Christmas in Vietnam, 1971
[This photograph is from the Australian War Memorial's collection www.awm.gov.au]
South Vietnam. Private (Pte) David McColl of Page, ACT, hanging puddings to mature before Christmas. Pte McColl spent his spare time during the weeks leading up to Christmas supplementing the supply of Christmas cakes and puddings provided by families and friends of soldiers still serving in Vietnam.
Best wishes to all, but particularly to anybody who for Reasons* is somewhere they’d rather not be for the celebration season.
There will probably still be the occasional post over the next few weeks, but I think we’re mostly either horrendously busy or already enjoying a holiday. There will definitely be, at the appropriate times, an open Dr Who (Ten’s Finale) Open Thread for those of you who catch up with it as soon as it’s broadcast in the UK, and an occasional Femmostroppo Reader.
* (Those ones which are Complicated and/or Beyond One’s Control: military service in a war zone that one’s government should never have sent one to is merely one example that is obviously Full Of Unpleasant)
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Same here – it’s school holidays and a houseful, so although we’re keeping to quiet family time this holiday season, I’ll probably not be in blogging headspace a whole lot.
I’ll try to put up a few Quick Hits to keep the conversation flowing along for those who wish it; and Thursday Cheezburger and Otterday will be going ahead as usual.
To my great delight, I am home in New Zealand for Christmas, with my beloved parents, in the house where I grew up, with my partner and our daughter. For me, Christmas is about family, and it doesn’t get any better than this.
Many thanks, Hoydens, for all the work you have done this year, and for this community. And many thanks also to all the other people who come by here; I’ve enjoyed your company enormously, and learned a great deal from you all, posters and commenters alike.
Gearing up for baby expulsion around here. People grimace at my summer due date because of the heat (and indeed, no love, El Niño), but no one thought to gloomily warn me that I’d be trying to plan meals and gifts well into the lumbering stage. The pregnancy gloom squad inexplicably failed me.
Enjoy holidays and festivities, everyone who has them.
Mary, my sister had a c-section yesterday, she was given the choice of now or after Christmas and in light of your comments I’m thinking she chose well!
Many thanks from me too for all the fabulous Hoyden-ness this year, all the hard work is much appreciated and all the fun times have been great. Merry winter-solstice-festival-wrong-hemisphere-notwithstanding to all :-)
Merry Christmas to all.
I’m having SL to stay for a couple of weeks up here in snowy Edinburgh where we are kicking back with excellent port and better TimTams and whinging about the temperature whilst basking in Brisbane levels of central heating. On the big day we’ll trek all the way across the road for a posh hotel lunch (it’s tough being this good a hostess, but I do what I can…).
For those putting a bit more effort into the occasion, my sympathies and the hope you find at least enough time to enjoy yourself.
I hope everyone survived the jólakötturinn this Yule? I am sorry that I didn’t find out about this fierce human gobbling cat in time to make appropriately themed decorations but I plan to make her a part of our celebrations from now on.
I hope everything goes well Mary, my eldest was born on christmas day, so I got out of the cooking!
Yes, special wishes for a easy transition from the lumbering to the cuddling stage, Mary!
Merry Christmas to all you Hoydens, and especially you, Mary. I second the good wishes for a happy and joyful birth and not too much hot weather for the cuddling, whether it’s an el nino or an el nina who makes an appearance!
Happy Southern-hemisphere-summer festival of your choice, everybody!
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Happy Holidays =-.
Hope anyone in the path of the forecast flooding is both as prepared as possible and spared a catastrophe.
Thanks for the good wishes all. I am in the awkward “could be any time but likely won’t be very soon” stage. I am told that not having a bag packed is just inviting a pre-dates labour though…
Three years ago, my sister went into labour just before Christmas lunch was served. She was sure to finish the entire meal in between contractions, before a trip to the hospital that evening!
I’m spending today making a big birthday cake. It’s going to be tough for the poor girl competing with Jesus and Santa for attention every year.
Merry Christmas all!
I’m rather chuffed by the way my brother has managed his multiple families: this year one of his adult children (who live up north) from his first partnership will be minding the house of their teen half-sister from his second partnership while she and her mum go down south for a break and everybody will be coming over to the house he shares with his third partner and their other (infant) half-sister for multigenerational festivities.
He done good.
A cute story of the complexities of a holiday birthday: http://www.yatima.org/archives/2008/12/24/failure-to-plan-ahead/
And Mary, a huge pre-emptive raspberry to everyone who will make the inevitable bad jokes about the kid’s potential name if it’s a boy and comes out on the 25th…Pthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhxxxxxxt!
Do you know Helen, I hadn’t even thought of that? Oh dear! How could I have missed it? Luckily my healthcare providers don’t seem to expect an, uh, Christmas miracle.