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Posted

We went back home to visit my parents for an "early" Christmas.  My parents are 87 and 96 so I never know what to expect.  With their age comes dread and sadness but want to enjoy Christmas as much as possible with them and with my direct family.  Off to dinner for Christmas Eve tonight and then Christmas Day at my brother's with cousins and friends where a potentially inappropriate white elephant party will ensue.  Thank you to whoever posted the "When Live Gives You Lemons, At Least its Not Chlamydia" shirt.  Tee hee.  I'll bring porchetta, sausage, some sides and desserts.

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Posted
1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

we’re all attending the 6:00 service tonight, I’ll be the reader for the passage from Matthew.

Is that the one that says it’s better to live on the roof than inside the house with a bitchy wife?  I think that might be in the Old Testament. 

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Posted

Made it home a few days ago after spending Thanksgiving solo with a pizza, some beer, my weed and football (which was awesome). Have a new niece so wanted to see her, the family is all here and it’s a good time. Don’t like how hot it is though. Merry Christmas you mofos

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Posted
15 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Is that the one that says it’s better to live on the roof than inside the house with a bitchy wife?  I think that might be in the Old Testament. 

That or "What is best in life?   Cold beer, a hot woman and 4 hour hard on that doesn't require a call to the doctor."

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Posted

Just doing nuclear family today/tomorrow before meeting up with most of my family on Saturday. The oldest is now 3 1/2, so this is the first Christmas that he has really understood the concept, so tomorrow should be very exciting.

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Posted
5 hours ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

Well said. Every day is a gift. May you all enjoy peace, comfort, love and appreciation for the fact that no matter what any of our current situations are right now, we've got it pretty damn good.

Tell me you’re not hanging out with relatives who insist on adding beans to chili, without telling me you’re not hanging out with relatives who insist on adding beans to chili.

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Posted
3 hours ago, Armybrat said:

71 years ago when my family was stationed at Fort Brooke in San Juan, Puerto Rico, my brother & I served as altar boys for the Catholic chaplain in the military hospital chapel. 

Episode 7 Wow GIF by Wrexham AFC
 

It’s Surly so I imagined this going in a completely different and horrific direction.

i can’t imagine what those men witnessed, but I bet they appreciated what you all were trying to do for them.

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Posted
19 minutes ago, tigol said:

Merry Christmas! 

I'm enjoying this thread and the one right below it called Slutcon.   A very Surly Christmas.

My Christmas bookend movies are It’s A Wonderful Life and Christmas Vacation.   These threads do the same.

17 hours ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

My wife has long been dedicated to fighting the counteroffensive at the bulge.

So she watched Bands of Brothers and determined that indifference was the key to victory.

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Posted (edited)
17 hours ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

My wife has long been dedicated to fighting the counteroffensive at the bulge.

"Band of Sisters"

Been watching for years.

Edited by Slacks
Posted
15 hours ago, seven said:

Merry Christmas to those that do and don't celebrate. Cherish this time with family and friends even though they may annoy you so much. 

I see your user name and all that comes to mind is ....

Whats In The Box GIFs | GIFDB.com

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Posted (edited)

Last year with one of our sons, the excitement and trepidation of college is the backdrop as admissions letters have started coming in. the other just turned 16 and got his car this morning. Second time we’ve been able to do the big red bow Christmas for our sons. I feel very fortunate to be able to get them the car and truck they wanted. Core memories aren’t always predictable but this one is. 

Bittersweet Christmas as we get ready for dinner. I’ve teared up several times. It might be morbid but I’m starting to see these times from their point of view when I’m no longer here. Not sure if that’s good for my health, but it’s interesting nonetheless. 

My whole purpose right now is launching them successfully then finishing a family legacy.  I feel like these are the years that mean the most, I guess it’s nice to be in them rather than being through them, but I can’t help but think about the future being much different. 

Edited by scramblyn
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Posted

Anybody get anything cool yet? Only thing I really wanted was a Bighorn Infrared salamander grill. Steaks will be nice on it, but I really bought it for making chargrilled oysters. I looked to see if there was a video of someone grilling oysters yet, but nothing on Youtube.

 

CHIEF

Posted

It’s been a great day. I got a new backpack for travel and some legos. Wife is happy with her new IPad and the kid is happy with his new desk chair.

It’s been a good day. I cooked - fam came over. It’s our second Christmas without my FIL and he’s missed. He died Dec 18th last year. Last Christmas was just get through it. This one was great. My sister and her family join us and she has two younger kids - which my MIL adores.

My 14 yr old son helping his 5 year old cousin build legos. She’s been his shadow since she could walk.

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Posted (edited)
12 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

There is literally nobody who loved Christmas more than my late father. His 9th Armor unit defended the crossroads town of St. Vith during the Bulge from 16 December until Christmas Eve, when Monty told them to find their way west to the 82nd airborne, who were creating an escape pocket.   

IMG_5656.webp.c9af1a832e77ba426fb63c265006b513.webp

Staying inside a Sherman for eight or nine days in that cold was not pleasant according to dad.   Something about conduction.  But finally arriving safe behind Allied lines on Christmas Eve - and enjoying a hot Christmas dinner the next day when you’ve been convinced for a week you had to hold on until you died -  made an indelible mark on his appreciation of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all.   My Christmas miracle was I woke up in a soaking wet bed with no fever or blinding headache for the first time in four days.  My dog had been staring at me, wondering why I suddenly hated him and refused to walk him.

*not my dad‘s tank, but 7th armored Shermans at St. Vith. The seventh was at the northern end of the fortified goose egg, the 9th defended the southern end.  Something about that photo relays just how cold it was.

I thought about this battle today. I worked for a bit with McAuliffe’s great nephew out here. Looks just like him, but didn’t follow in his footsteps and join the military. He really doesn’t like Patton.

I may have posted a little about this, but I met a woman out here whose father was one of the Battered Bastards of Bastogne. She does not know a great deal about his service because he was mostly quiet about it. The chance encounter with her and her sister and helping them get back to their cruise ship on time got her to do something unexpected. She gave me a small booklet produced at the war’s conclusion about the service the 101st performed in the war. She also gave me the only notes she took from the onetime her father talked about his war experience. She asked me to help piece together where and when he was at a place going by her notes. I had told her why I was out here and she sent me that stuff saying that “I hope it can help you out on your journey.” One of the coolest things a person has ever given me.

Edited by UpperWestside
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Posted

Had a pretty good little Christmas this year. Son is home from his first semester of college, so we’re navigating the dynamics there (he is struggling with it not feeling quite like home anymore, yet not feeling fully at home at school, so we’re trying to help him navigate that with love and grace).  My dad is three years into a Parkinson’s diagnosis, and it’s manifesting not with physical issues like tremors, but with mental cloudiness and loss of language facility and processing (proving really difficult to accept for a guy who wrote and spoke publicly for a living). Still, we hosted everyone at our place yesterday for the first time in a while, which was nice, and did Christmas Eve church with my parents as well, which is not common and just felt right. 

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