From the sunny ville I would like to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. We hope that ole Santa is good and generous to you and yours. It's an annual tradition at our house to procrastinate with the preparations for this holiday. With the decorating, baking, planning and shopping we have been pretty busy. I envy the folks that start shopping in July and hide the stuff. I could never do that. If I bought something for someone I would want to give it to them right away. I've always been that way. I like to make the folks in my life happy. Being realistic I know it can't always be accomplished but I remain optimistic. There's always hope and I enjoy being one of Santa's helpers where I can.
Which brings me to the point that I have to mention that some of you most certainly deserve nothing but a lump of coal. I wrote the post "Dear Santa" to see what the people would like to see on a wish list for the ville. Had a lot of good responses but then there were some that attempted to turn this into a trash site. Again I apologize to Nicky D. He didn't deserve that treatment and we will have more on that later on. I won't have this turned into a trash spreading forum with rumors, innuendo, insults, obscenity and racial slurs. Since starting this blog I've gotten comments either on here or via e-mail from all over. I've found that the readership is more than just local folks. I mentioned it before and tried to avoid it but a few bad apples have forced me to go to comment moderation. That means I get notified of comments before they are posted. I get to decide whether they get posted or rejected. It slows down the process which I was really trying to avoid. I was warned by other bloggers but was hoping it wouldn't be necessary.
This blog is a hobby. It's something I enjoy doing but it's not my whole life or livelihood. I have other obligations which take up a lot of time especially this time of the year. No I wasn't on vacation or hospitalized earlier this week. I simply did not have time to spend on the computer and when I got back to it I was truly upset with what was here. I felt I was taken advantage of by some very unscrupulous people that apparently have no common decency. I fully realize that there will be both negative and positive responses. That's part of life and I embrace getting differing opinions. Sometimes you just have to agree to disagree and you can rest assured that I won't block out the negative stuff. That wouldn't be right and I truly want to do the right thing and be fair to all. If you want to blast me for being a thick skulled thunder head that's ok. I won't hold it against you but I may ask why you think that way. Everybody has an opinion. Not everyone has the same opinion and that's what makes it interesting. To those of you that take the time and effort to comment I would like to truly thank you. To those few of you that want to degrade and insult just for the sake of being nasty and down right mean and ignorant you'll have to find somewhere else to vent. You won't see your comments on this blog.
That being said, again, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas or at least a Happy Holiday if you're not a believer in Santa. The picture above came from http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/christmas-santa.shtml. They have a lot of neat clip art. We like the old fashion looking pictures of Santa. I'm asking Santa for more time. How about you? Weather Underground says we have about a 20% chance of a white Christmas. We may not see the tree tops glistening.
Enjoy the season and please be careful...
ole nib
13 comments:
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Thanks for maintaining this blog.
Even though we don't agree on alot of issues, I admire you for your efforts to maintain this blog.
Merry Christmas Ole Nib. I guess next year we'll be seeing a leaner Santa Claus. There are some complaints that Santa is a little heavy and that's not good incentive for kids. Have a Happy New Year.
Good job, Nib.
Merry Christmas
Nice Picture . Merry Christmas. And another point of view from the Horror Drive-In :
I can hear it now. I'm a Scrooge, a humbug, a spoilsport and a cynic. Maybe so.
But I feel for a lot of people around this upcoming holiday. I'm not talking about those that are lonely or too poor for food, even though they deserve sympathy and care too. I'm talking about the middle to low income families and the poor slob that is the husband/father. In many cases these people have a hard enough time keeping the bills and creditors at bay. The ever-increasing difficulty in keeping food in the bellies, clothes on the backs and gas in the car. People holding their own in an unfair world and not asking or expecting any handouts.
In today's society, parents are expected to give their kids everything their hearts desire and if they do not go through with this, they are awful people. I've talked to people that say this time of year is the worst for them. No matter how they attempt to save and plan ahead, the Season of loving-kindness and generosity is a living nightmare. Too many people get behind on their payments or even worse, get themselves into debt. A swamp of killer interest rates and payments that can never be caught up on. It is expected of them.
And it's not like I didn't get the royal treatment when I was growing up. We lived in humble means, but every Christmas the floor was so full of toys and presents that you couldn't even walk. I'm not feeling sorry for myself either. I'm a pretty lucky guy in this regard. I have an employer that always gives a ridiculously generous bonus and it easily covers the purchases I need to make. But too many others aren't as fortunate.
People get depressed and even physically sick when they contemplate the season and its implications. And they are reminded of it everywhere they go, from bell-ringers outside of stores
begging for another piece of their ass to sickeningly sweet carols playing everywhere. A constant reminder that they are shitty parents/children/family members unless they spend far more than they are able to for Christmas presents . It's the same warped logic that makes a young man think he has to go into debt to get an engagement ring that is preposterously outside his budget. A trinket that merely symbolizes the real bond between a couple about to be married.
Wouldn't it be better if everyone just gave and received one item? Something that comes from the heart and not the mall. But the retailers get all lined up anticipating the profits that they'll accumulate over the joyous holiday season. Children are programmed to expect an enormous payoff at Christmas and many adults even put unrealistic expectations on others this time of year.
And the poor get poorer by the day.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR....
with having more kids than the average person i also am one of those middle class people who are trying to buy the kids everything their hearts desire but i cant and the kids accept it...Christmas should be about family and being greatful for the little things in life....it should not be about how much money and how far in debt you can get...we all can not be millionaires but we are not scrooges either...this is going to be one christmas i am not going to go nuts about what the kids have and dont have...why would i. i cant change anything so why worry...I have other things to worry about ......
SO TO EVERYONE HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY AND DONT WORRY ABOUT THE MATERIAL THINGS INSTALL REAL VALUES TO YOUR KIDS AND REMIND YOUR PARENTS AND YOUR GRANDPARENTS JUST HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM
Merry Xmas Nib and thanks for the nice Wellsville blog. It is nice to discuss the issues we face. I look forward to a new year.
Nib
I really do like your site as well as Matts. Even though you both don't agree on most issues one thing I have seen and read on both site is there are going to be people who are going to bash others at any cost and do not care if it is slanderous or not. The past week on this site is one good example. Nick didn't deserve the comment he recieved. His personal live is his own and should be just that, not on blog sites. I was wondering what was wrong when you wasn't deleting the comments, now I know why. But I was also glad that you did take them off and really hope you watch more carefully. I am not bashing you, just hoping that you will be more careful in the future. You have ran a good site so far and hope it continues. Being a Wellsville son myself I support your efforts and will continue to do so whether we agree on things are not.
I have gotten my mom on this site and she in turn got others to read this site well. She seems to like it and I know she will continue to read your site.
In closing, I just want to wish you well and hope you maintain a good and clean site. As you may know there are kids who read this site and follow every word that is posted on here. By all means they are not dumb kids as you have seen during the election. Heres hoping you have a great 2008 and hope this site gets more followers and support you site.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Christmas to me has always been a special holiday but I have to agree that it seems to way too commercial for most anymore. With television advertising there is pressure to buy this and to buy that and the children get a distorted idea of what Christmas is all about. Madison Avenue advertising firms use every psychological trick in the book to get everyone interested in their client's product and make us think that our lives are less than perfect if we don't buy, buy, buy. They care not whether families will have enough to put food on the table or money to pay the utilities. Everyone wants the best for our children but the best a parent has to give doesn't come in a brightly wrapped box. The best comes from the heart teaching them love, responsibility, respect of others and being reasonable with their demands. The best is instilling in them good family values and the desire to strive to make the most of their God given talents through their learning years. To help them mature into responsible thinking adults is the best present you can give a child. I'm straying from the subject and I will now get off my soap box. Giving friends and family the gift of love straight from the heart is better than anything any merchant has to offer.
Merry Christmas :)
God Bless "ole nib" and "Looking out my Window"!
The joyous season of peace on earth, good will toward men has ended. You may now resume your normal mud slinging and name calling.
Happy New Year!
Gezz Ed - Your good will to men seems short lived.
ole nib
I hope we can get many things accomplished this year that will help us move forward. The new year is like a blank canvas. Paint what you want.
Happy New Year!
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