Conference back40::soapbox

	You're always bending over teek...

	Backwards, not forwards..............%^)

    
    Thanks, teekhoney.  Sing us the Sinter Klaas song before you go, tho.

    ...and  a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year to you all.

| <<< Note 213.2 by GMT1::TEEKEMA "The ultimate experiment gone bad !!" >>>


| Backwards, not forwards..............%^)


	Whether you are laying on your back or over a table... oh never mind..

All of you boxers have a very happy holiday.  I am outta here.

Paul

    
    A reply from George with no misspellings!

	Mz Debra, you never cease (sp?) to amaze me. I didn't
think many folks knew about SinterKlaas. We celabrate it with
our kids on Dec 3rd as well as Christmas. Trying to keep some
tradition going with the kids. We have some cassettes at home
with the songs sung in Dutch. It has been to long for me to
be able to remember all the words. Maybe one of our Dutch
noters/readers can enter one ??.

    
    
    
    HAPPY HOLIDAYS ONE AND ALL.  I hope you, your family and your friends
    have a joyous and safe Christmas and New Year season.
    
    
    
    Mike

<-------- ditto

 What .10 said!





Jim

Carolers appear to be walking through the halls at Zpitbrook right now.

    may the fortunes of straight shooting, smooth riding, and easy barn
    stall cleaning come your way this holiday season. 

    -1 
    
    How very well put.

re<<< Note 213.15 by SNOC02::MACKENZIEK "o...ex-SUBURB::DAVISM" >>>
>    How very well put.

I didn't know Gene golfed.  Ah, that'd be all the shots he mentions.


Have a joyous holiday!


Chele

    hello ....
    
    
    is there anybody out there ?
    
    or am i the only sad bastard still stuck here ?
    
    ric

    ric,
    
    You're not the only one.
    
    There are others of us around.
    
    meg

    
    Believe it or not, I'm engineering something today.
    
    So, I'm a sicko, too.  :-(  bb
    

    
    Thats it...I'm outta here!
    
    Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!!!
    
    jc
    

    ... and still wishing one & all a very happy Holiday season!!!  |-{:-)

    
    The next reply is a poem my mother has recited every Christmas Eve
    since I've known her.  After 30 some years I've managed to pretty
    much memorize it myself 8^).  I don't know who wrote it.
    
    This is the first year I haven't been with her to hear it, so I thought
    I'd share it with all of you.  It's kind of long (~160 lines).
    
    Happy Christmas.

    'Twas the eve before Christmas
    goodnight had been said
    and Annie and Willie had crept into bed.
    
    There were tears on their pillows
    and tears in their eyes
    and each little bosom was heaving with sighs,
    
    For tonight their stern father's command had been given
    that they should retire precisely at seven
    instead of at eight
    for they troubled him more with questions unheard of than ever before.
    
    He told them he thought this delusion a sin - 
    no such thing as Santa Claus EVER had been
    and he hoped, after this, he would never more hear
    how he scrambled down chimneys with presents each year.
    
    And this was the reason that two little heads
    so restlessly tossed on their soft downy beds.
    Eight, nine, and the clock in the steeple tolled ten
    not a word had been spoken by either til then.
    
    When Willie's sad face from the blanket did peep
    and whispered "Dear Annie, is you fast asleep?"
    
    "Why no, brother Willie," a sweet voice replied.
    "I've tried and I've tried, but I can't shut my eyes.
    For somehow it makes me so sorry because
    Dear Papa has said there is no Santa Claus.
    Now we know that there is, and it can't be denied,
    For he came every year before dear Mama died;
    But then I am thinking that she used to pray
    And God would hear everything Mama would say.
    And perhaps she asked Him to send Santa Claus here
    With the sack full of presents he brought every year."
    
    "Well, why can't we pray, just as Mama did then,
    and ask Him to send him with presents again?"
    
    "I've been thinking so, too," and without a word more
    Four little bare feet bounded out on the floor;
    Four little knees the soft carpet pressed,
    And two tiny hands were clasped to each breast.
    
    "Now Willie, you know we must firmly believe 
    That the presents we ask for we're sure to receive.
    You must wait just as still, til I say the "amen",
    And by that you'll know that your turn has come then."
    
    "Dear Jesus, look down on my brother and me
    And grant us the favour we're asking of Thee;
    I want a wax dolly, a tea set and ring
    And an ebony workbox that shuts with a spring.
    Bless Papa, dear Jesus, and cause him to see
    that Santa Claus loves us far better than he.
    Don't let him get fretful and angry again
    At dear brother Willie and Annie.  Amen."
    
    "Please, Jesus, let Santa Claus come down tonight
    and bring us some presents before it is light.
    I want he should give me a nice little sled,
    With bright shiny runners, and all painted red;
    A box full of candy, a book, and a toy.
    And then, dear Jesus, I'll be a good boy.  Amen."
    
    Their prayers being ended, they raised up their heads
    And with hearts light and cheerful again sought their beds.
    They were soon lost in slumber, both peaceful and deep
    and with fairies in dreamland were roaming in sleep.
    
    Eight, nine, and the little French clock had struck ten,
    Ere the father had thought of his children again.
    He seemed now to hear Annie's soft suppressed sighs,
    and to see the big tears stand in Willie's blue eyes.
    "I was harsh with my darlings," he mentally said,
    And should not have sent them so early to bed.
    But then, I was troubled - my feelings found vent - 
    For bank stock today had gone down ten percent.
    But of course they've forgotten their troubles ere this
    And that I denied them the thrice-asked for kiss.
    But just to make sure, I'll steal up to their door
    For I never spoke harsh to my darlings before."
    
    So saying, he softly ascended the stairs
    and arrived at the door to hear both of their prayers.
    His Annie's "bless Papa" brought forth the big tears,
    And Willie's grave promise fell sweet on his ears.
    "Strange, strange, I'd forgotten," he said with a sigh,
    "How I longed as a child to have Christmas draw nigh.
    I'll atone for my harshness," he inwardly said,
    "By answering their prayers ere I sleep in my bed."
    
    Then he turned to the stairs, and softly went down,
    Threw off velvet slippers and silk dressing gown
    Donned hat, coat, and boots, and was out in the street
    A millionaire facing the cold winter sleet.
    Nor stopped he until he had bought everything
    from a box full of candy to a tiny gold ring.
    Indeed, he kept adding so much to his store
    that the various presents outnumbered a score.
    Then homeward he turned with his holiday load
    And with Aunt Mary's help in the nursery 'twas stowed.
    
    Miss Dolly was seated beneath a pine tree
    by the side of a table spread out for her tea.
    A workbox well filled in the center was laid,
    and on it the ring for which Annie had prayed.
    A soldier in uniform stood by a sled,
    with bright shining runners, and all painted red.
    There were balls, dogs, and horses, books pleasing to see,
    And birds of all colours were perched in the tree.
    While Santa Claus, laughing, stood up at the top
    As if getting ready more presents to drop.
    
    And as the fond father the picture surveyed,
    He thought for his trouble he'd amply been paid.
    And he said to himself, as he brushed off a tear,
    "I'm happier now than I've been for a year.
    I've enjoyed more true pleasure than ever before.
    What care I if bank stock falls ten percent more?
    Hereafter I'll make it a rule, I believe,
    to have Santa Claus visit us each Christmas Eve."
    So thinking, he gently extinguished the light
    and tripped down the stairs to retire for the night.
    
    As soon as the beams of the bright morning sun
    put the darkness to flight, and the stars, one by one,
    four little blue eyes out of sleep opened wide
    and at the same moment the presents they spied.
    Then out of their beds they sprung with a bound
    and the very gifts prayed for were all of them found.
    They laughed and they cried in their innocent glee
    And shouted for Papa to come quick and see
    what presents old Santa had brought in the night,
    Just the things that they wanted, and left before light!
    
    "And now," added Annie, in a voice soft and low,
    "You'll believe there's a Santa Claus, Papa, I know."
    While dear little Willie climbed up on his knee,
    determined no secret between them should be
    And told in soft whispers how Annie had said
    that their dear blessed Mama, so long ago dead
    used to kneel down and pray by the side of her chair
    and that God up in Heaven had answered her prayer.
    
    "Then we prayed and we prayed just as well as we could,
    And God answered our prayers, now wasn't He good?"
    
    "I should say that He was if He sent you all these,
    and knew just what presents my children would please."
    ("Well, well, let him think so, the dear little elf;
    'twould be cruel to tell him I did it myself.")
    
    Blind father!  Who caused your proud heart to relent;
    and the hasty word spoken so soon to repent?
    'Twas Lord Jesus who made you steal softly upstairs,
    and made you His agent to answer their prayers.
                             

    Well, somehow, I managed to have to work today, but I'm thinking of all
    of you at home and of course my family as well as I am writing this!
    I wish all of you the happiest of holidays, and best wishes for a 
    safe and happy New Year!!
    				Take Care!!
    						steve

    but, it must be said, that 
    
    .23> "And an ebony workbox that shuts with a spring."
    
    explains your self-confessed longtime thing about collecting ornamental
    boxes...
    
    Ne'ertheless, the pome also was good at helping you remember long
    libretti, which has been to the general good.
    
    Feel free to {simper} -- that, also, is to the general good!! :-)
    

    .23
    
    thank you Deb!

Merry third day of Christmas!

/john

Let me guess -

On the fourth day of Christmas he fell into a black hole.

    	Nope.  He just probably got too wrapped up in the secular influences
    	over the Christmas Season.  If true, it is a telling tale regarding
    	how powerful those influences have become.
    
    	My family is still awaiting the 12th day of Christmas so that we
    	can open the rest of our gifts -- the ones from the east.

On the fourth day of Christmas my sister and brother-in-law, who had the
only terminal in Huntsville to which I had access, went back to work, and
I didn't want to spend all of the few minutes I got to see them in the
evening yakking with you lot.

So, the twelve days of Christmas are now over.

Today is the Epiphany, the feast of the Holy Three Kings, and a public
holiday in many countries in Europe.

/john

             <<< Note 213.30 by COVERT::COVERT "John R. Covert" >>>
        -< We Three Kings of Orient Are Bearing Gifts; We Travel Afar >-

>Today is the Epiphany, the feast of the Holy Three Kings, and a public
>holiday in many countries in Europe.
>
>/john

	And my three boys third birthday!

	Kevin

    
    > Holy Three Kings
    
    three?  where does it say that in the bible?  they brought gifts of
    gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but delegations often bring gifts in
    quantities of less than one per delegate.
    
    kings?  where does it say that in the bible?  the greek calls them
    magi.  probably zoroastrian medes, they were astrologers, not kings.

    I have to agree with Binder on this one.   There could have been 3, 30
    or 300.  The Bible is only specific on the gifts given.
    
    I always understood the term to be Magi, too, rather than Kings.
    
    Of course, three may be right, too.  We don't know.  8^)
    
    -steve