[Jetjockey_3]

Happy Holidays to all!

Looking forward to getting rid of ALL this snow. Need more time flying ...

[marcfern]

The only real advantage of a deep layer of soft snow is that you can practice inverted flight manuvers and have a few forgiving crashes as I found out the other day! EPP and PS foam both stand up well down to -20!

[moo]

Originally Posted by benjhind

Wow! That is a pile of posts in a short time!

[shortkut]

It was the night before Christmas....

[Ken Currell]

...
And I was all full of hope
My new plane was sanded
And ready to dope

The fuselage was masked
With exceeding good care
I plugged in the compressor
And it was soon full of air

...

[Wayne22]

Gary..My Dad used to say "winters were tough but we thought nothing of it...........in fact, I still don't think much of it"

[Ken Currell]

...
I was certainly happy
And to add to my cheer
I went to the kitchen
And opened a beer

...

[Gary Maker]

My personal comments" quote:

Every year around this time you will find many articles in newspapers & magazines that talk about the ancient origions of Christmas. Here is a brief rundown of such Origions.

Christmas is a most sacred Holiday or Holy Day to most of use and dispite the pagan origions of some of our beliefs, we still hold it dearly in heart because regardless, it means a special time for families and friends to come together in love and fellowship. Today, its is more a time of family togetherness, a celibration of family, than adherance to whatever rituals may have been celebrated in the past.

I thought you just might find this interesting and I only post this for those who also might find it interesting, for entertainment value only and I AM NOT expressing any religious views as to whether it is right or wrong to celebrate Christmas as we know it today because it may be an intregation of christianity and pagan beliefs. Endquote

The Origions of Christmas: Quotes from an on-line article I came across!

Quote:
No one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?

The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.

In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.

In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.

Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.

The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.

In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.

Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”

The controversy continues even today in some fundamentalist sects. Unquote!

[shortkut]

Ken save a beer for me!

[dialtone500]

Great Idea