, throw them far away ... 4 falling birds, 3 dead squirrels, 2 chew toys, and a long pee on a short tree. / Christmas sweaters are only acceptable as a cry for help. --Andy Borowitz
..........Who comes around on a special night............Bob Dylan …..Must Be Santa
^^ On Christmas Day General George Washington led 2,400 troops on a daring nighttime crossing of the icy Delaware River. Stealing into New Jersey, the Continental forces launched a surprise attack on Trenton on December 26.
Nuttin for Christmas by Barry Gordon: Nuttin For Christmas ~ Barry Gordon - YouTube
Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. --Erma Bombeck
Moonbeam: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. --Jesus
Classic Late Night Snacks of the Week: David Letterman 10 Ten Elf Complaints 10) Bells on clothing target for jeers at truck stops 9) Need 2 pieces of ID to buy beer 8) Santa''s union-busting goons killed a guy last spring 7) Black elves control the weight room 6) R&R weekends in Aleutians spoiled by trigger-happy shore patrol 5) Incredible markup at North Pole 7-11 4) Workman's compensation doesn't cover “mistletoe-lung” 3) The Colonel practically runs my life (Sorry,k that's an Elvis complaint) 2) Dead elves just tossed out on the tundra 1) Santa only invites his favorites to join him in the Jacuzzi 12/18/2010
Ollie's Very Own Picture of the Week: Ollie and his muscle car wheels
Not So Late Night Snacks of the Week: The coronavirus vaccines were finally delivered this week, with news channels showing live shots of planes carrying it, landing at airports, UPS trucks waiting to, you know, carry it away. We all remember where we were when the first crates of vaccines were delivered. We were at home, where we have been for nine months. --Peter Sagal You know what? I was really reticent about getting it. But then I saw online they gave it to Ian McKellen, Sir Ian McKellen. And if it's good enough for Gandalf, all right. --Helen Hong Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me 12/19/20
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. --I Corinthians 14:33
Maligayang Pasko -Filipino Feliz Natal -Portuguese
The one thing women don't want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband. --Joan Rivers / Darth Santa: I find your lack of holiday spirit disturbing.
..........Tell him he can take the freeway down..........Chuck Berry …Run Rudolph Run.
^^^ Christopher Columbus' flagship, Santa Maria, ran aground and sank on the north coast of Hispaniola. The crew were left to found a colony there.
Leroy the Redneck Reindeer by Joe Diffie: Joe Diffie - Leroy The Redneck Reindeer (Official Video) - YouTube
Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: A Christmas Carol is the heartwarming tales of how rich people must be supernaturally terrorized into sharing. --Submitted by sw of ks
Weird Word of the Week: Boun – to boun something is to decorate it with evergreen branches during the Christmas period. 15 Forgotten Christmas Words to Make Your Holiday Merry | Listen & Learn AUS Blog (listenandlearnaustralia.com.au)
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Clean a shower head. If a shower head can not be removed for cleaning, fill a Ziploc Storage Bag with Heinz White Vinegar, wrap it around the shower head, and secure in place overnight with a rubber band. Ziploc® Storage Bags: Wacky Uses
Puzzle of the Week: This challenge came from listener Jared Harvey, of Santa Cruz, Calif. Think of a common word in six letters. Write it in lowercase. If you hold up a mirror at its side, the reflection will show the same word. What is it? Sunday Puzzle, 12/13/20 Answer below
Sikukuu ya Merry – Swahili vrolijk kerstfeest -Dutch
Christmas is just like a day in the office? You do all the work and the fat guy in a suit takes all the credit. / I slept under the Christmas tree last night so my family would realize what a gift I am.
...........What a bright time.........Brenda Lee …..Jingle Bell Rock
^^^^ By way of Proclamation 179, on December 25, 1868, Johnson issued amnesty to “all and every person” who had fought against the United States during the Civil War.
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I stopped understanding math when the alphabet decided to get involved. --Submitted by #RHOZ
Science Fiction Joke of the Week: Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. --Douglas Adams
I Want a Hoppopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey: 11 Best Funny Christmas Songs - Funniest Holiday Songs (harpersbazaar.com)
Actual Science Joke of the Week: I have a new theory on inertia but it doesn’t seem to be gaining momentum.
Answer to Puzzle of the Week: Tidbit
krisamas kee badhaee – Hindi Mbotama Malamu -Lingala
It's beginning to cost a lot like Christmas. / I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. --Shirley Temple
..........Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree...........Elvis Presley …..Blue Christmas
^^^^^ Ringo got his first drums for Christmas in 1957 when he was 17 years old.
At the Christmas Ball by Bessie Smith: 34 Alternative Christmas Songs - Best Weird Christmas Carols for the Holidays (elle.com)
Recreating Famous Painting With Anything You Can Find of the Week:
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I've had my patience tested. I'm negative. --Submitted by INRITH
Today's Peace of History, December 25, 1946: The first Christmas demonstration at the White House was held by those seeking amnesty for conscientious objectors convicted of refusing to fight in World War II.
Eedookh Breekha-Aramaic Kala Christouyenna – Greek
I bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying Toys Not Included. --Bernard Manning / You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. --Maya Angelou
Space Christmas by Allo Darlin' --Space Christmas (Demo Version) - YouTube
..........Good morrow, masters all.........King's College Choir …..Past Three A Clock
Masthead of the Week: Friday, December 25, 2020, ePistle Noel. Harmony, Humor, and Hallelujahs. Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. 2511 Morningside Dr. Lawrence, KS 66047
Moonbeam: Love your neighbor as yourself --Jesus
Cost of War:
As of 12/24/20 Military Costs of War since 2001: $3,090,155,954,004.
As of 12/17/20 Military Costs of War since 2001: $3,088,171,284,758.
As of 12/24/20 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $1,009,416,716,653.
As of 12/17/20 Homeland Security Costs since 2001: $1,008,067,731,974.
As of 12/24/20 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $818,638,247,414.
As of 12/17/20 Interest on War Debt since 2001: $816,942,364,786.
As of 12/24/20 Veterans Care since 2001: $341,690,529,613.
As of 12/17/20 Veterans Care since 2001: $341,305,041,446.
As of 12/24/20 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $5,259,902,379,704.
As of 12/17/20 Total Cost of Wars since 2001: $5,254,486,024,819.
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27
Sentimental Thought of the Week: Today is next year's Christmas Memory. Make it one that you will always cherish and be sure to enjoy every single moment.
Stuck in the Smoke Hole in Our Tipi by Shoshoni Elder Oldhands: Stuck in the Smoke Hole of our Tipi. - YouTube --Submitted by llr of ks
Famous Last Words: ...and a partridge in a pear tree.
..........forever and ever.........Royal Choral Society …..Hallelujah Chorus
krismas mubarak – Urdu QISmaS Quch Daghajjaj - Klingon
Remember, Christmas is the only time of the year you can sit in your own house in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of a sock. / I told Santa I had been very good this year. I didn't tell him it was just a lack of opportunity.
May Peace fill the earth
And Joy fill every heart
prairie mama
christine
Last Laugh:
