Merry Christmas 2025

[tower912]

May you all have be with the ones you love.  In spirit, if not in person.  If you are still a believer, may you revel in the peace and joy of the season, as we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus.

   No, it is probably not the actual date.  As with many other things, Christianity co-opted other traditions.

Honestly, this season, it feels a little like we are all living in Pottersville, or a Whoville where the oddly colored Grinch with bad hair did not have a change of heart.

Choose to remember the child and the best of what He represents.  And to bless and forgive each other in honor of Him.

Peace and blessings to you all, believers and others alike.

 

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Merry Christmas all!

[Shaka Shart]

For the most part many people I've been encountering while traveling and being out around this time have been cheerful, warm, and encouraging.

For a challenging time for many it's good to see

[Jockey]

Life is good.

My wife commented a month or two ago that people seem friendlier lately. We both agreed it was to compensate - wanting to show that we are not like the monster and his people.

[Scoop Snoop]

Merry Christmas! Time to set aside the umm.. "unpleasant" things in our lives as scoopers and enjoy being with our loved ones.

I just finished rewatching a movie that I have not seen in years-Hoosiers-and it was the perfect flick for me today. Covenant House, an organization in many cities that shelters homeless teens and tries to bring them into their facilities before sex traffickers get to them, had ads during the broadcast. I hope you get a chance to see the ads. If you are not moved by them, you have lost your humanity.

Last year at this time, at the request of our overburdened Animal Control, we agreed to foster a young, abandoned dog I found over the holidays. She was our Christmas pup, desperately needing shelter from the unusually cold weather and she was severely malnourished, with her entire skeleton easily visible. She shook like a leaf from fear, and I believe we were her very first loving humans. We sadly surrendered "our" sweet pup after 9 days, and my wife and I both kept reminding each other that we agreed that we were not filling out an adoption form at the same time. Had we been 10-12 years younger, we would have. Even though we had her for only a short time, remembering her will now be a Christmas tradition.

So those are my Christmas stories, What are yours?

[Pakuni]

Merry Christmas, Scoop.
I wouldn't go into the portal to replace any of you.

[Scoop Snoop]

Merry Christmas, Scoop.
I wouldn't go into the portal to replace any of you.

Why...Thank you! That's one of the nicest things anyone has said on scoop.

[jesmu84]

Too bad I missed the festivus thread.

I got a lot of problems with you people

[tower912]

There was one years ago, IIRC.  Start a new one.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Merry Christmas! Time to set aside the umm.. "unpleasant" things in our lives as scoopers and enjoy being with our loved ones.

I just finished rewatching a movie that I have not seen in years-Hoosiers-and it was the perfect flick for me today. Covenant House, an organization in many cities that shelters homeless teens and tries to bring them into their facilities before sex traffickers get to them, had ads during the broadcast. I hope you get a chance to see the ads. If you are not moved by them, you have lost your humanity.

Last year at this time, at the request of our overburdened Animal Control, we agreed to foster a young, abandoned dog I found over the holidays. She was our Christmas pup, desperately needing shelter from the unusually cold weather and she was severely malnourished, with her entire skeleton easily visible. She shook like a leaf from fear, and I believe we were her very first loving humans. We sadly surrendered "our" sweet pup after 9 days, and my wife and I both kept reminding each other that we agreed that we were not filling out an adoption form at the same time. Had we been 10-12 years younger, we would have. Even though we had her for only a short time, remembering her will now be a Christmas tradition.

So those are my Christmas stories, What are yours?

My mom must donated frequently to Covenant House.  She passed away just over 2 years ago but the charity mail all forwarded to my house and CH sends the most mail. Lots of "....we miss your help." "We haven't heard from you lately?".
I feel guilty knowing it helps children and she made frequent donations. 

[JWags85]

Merry Christmas everyone and I encourage you all to take an intentional, purposeful few minutes to block out the noise, the chaos, the hysteria and focus on the blessings you have in life, that we all have.  Whether family, friends, hobbies, whatever... Its very easy to get caught up and forget the baseline goodness we all have in our lives, the stuff that we can still cherish and take pride and support from even if we feel other things aren't as they should be comparatively.  I'm more guilty of it than many and doing what I mentioned has helped me reshift perspective on things.

And the PSA that Ive found is more impactful every holiday season, especially as Ive traveled abroad and met more people of diverse backgrounds...don't ever for a single second stress over what holiday greeting you tell someone.  Its the biggest load of BS ever, on both sides of the issue.  There is no meaningful effort to prevent people from saying Merry Christmas outside of clickbait merchant talking heads.  And conversely, people who may get offended because you say the wrong holiday greeting to them aren't worth your time or concern.  If you come from a friendly/welcoming/gracious place, any sane and well adjusted recipient will appreciate that and not stress about it.

We started interviewing my son's former nanny mid December a few years ago.  After the second interview/visit, we agreed to move forward and start after the holidays.  We happily wished her Merry Christmas, not realizing at the time she was Muslim.  She still beamed and thanked us and wished us the same and later told us that despite having no connection to the holiday growing up in Turkmenistan (and later Turkyie), she enjoyed the atmosphere of it since moving to the US cause, to her and her husband, it was such a positive and friendly time.