Santa Came!

Short and to the point. Happy Dogs. Happy Christmas.

I took the boys for a run, left them outside while I put stuff under the tree.
They got a little too excited and broke a couple of ornaments.
But they each picked what they wanted and unwrapped their own stuff.
Never know how excited they were would you?

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Christmas Past and Presents

Merry Christmas all! I'll still be damned if I'm in the Christmas spirit... But God help me, I'm trying.

I've been so happy with my house full of dog this week. Jack and Regan are both characters, and although there has been some growling, and even an ocasional snap here and there, it's no more than you'd expect from any family gathering.

Today after lunch we're going to go to the dog park and act stupid... The rest of the day... Well, who knows?

Tomorrow morning I'll play Santa for my boys, and they're getting a haul. Squeekies, frisbees, rawhide bones and real bones to boot.

I remember when I was still on Santa's good list. Long time ago I'll tell you. All of my family is gathering at Ma's house, and I wish I could be there... Sadly that's not the way the world works.

So... Take a minute, remember when you were a kid... Remember when you were on Santa's good list too... And have the best Christmas you can. May God watch over you and all of yours today and every day.

...For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord...

I'll Have A Blue Christmas

My ex-girlfriend is going home to NY for Christmas... Which in and of itself is not a big deal to me.

How this does affect me though, is that I'm going to dog sit for her while she's gone. While we were dating, she adopted a blue heeler mix named Regan. He's a good dog, and I got to help raise him for the first year of his life... He lived with me for a lot of that time.

I've missed Regan since they've been out of my life, and I'm really excited to have him with me and Jack through the holiday. He and Jack have met before and they are only about a month different in age. I think they will have a ball making me crazy the whole time they're together.

I think I'll have a ball having not one, but two crazy freaking blue dingos tear-assing around my house. I'm gonna play Santa for both of them and have some presents for them to unwrap. I'll try to take some pictures in between the screaming and breaking of objects.

It's Beginning To Look...

...A lot like Christmas...

But I ain't feelin' it. Rather than bitch, However; I went home last night and put up the tree. I tried to get in the mood, so...

I put on a classic holiday movie... And, with Lethal Weapon playing in the background and a little Wild Turkey by the shot, and Jack wondering what the Hell I was doing, I decorated.

Purple and Gold, just like last year, in honor of my CUSA Champion Pirates.

I still ain't feelin' it, but nobody can say I'm not trying.

Peace And Goodwill

A happy and joyous holiday season to all my friends, family and readers out there. No matter what you celebrate, or even if you celebrate, all the best to you.

Oh, Tannenbaum

Everyone who knows me knows that I am not a Christmas person. Years of retail sapped my christmas spirit. I think it really bothers Ma that I get so down this time of year. So, this year I'm gonna try.

I bought a tree (artificial) and lights and decorations. I decorated it all by myself. I have been catching a load of crap from friends because I picked my college colors, purple and gold, including some chocolate flavored purple candy canes and purple lights, but I think it looks good. I also bought purple wrapping paper and gold ribbon. Hey, I'm an amature at this.

It is a little strange for me. Mainly because I leave the tree plugged in and when I went to get a drink late the other night I thought my living room was on fire. That'll wake you up.

I'm trying though.

I'm really trying.

Pour Me, A 100 Word Christmas Story

I was a bartender once. I hated Christmas, so I always took the closing shift on December 24th. It was usually a quiet night. One year, this old man wandered in just after midnight. Dirty white beard, paunchy and run down. He ordered peppermint schnapps.
“Laid me off, little bastards” he mumbled as I poured. I tried to ignore him, but he kept on and on. “Whole thing’s automated, don’t need me anymore.”
Finally I said, “Happens to everyone eventually, old man”
His belly shook violently as he shouted, “Ho, ho, hold on there sonny! I was Santa Claus damnit!”

This is my entry for this week's weekly challenge, "A Christmas Tale", here. Go, Read, Listen, Enjoy, VOTE.

Nollaig Shona Duit

Happy Christmas to all my readers out there. Posting will probably be light for the next few days and up until Christmas. I blog from work, and I have a ton of stuff going on right now. I want to thank all my regular readers for coming back time and again, and I want to thank anyone who just happens to stumble in for taking the time to read a little. I have had almost nine thousand visitors (since I started counting) in the last year and a half. I wasn't sure this was going to go on this long, and without all the feedback it wouldn't have.

There will be a 100 word Christmas story on Friday, but other than that I'll only write as opportunity permits, so in case I don't get to say it later I'll say it again now...

Happy Christmas to you and yours.

Sorry Dr. Suess

“Christmas is coming” K-Nine growled, with his Grinch-like sneer.
“It’s coming again… like it comes every year.”
“How can you not like Christmas?” He’d been asked most his life…
Asked by his friends, family, mother, ex-wife.
“It’s just that I don’t” he’d say with a slash of his hand,
“When I was a kid, Christmas was grand”
“But now it means work, and bad attitudes,
People are vicious and I can’t take their moods.”
“Santa can pass me by, save him some work
let him bring stuff to some other jerk”
It could be his heart was too small of course,
Or his ex may have gotten it, in the divorce.
It could be that the whole thing is an act,
and he really does like Christmas in fact.
Possibly it’s that he’s an ass, some might assert
He’s often quite rude, grouchy and curt.
It could be any one of these things, perhaps even two,
But it’s OK either way, Happy Christmas to YOU.

Dear Santa,

Please make it stop.

Broken Toys And Faded Colors

I wasn't always a grinch around Christmas. I once was an excited little boy spending weeks studying page after page of toys in the Sears catalogue. I remember sitting hours in the dark watching the blinking lights on the tree. My youngest sister & I (we were the only two left at home) would pick out the spots for Santa to leave our presents.
Some things really stick out. Inflateable boxing glove things. (what the Hell were those things called?) Eagle-eye GI Joe with kung-fu grip. An X-Wing fighter. Of course the year I got my first motorcycle (a Honda CT70), that was a pivitol moment in my life that I wonder if my parents ever wished they could take back.
Bags and boxes of fruit and nuts. Oranges, tangerines, walnuts, almonds. Everyone came home. My oldest sister, her Pensylvania-yankee husband and their two boys (one a year older than me, one five years younger). My oldest brother and his now ex-wife (a red-head... I wonder if that was an influence on my proclivaties...) My youngest brother who was still in the Air Force (one year... '75 I guess, I remember talking to him on the phone because he was in Greece.)

I was in the church Christmas play every year. Most years I was a wise man. (Ironic, huh?) Frakencense to offer had I. It was also almost always my job to read Luke chapter two at the end. I never felt that I did as good a job as Linus did in the Charlie Brown special.

2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2:3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Ho, Ho, Huh?

True story.

I was in Albertson's (grocery store) browsing through the wine section when I got the feeling of being watched. You know that feeling... So, I look around and there's this little boy staring at me, 2-3 years old tops. His mom came over and took his hand and said, "No honey that's not him"

I looked around, but it was just me on that aisle. So I asked "I'm not who?"

"He thinks you're Santa Claus, he said he wanted to go see Santa and came over here"

OK. I haven't celebrated Christmas for close to 15 years now. I go home see family, buy presents, but I am a Scrooge, a Grinch. I spent 12 years in the Grocery industry, so all Christmas meant to me is the store's out of pie shells and some lady is pissed about it. Merry Freakin' Christmas.

I was a roughneck for a lot of my life, motorcycles, booze, fighting, not to mention I was an especially miserable bastard after my marriage broke up, and even worse after my dog passed away. Yeah, me and Kris Kringle, seperated at birth. Santa Claus.

The mother said, "Sorry honey, it's not him" and this kid's just staring at me. Staring at me in a grey dress shirt, jeans and hiking boots and believing. I may be a hard-ass, but I just couldn't let this go. St. Nick.

So I took a deep breath and said, (swear to God) "Ho, Ho, Ho... Don't let her fool you little boy." I felt like a jackass for a second... but just a second because his eyes lit up like it WAS Christmas.

So, I walked over and asked his name. He mumbled something that I've forgotton, but that doesn't matter. I went through all the Santa questions: "have you been good?" and so on. I told him it would be a while before I came, that Thanksgiving was first, I told him to tell mommy what he wanted so she could let me know.

His mother looked at me and said, "Thank you, that was very nice" and I think she meant it. but the boy waved and said, "Goodbye Santa." And I KNOW he meant it.

I'm still not gonna celebrate Christmas this year, but I sure won't bitch about it as much as I normally do.