Santa delivered..............

 

................a new (and much needed) computer.  Handing both new and old off to the Geek Squad at Best Buy later this afternoon.  Apparently they need a day or three to work their magic.  Please keep the Intertunnel alive and well until I return.

Whence comes Santa Claus............

The shrouds of time are pretty good at hiding things. This fun post seeks reasonable explanations:

The traditional culture of those early Finns, known as the Sámi, was shamanistic. They believed that the Amanita muscaria that brought the reindeer its sustenance also brought wisdom to humans. At the time of the celebration of the Winter Solstice, the Sámi’s shamans would consume the drug and then visit prominent Sámi households to pass along the insights that they achieved through their hallucinogenic trips. In honor of the mushroom, they would dress in its likeness, in a red and white costume. The Sámi lived in yurts, which, at that time of the year, were often snowed in. So, the shamans would often pop in through the hole in the roof that served as the yurt’s chimney, bearing the gifts of their psychedelically inspired wisdom.

The wisdom of children....................

". . . In fact, they were so unperturbed that 58 percent said they pretended to believe in Santa after realizing the truth—so as not to disappoint their parents."

-as culled from here

I always thought..............................

 ............that Dasher, Donner, Blitzen, et. al. had character issues, but was always willing to give Santa a free pass:

Now that you mention it.........................

Fifty years ago...............................

Clarence Carter......................................................Back Door Santa

 

Among the bounty...................

........................left at our house by Santa was Bill Lyon's Deadlines and Overtimes:  Collected Writings on Sports and Life.   Santa must read this blog.  Faithful readers may remember that, in large measure, my love for the printed word was nurtured by my much younger self's perusing the works of the great sports writers of Philadelphia's three daily newspapers.  Lyon wrote sports columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than 30 years.  A quick scan of his book turned up these quotes:

     "Sports is where, for all that is petty and pig-headed here on the third rock from the sun, we are privileged to witness pride and passion, valor and resiliency, perseverance and persistence...great, shining examples of the fierce, unbending indomitability of the human spirit.  It gives us that rarest of gifts.  Hope."

    "Grief is like religion, a thing to be done with the heart and on one's own terms, none of it anybody else's business."

    "Nothing lasts forever...well, with the exception of public television pledge drives."

Thanks Santa.

Seems like it..........................

   via

Wait. What?......................Santa's a myth?

.............................Parents are harming their children by telling them Santa is real?  I fear for psychiatry.  Story here.  Kill shot here:

"I believe children should be taught to question authority, and as they mature to learn that there are no guardians of truth."

Strong is the desire to believe...................

cartoon via

Re-cap.........................

via

For kids of all ages....................

4 Stages..................................

Ho-ho-ho..............................

thanks doug

Well, yeah..............................

A happy and a merry to you.............................

via

Questions..............................

Good questions.........................

Impossible.............................

Does it really matter.............................?

via