Best wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah.
It looks like we may get a tiny amount of snow in Chicago for Christmas for a hint of a white Christmas.
Last night, I made our traditional Cioppino soup — a tradition started by my late father, Jack Turley. I hated the soup as a kid so fate has left this tradition to me. I am now as addicted to the soup as my father was. It was a great meal after a day with the family at the Museum of Science and Industry. (The day before we went to the wonderful Art Institute and the day before that we went to the Chicago Historical Museum with its exhibit on magic).
On Christmas Eve, we then went to Midnight mass at St. Mary’s of the Lake to hear my 85 year old mother sing in the choir. Today, I am cooking the beef as well as the Yorkshire pudding, horseradish. and gravy. We will have the entire family clan over to the house.
Waiting For Santa were notes from the kids and peppermint bark with milk. The notes this year were intriguing.
Aidan (10), for example, wrote Santa a note that said that he is “thankful for you, but there is a problem with the watching thing for me. I am fine with the “he knows if you are good or bad and he know when you’re awake. But the “he sees you want your sleeping” is a bit obsessive. I mean all you need to know is if I was bad or good and it gets a bit creepy when you keep searching for us when we sleep. Well, Merry Christmas, Your thankful/questioning, Aidan.”
Jack took an even more novel approach. On his relatively short list for Santa, he asked for “information.” He then followed with a questionnaire and a requested essay from Santa. The ten questions included such queries as “how many gallons/pounds of milk and cookies do you inject every Christmas?” and “How do you work off the milk and cookies?” He also asks for Mrs. Clauses’ first name and “do you ever use a different hairdo/suit/color and if so, what?”
He then asks Santa to fill in a blank sheet with an essay but gave him the choice to two subjects: “what is it like on a regular day at the workshop? or “what is delivering presents like?”
Madie (7) simply did an elaborate picture attached to a five page, single spaced wish list.
Well, it is 1 am in Chicago and Santa’s little helpers are dead on their feet.
The Turley family wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday. I will be toasting our blog family tonight and give thanks for the wonderful community we have created at this site.
Best wishes,
Jonathan Turley
Merry Christmas ans Happy Hanukkah to you and your family, Mr. Turley. Like yourself, when I was a kid I was not a fan of the traditional Italian Feast of The Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. My godfather uncle would put it on for our large families. My old man would make us @ least try all of the seven fishes. A few we liked, but there were always several we didn’t. Our father taught us to keep an open mind and always try a food before saying, “I don’t like it.” That is something for which I am grateful. I now miss those Christmas Eve feasts. Such is life.
Lona, er du dansker? Glædelig jul til dig. (Mine bedsteforældre var danskere. Farmor prøvede at lære mig dansk, men fyrre år senere, husker jeg kun lidt.)
“According to the mystical tradition, Christ is born into the world through each of us. As we open our hearts, he is born into the world. As we choose to forgive, he is born into the world. As we rise to the occasion, he is born into the world. As we make our hearts true conduits for love, and our minds true conduits for higher thoughts, then absolutely a divine birth takes place. Who we’re capable of being emerges into the world, and weaknesses of the former self begin to fade. Thus are the spiritual mysteries of the universe, the constant process of dying to who we used to be as we actualize our divine potential.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-williamson/christmas-for-mystics_b_2288340.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
Dredd, inevitably, a story.
Some time in the early 90s I went to a friend’s house in DC to help her get her stuff together, organize, what-not. Her husband was chief auditor of NASA before he retired; they had a huge book collection among which were many of the commemorative coffee-table books published by NASA over the years. One of them was called something like “Message into the Universe” or something and it was a record of what had been loaded into the Voyager to try to bring messages from earth to intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. (I laughed about the false premise but we were good-natured about it at the time, inasmuch as the house was comfortable, and we were friendly.)
The introduction was, I believe, by Isaac Asimov. Could be mistaken.
A Foreword had been written by the Secretary General of the UN but it said, I kid you not, in black print on the white page, “[forgot which one, Thant or Waldheim], Secretary General of the United States,…”
Stunned, I couldn’t believe the proof-readers had not found that, on the first page of this expensive and extensive book.
Anyway, the reason I am telling this old story is that it had a section where all of the countries of the world provided their greetings to the various otherworldly beings, and there was the original, then a transliteration in English, and then a literal translation. One of the Chinese languages appeared as:
[greeting in original typeface] [transliteration] [Did you have lunch yet?]
The Hebrew greeting was printed as [shalom in Hebrew script] [Sha-lom] [Peace]
right below the Arabic greeting which was printed as [Salaam in Arabic script] [Sa-lam] [Peace]
I laughed and said we should immediately send up a little “addendum satellite” saying to these foreigners:
“Don’t believe a word of it; they’re fighting already!”
Merry December 25!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
A joyous Christmas to all and may it be spent with those you love most dearly.
The Three Stages of Life:
1) You Believe in Santa Claus;
2) You Do Not Believe in Santa Claus;
3) You are Santa Claus.
May your hearts be merry and light.
What Dredd says.
May Christmas Peace and Goodness Bless us 7 billion Everyone.
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus bliadhna mhath ùr
(English: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year)
Merry Christmas Professor and welcome back to Chicago!
Merry Christmas to all!
May everyone have a happy day…. Whatever they may or may not celebrate….. Wouldn’t it be odd if folks lived today as they lived the whole year…..
Have the safest of the safest,
and the merriest of the merriest all.
Good holidays to all.
Season’s Greetings from the human family:
كل عام وأنتم بخير – Arabic
Chinese (Cantonese) – 祝聖誕節快樂
Chinese (Mandarin) – 祝圣诞节快乐
Danish – Glædelig Jul og Godt Nytår
Dutch – Prettige feestdagen
Fijian – Bula Vinaka
Finnish – Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French – Joyeuses fêtes
German – Frohe Feiertage!
Hindi – uoo”kZ dh ‘kqÒdkeuk;sa
Icelandic – Gleðilega hátíð
Italian – Buone Feste
Japanese – メリー クリスマス
Korean – 즐거운 연휴 되시길 바랍니다.
Lithuanian – Linksmų švenčių!
Norwegian – God Jul og Godt Nytt År
Persian (Farsi) تبریکات فصلی
Portuguese – Boas Festas
Romanian – Crăciun fericit
Spanish – Felices fiestas
Swati – Tilokotfo taKhisimisi
Swedish – God Jul och Gott Nytt År
GLAEDELIG JUL OG GODT NYTAAR.
And a very Merry Christmas to you too!
God Jul, from a friend in Minne-snow-ta. Over and out.