happy holidays 2005

[eclectica]

Today the solstice occurred at 18:35 GMT. For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere, it is a turning point. While the temperature will get colder and today is called the start of Winter by many, one can optimistically take note of the fact that the days will start getting longer and the angle of the Sun in the sky will increase for the next six months. Today the angle of the Sun in the sky at its peak height for those who live in the northern hemisphere, is calculated by taking one's latitude in degrees and subtracting it from 66.5. For me in NYC that puts the Sun at 26 degrees above the horizon.

While the new year occurs technically around the solstice, in historical times it occurred around the Spring equinox. But if you compare the start of the day and the start of the year, then both are consistent with each other. The new day starts technically in the middle of the night and the new year starts technically in the middle of the Winter. But for most people the new day starts at dawn and the new year starts in the Spring.

The people in my family celebrate Christmas, even though most of us are atheists. It is not a Christian holiday for us, but a nice time of the year the way Thanksgiving is.

For those of you who are decent human beings, I wish you: peace, prosperity, and health. I wish you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, as well as the generic "Happy Holidays".

Here is the Christmas card my wife Tata made. She ordered it from an online place but we ran out of them, because she sent so many in the mail. I scanned the very last one that we had, and you can even see cut marks in it from my daughter Saffronia's scissors.

http://www.tatom.org/images/christmas-card-2005.jpg

[nicobie]

Merry Christmas 'lurkie

[kel]

Assuming I fall in the decent human beings category, Thank you, eclectica for the nice wishes and Merry Christmas to both you and your family and nic and his family, too.



and thanks for posting the card. The girls are adorable and the scissor marks made me smile.

[eclectica]

Yes you are a decent human being Kel. It was not written that way the first time I started writing the post, but as I proofread I added that in to clarify my feelings. I think knowing that I give my blessings conditionally rather than unconditionally, makes it seem more worthwhile or genuine when one receives them. But it could also be discomforting and stingy when conditions are attached to blessings, or come across as too lawerly. Perhaps I choose my words too carefully and in the process I lose social finesse.

But anyways, you have yourself a Merry Christmas.

By the way, December 24th is slx's 2-year anniversary of registering on this board, so make sure you give him something special for the occasion.

[slx]

make sure you give him something special for the occasion.we both have something special.....http://www.p2pjihad.org/slx/us.jpg.....each other, happiness & great friends...it doesn't get more special than that

thanks TR

[Dollar_Girl]

Happy New Year friends. Wishing you all good health, a bit of living on the edge... much peace, joy, self discovery... a bit of healthy misery (hey, it's compulsory) and heaps and heaps of good times alone, and together with those u love.

Oh and happy 2 year anniversary slx. U and kel are looking well and happy! :hippie:

Eclectica, your kids are growing so fast! I really don't know much about childrens growth spurts... for exmple how old they are when they start teething... or how old they are when they are meant to be potty trained, or when they say their first words! I hope to find out one day :abduct: Your kids are looking happy and healthy... everything else after that is a bonus in life i guess!