The years first Christmas thread

[Nungali]

 

The snow frames the window panes , the scent of the real Christmas tree  wafts through the house . The fire burns brightly in the grate while Granddad naps in the chair after too much pudding and brandy sauce . Mum and Gran are cleaning up after the Christmas lunch, the kids play happily on the floor with their new toys and dad  puts on some Christmas music ; 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 13 by Nungali

[Taomeow]

Very refreshing.  

 

In my then-atheistic old country we used to celebrate the New Year with the same gusto that was reserved for Christmas in the non-atheistic parts of the world.  This is the picture of the last New Year's tree I saw, located within a short walking distance from where I lived.  It wasn't the main one in the city, and therefore not the biggest -- but it was nice, and fully real. 

 

Our Grandfather Frost is not unlike Santa, but dresses somewhat differently (the hat especially) and doesn't go down the chimney, nor scrutinizes kids for who's naughty and who's nice, everybody gets a present.  Adults didn't exchange presents, those were exclusively for kids -- whereas adults just threw and/or attended a party, usually the biggest party of the year.   

[Mark Foote]

On 12/12/2025 at 6:50 PM, Taomeow said:

 

 

 

Where am I!?

 

[Taomeow]

3 hours ago, Mark Foote said:

 

Where am I!?
 

 

Do you mean "where is this place" or "why am I not in this picture?"  

[Nungali]

3 hours ago, Mark Foote said:

 

 

Where am I!?

 

 

By a duck pond . 

 

I am glad you thought my post was funny up there . I also posted it on my history forum  amidst all sorts of serious joyful traditional  corny Christmas music that people were posting   and it got two likes !      

 

as if some didnt see any discrepancy in what I  wrote and the 'music '  

 

anyway here is another 'Viking ' favorite  ( an oldie but a goodie )    Viking birthday song  .... sing it to your friends on their special day    

 

 

[Mark Foote]

37 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

 

Do you mean "where is this place" or "why am I not in this picture?"  
 

 

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 10:32 PM by Mark Foote

[Mark Foote]

39 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

 

Do you mean "where is this place" or "why am I not in this picture?"  
 

where is this place, please...

 

 

[Taomeow]

41 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

where is this place, please...

 

 

 

Pushkin Boulevard, Donetsk.   

 

It used to be my most stomped stomping ground -- the road from home to school, then to the university, then to work.  To two theaters (Drama and Opera/Ballet) and two movie theaters.  Also a meeting place when planning stuff with friends (many benches to sit on, wooden and comfortable).  A dating launchpad (the monument on the right is to Alexander Pushkin, referred to by the locals as "The Head" -- circa high school years, if undecided in advance where to go or if to go somewhere with this guy at all, agree to meet "under The Head," take it from there).  And a walking strip with kids -- in a stroller first, and later on foot.  Roughly 15-20 minutes to get anywhere at all from home.  No car and screw public transportation.  It was a lucky location in that respect.          

[Nungali]

and there you have it folks !   ^

 

How we used to organize things and meet up  .....   before mobile phones, social media and the internet  ! 

[Haribol]

On 18.12.2025 at 3:56 AM, Nungali said:

and there you have it folks !   ^

 

How we used to organize things and meet up  .....   before mobile phones, social media and the internet  ! 

Although I am certainly a member of the generation that has outsourced all thinking to a portable and matrix formed device, I am just old enough to vaguely remember a time where this was not the case.

 

Born in 96. So in my pre teen years we relied on making appointments and meeting up the natural way. 
 

Now, as a member of the civilized west and with god given freedom to drink Diet Coke and fry my brain on dopamine trough 60 second long clips, I came across a video of some high school students lasts day of school. It was from around year 2000, give or take two years. Amazingly, the camera was pointed outwards, and not at the filming person own face. It seemed to be a genuine attempt to immortalize and celebrate a period of their lives comming to an end, and not to show off. There was also a very different.. state of being back then, it seems to me. They had some sort of presence about them that is rare today. No wonder, considering that they didn’t have an unlimited supply of cocaine… instant gratification progress in their pocket designed with the help of the worlds greatest scientist with the intent to make it as addictive as humanly possible. 
 

Once I watched this documentary about a children/toddler show by the name of cocomelon. It broke down how the creators have used every trick in the book to make it as addictive as possible, giving the young ones withdrawal symptoms not to unlike the what I’ve seen in adults the bridge. I’ll link the analysis below.
 

BUT

 

to end it on a somewhat positive note; although I believe that torturing infants is not ideal.. perhaps we acctually are going trough a beneficial, societal evolotution in the long term, but have yet to figure out how to deal with the growing pains?