an unexpected choice popped up
when I typed in
‘holiday gift treats that can be shipped’
right in the middle
of the mix of suggestions
was a box of
hostess cupcakes
the family pack
on sale
you have 30 days to return them
not exactly the special gift
I was seeking
but someone might really love them
something for everyone
those elves are open minded…
—
‘the best way to celebrate the holidays
is with great food and even better company.’
-author unknown
for a little variety, learn these words for your next holiday gathering,
some borrowed from foreign languages and others from long ago.
—-
Someone doing their Christmas shopping on December 24 is the epitome of a Yuleshard – a person who waits until the last minute to finish preparations for the holidays. This Scottish word dates to at least the mid-18th century. “Yule” is a synonym for the Christmas season, and “shard” is a corruption of the word jade and has been used since the 16th century as an insult in Middle English, referring to a worn-out horse.
Italians have the perfect word for how many feel after a holiday meal. Abbiocco refers to the drowsiness that occurs after a large meal, making it distinct from simple sleepiness before bedtime. It also involves a state of pure relaxation while delaying responsibilities, something that tends to occur on holidays. The word originated in central Italy from two verbs, abbioccare and abbioccarsi, meaning “to exhaust” and “to doze off,” respectively.
It’s easy to overindulge during holiday meals, and those who do might need to take advantage of a yule-hole. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a yule-hole is “the hole in the waist-belt to which the buckle is adjusted, to allow for repletion after the feasting at Christmas.”
A bummock is an alcoholic beverage brewed to enjoy at a “merry meeting” — aka a holiday party. This Scottish drink has been around since at least the early 19th century, but an 18th century definition of “bummock” (sometimes spelled “boumack”) is “an entertainment anciently given at Christmas by tenants to their landlords.”
Schnapsidee is a German word that translates literally as “booze idea,” something many people have during the holidays. It’s a ridiculous, ill-advised idea that sounds like it was made up during a drunken state — sledding off the roof at a holiday party, for example. (Don’t do that!) Germans tend to use the word to describe any outlandish idea, though, whether alcohol was involved or not.
—
‘action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.’
-mark twain
—
source credits: word smarts, rachel gresh, vintage postcards, pinterest, bbc, wasau news
Jordi Prat Pons.Books that had been cast aside, unwanted.
Villa del Arte Galleries Barcelona (at Mandarin Oriental). Passeig de Gràcia 38-40
—
“it really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tired into a single garment of destiny. whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.”
-REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
—
*Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.
it’s a big decision, take your time.
—
national donut day is celebrated on the first friday of june. established by the salvation army in 1938 to honor the “donut lassies” — women who served donuts (originally a European delicacy) to hungry american soldiers duringWW I. once they returned home, american soldiers longed for the donuts they had overseas. they grew increasingly popular in the u.s., and americans have been loving donuts ever since.
—
“do-not touch my donut.”
-me
—
image credit: washtenaw dairy
Paul Klee, Forest Architecture, 1925, pen and watercolour on paper mounted on card
swiss painter, draftsman, and printmaker 1879-1940
—
“art should be like a holiday;
something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently,
and to change his point of view.”
-paul klee
the beauty of this mardi gras float is really something. 1908, new orleans, louisiana, usa
—
“mardi gras a state of mind.’
-*ed muniz
*ed muniz (1940– 2023) was an American politician who served as mayor of Kenner, Louisiana.
He was also the founder and Captain of the Krewe of Endymion,
which annually hosts the largest parade and party of the New Orleans Mardi Gras season.
—
art credit: wikicommons- public domain
intense competitors at play in the action-packed shenanigans of
the get the diaper that is around your ankles moved to your bathing suit area without using your hands game
it just wouldn’t be our traditional christmas
without the crazy fun and games.
—
“life is more fun if you play games.”
and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”
-norman vincent peale
—
glad tidings to all.
At The Water’s Edge, 1910. Edward S. Curtis photographed Piegan tepees at the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwest Montana. The Reservation is bordered by Canada to the north and Glacier Park to the west. Browning, site of tribal headquarters, has an average of 196 days per year with temperatures below freezing.
In Montana, Blackfeet is used as both the singular and plural designation for tribal members. The Siksika of Canada describe themselves as Blackfoot.
“it does not require many words to speak the truth.”
– Chief Joseph, of the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors Indigenous Americans and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities.
—
credits: text and digital restoration of photo, gary coffrin, edward s. curtis, native american history site
—
“my grandmother always made challah for Shabbat and dropped it off at our house.
she said braided bread was a symbol of love because it’s like arms interlocking.”
― r
—
source credits: gastro obscura, idan chabasov (aka: the challah prince)
I didn't have my glasses on.... 