Mele Kalikimaka!
In my never-ending quest to investigate Climate Change™, I discovered (much to my wondering eyes) that Santa's Workshop at the North Pole was no more, due to the fact that the ice upon which it formerly stood had melted and the entire complex sank.(Undoubtedly, to be claimed by Russia at some future date)
Not to worry though, Santa Claus is on top of things, if not the world any longer; he moved his entire operation to someplace that stays warm all year 'round:
But seriously, as I've said before: "I like this picture because it portrays the (nativity) scene in a cave, which many believe to be accurate. In fact, the actual cave in question is located within the present-day Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.":
Actually, the silver star beneath the altar in the Grotto of the Nativity marks the spot believed to be the Birthplace of Jesus:
Luke 2:1-12 (KJV)
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 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) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger'."
Merry Christmas!!!
Update!
I'm not dreaming of a white Christmas; I got one:
posted by camojack | 01:53
21 Comments:
Merry Christmas, you jet-setting fellow, you!
Merry Christmas, Jack!
And Meke haole makahiki ho.
benning:
Thanks! I jetted out to Colorado; I'll be here 'til the 1st.
Beerme:
Back at ya!
Pat'sRick©:
Mele Kalikimaka and Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Yo ho ho! A merry Christmas to all. It's been a while sinse I was able to post (Camo was kind enough to send them to me to read).
Ho Ho Ho!!
Merry Christmas, Jack.
Jack,
I am reading your site in Japanese so I am having a little trouble posting. This should show up in English...I hope. It is 0135 here-thirteen hours ahead of you. Belated Merry Christmas and hopes for Happy New Year to you and yours.
I have actually been to that church you have posted but there are two others in Bethelehem that make the same claim. It was a rather unimpressive hole in the rock and somewhat claustrophobia inducing. If you wanted to make all of those animals in the nativity scene actually fit you would have to puree them first then pour them in.
Let the Scrapplers know that I am thinking of them and wish them the best for the holidays from me.
From the front lines of freedom
Deus est Semper Fidelis
Oh, as a side note, somewhere I have a picture of an Israeli Defense Force soldier with a G3 standing right outside of that church and he had F*** Arabs written on his flak jacket.
Merry Christmas, Camo :)
boberin:
Able to post again, eh? Excellent! A very Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Hawkeye®:
And a Merry Christmas to you, too.
SGT USMC 1ea:
Reading my site in Japanese? Arregato, gaijin! (sp?) Apparently it did show up in English. Good thing too, 'cause I only know some phonetic Japanese, and nothing of their ideograms. Anyway, I don't consider it belated, since there are twelve days of Christmas...like in the song.
(BTW, New Year's Day is my birthday)
Also, you've been to the Church of the Nativity? Very cool. As for it being somewhat claustrophobia-inducing, as a caver, I don't have that problem; I couldn't go caving if I did.
I will definitely pass your greetings along to the "ScrappleFolk".
Regarding that IDF soldier's flak jacket, I can certainly understand the sentiment.
Cassandra:
Merry Christmas to you as well, young lady. I was pleased to see that you are blogging again; I had missed your profound insights.
(And I mean that, truly...)
Oh wow, Merry birthday and Happy New Year, Here is a little something I posted to some other friends& family:
Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year from Nippon
I am just starting to settle in at my new job after three months. It is scary at times yet boring at others…sort of like being in the Marines. I get to argue with Sergeants, educate lieutenants, beat down Captains, Mollify Colonels, and kowtow to Generals. My bosses deal with the politicians. When it is night here it is daylight in the states (14 hours time difference from here to the eastern US) and I am currently working the night shift so I get all the calls. The function I was interviewed and hired for is as advertised an engineering position on a super high tech, cutting edge 300+ million dollar nuclear missile defense RADAR. They failed to mention some of the extra duties that come with working at a remote site 3 hours away from the nearest American facility, over the snow covered mountains, near a tiny Japanese fishing village in Aomori province.
10 things I did not expect to do in Japan:
1. Hang netting on generator intakes AT 3AM during a blizzard to keep them from sucking in snow and shorting out.
2. Shovel snow off the top of buildings to keep them from collapsing
3. Drive a massive 18 foot tall front end loader in white out conditions
4. Eat a salmon center seaweed covered rice ball while getting chewed out by a colonel.
5. Escort a roundeye (milspeak for occidental female) to repair an A/C unit when the temp is already -5°C (~23°F)
6. Spend 15 minutes putting on a scarf, vest, coat, ECW trousers w/suspenders (over pants and long u/w I am already wearing), ECW Jacket(ECW=Extreme Cold Weather Gore-Tex), face mask, ski goggles, hat, glove liners, gloves, and ear muff hearing protection just so I can crawl inside a generator intake for 5 minutes and endure the wind tunnel effect while staring at a fuel gauge using a surefire flashlight.
7. Sing three verses of the Marine Corps hymn at the top of my lungs in a Japanese restaurant/bar.
8. Spend an hour with an old Japanese couple in their Mom and Pop store teaching them how to say the date in English- Japanese months are easy: number-gatsu. Ichi-gatsu = first month (January). They had trouble grasping the need for a separate word for each month.
9. Escort the kid who comes every week to suck out the accumulated matter in the port-a-potty style bathrooms we have on site. I stand about 10 meters away on the ankle-breaker security rocks while doing this. (looking back over the e-mail I should be thankful for the extra 10 meters the kid did not get)
10. Take a training course at Raytheon Learning Institute online and wait 10 minutes for each question of the 30 question test to load after being answered. Internet over satellite really stinks here. (looking back over the e-mail I guess, as frustrating as it was, I should be thankful that I was getting paid for the whole time)
Not that I am complaining…much…Okay I’m lying, I complain all the time, but to no avail and it really is not all that bad considering the pay and how wonderful Japan really is in a physical and social sense. I am also getting to work with some true geniuses most of which are retired military. A 20 year Navy Chief who worked Arleigh Burke & Aegis class destroyer RADAR and is outstandingly knowlegeable. A couple of 20 year army guys, one from Patriot & the other worked power generation who have amazing world traveler backgrounds. A younger software engineer from Korea who is an absolute whiz with operations, and an even younger software engineer with a Masters from MIT who just happens to be one of the Vietnamese boat people you heard about in the 70’s/80’s.. He was 4 years old when he and his parents escaped Vietnam and wound up at a refugee camp in the Philippines. One of his first memories was somewhat later when they flew through Tokyo on the way to Texas and He was determined to come back to the amazing Japan he witnessed as a youth. This crew is definitely a group of type “A” personalities and have a lot of great experience and stories to tell. People do not take this type of job unless they are inclined to be adventurous, adaptable, and generally intelligent. I have truly found my coworkers to be so and found a home among them!
Life is grand in Nippon, as evidenced by the wonderful cuisine. We ate out at a curious Korean style place the other day. It had a hibachi grill on the low table where you sat on the floor. We had soba (noodles) gahan (rice) and bowls of raw beef that we used chopsticks (hashi) to place on the grill and cook to our preferred done-ness. It was one of the best meals I have had since my wife made pinto beans with cornbread (please make that my first meal home!), or the time I had goat fried rice with flatbread in Dubai UAE.
I pray that the season treats you well and that you remember that Jesus is the reason for the seasons…All of them!(I think this is an original Me quote) Enjoying Christmas far from my family is hard, yet not the worst of things. Be thankful for what you have, appreciative of what you might get, and do not envy what is beyond your reach. Yes, as far as I know, I did just make that up- for what it is worth.
My Uncle Mark Rowe passed away this last week after a long bout with cancer and I ask that you pray for my Aunt Phyllis who is a recent cancer survivor herself. I also ask that you pray for my Mother who is still living with Aunt Phyllis and was there for the worst taking care of her brother. I wish I could be there for them. Mark was an honored and highly decorated retired veteran of the US Army and worthy of our posthumous salutes. God bless his memory and his soul! On this sad note I will leave off and wish all a Merry Christmas in spite of your circumstances and a happy New Year wherein you might change them for the better.
DEUS EST SEMPER FIDELIS
SGT USMC 1EA
Robert T. Johnson
SGT USMC 1ea:
Thanks for the birthday wishes; it sounds as though you've been staying quite busy...regarding those ambient conditions, so much for Global Warming, huh?
I'll pass your latest message along to the ScrappleFolk, too...
I never did care much for the North Pole. It is to cold, the fishing is rotten and polar bears are slways trying to tear down your igloo style fishing house.
If Santa had any brains he would move to Greenland because in a few years it should be lush with oats, hay and other nutrional needs for his reindeer.
Merry day after Christmas
Ms RightWing:
Ever since the time my metabolism got readjusted when I was stationed in Hawaii, I've basically been a real baby about the cold...which is why I'm also planning to retire there. It gets neither too hot nor too cold in Hawaii, all year 'round...
Hi Jack,
Snowing here in VT, right now. 56 inches plus at Burke Mountain.
Blessings, rusty
Happy Birthday!!
That is indeed a white Christmas!
Sgt, sounds like quite an adventure, best of luck to you!
rusty:
It's snowing here in CO too, but not that much where I am; maybe farther North, where they're currently experiencing blizzard conditions.
boberin:
My birthday isn't 'til next week, but thanks.
It's definitely a white Christmas here, and getting more so by the minute...
Great Winter picture, Camo! I love snow, but I couldn't take the cold anymore, so I'll enjoy it pictorally!
Hey, Camojack! Been a long time. No white Christmas here in Phoenix!
Happy belated birthday, my friend.
Global warming????
Bet the folks in Maine wish it were true!
benning:
I love looking at snow, as long as I don't have to shovel it.
Also, I'm none too keen on the cold anymore, either.
JannyMae:
It has been awhile.
White Christmases are rare in Phoenix, huh?
Pat'sRick©:
Tha for the birthday wishes.
As for the Global Warming™, I could've done with some of that last Saturday, snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain N.P. while the temperature was in the single digits. Brrr...
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