It has been a weird year 
Santa invoking the dancing imps of hell
One of my favorite Christmas traditions: Santa invoking the Dancing Imps of Hell. pic.twitter.com/4nz47GwKe3
β Undine (@HorribleSanity) December 23, 2020
Ring the Bells by Jessica Marie Baumgartner
So right now I want to post about some nice ways people can make this time of year easier for those who are less fortunate (hopefully without tooting my own horn too much or virtue signalling like an asshole egotist).
There is nothing wrong with giving to feel good. Or doing something nice to elevate your own spirits. As long as youβre not doing it for publicity or whatever.
My eldest daughter has been having a rough go missing her friends throughout this year, and Iβve been missing some of our regular volunteer work since I had my youngest and our favorite animal shelter is running at low capacity due to covid. So we signed up for a bell ringing shift through the Salvation Army.
I havenβt done it in a few years and itβs always fun because I sing carols to everyone whether they donate or not.
Including my daughters this year (I left the toddler and baby home with the hubsy since the baby would just get cold and the toddler would steal the bell and run away) made it even more fun. The shifts are 3 hours long so I wanted to make sure they were old enough. We got out and sang to people. We smiled and laughed and got so many donations from others who laughed and thanked us as much as we thanked them.
The Icelandic Yulecat
Yuletide technicolour yawns via Adam Sharp
Aside from being Yule and the birth of baby Jesus, Christmas Day is also the day to exchange gifts, drink and then vomit somewhere discreetly. Here are some funny euphemisms used throughout the globe:
- Talking to God on the big white telephone (Ireland)
- Go through the drink list backwards (Ireland)
- Review the menu (Ireland)
- Make room for dessert (Ireland)
- Feed the fish (when at sea) (England)
- Do a 3D burp (Ireland)
- Open the technicolour fire hydrant (England)
- Yell at your shoes (Ireland)
- Lay the fox (France)
- Throw a pie (Czech Republic)
- Shout for Gregory (Portugal)
- Call for the moose (Norway)
- Speak Norwegian (Finland)
- Cast out the squid (Spanish)
- Flay the goat (Wales)
- To feed the dog (french)
- Fare i gattini (make kittens) β Tuscany
- To give it to the ducks. (βA da la raΘeβ). Romania
- Park the Tiger (Australian)
- Technicoloured yawn (Australian)
- Blowing chunks (Australian)
- Park a custard (Australian)
- Liquid laugh (Australian)
- Calling up Ruth (Australian)
Do you have any other funny sayings for vomiting?
A language map of Christmas 
Linguistic map shows the word for Christmas across Europe. Source: https://t.co/FiHdTOxy2E pic.twitter.com/y7kLWJHmhv
β Simon Kuestenmacher (@simongerman600) December 23, 2020
Santa visits Queensland in the 1930βs
Vintage 1930βs Santa images used in The Queenslander β a weekly literary magazine of the Brisbane Courier newspaper, Australia. Some have a summer theme and some are a bit creepy, or a bit of both. Source: State Library of Queensland (out of copyright).
I have been enjoying looking at old 1930s Santa images used in The Queenslander β a weekly literary magazine of the Brisbane Courier newspaper, Australia. Some have a summer theme and some are a bit creepy, or a bit of both. Source: State Library of Queensland (out of copyright). pic.twitter.com/BXgzANjNio
β Early Aotearoa New Zealand (@ZealandEarly) December 22, 2020
Summer Solstice on the MΔori calendar via MΔori news
On the MΔori calendar each year during the month of December, the Southern Hemisphere bares witness to the summer solstice.
Piripi SmithΒ or NgΔti Kahungunu and NgΔti Raukawa says,Β βThis is the time when the Antares star rises, the summer star. Itβs also when the Sun unites with the Goddess of the Summer.β
βFor the Napier locals, an opportunity to see for the first time how their new celestial star compass connects them to a calendar used by MΔori.βΒ
Matiu Nohokau Eru of NgΔti Kahungunu and TΕ«hoe says βWeβre here today, to acknowledge the uniting of Anatares and Hineraumati. Thereβs a rock over there, the summer solstice rock and it marks the place where the Antares star and the sun will rise.β
Witty Comedian Greig Johnsonβs rambling old-fashioned BBC Christmas announcement
I love how he talks a whole lot of shite and yet it all makes complete sense when you listen!
Cat versus Krampus
Feline 1, Krampus Nil.
This giant crocheted Christmas tree in Italy
This 20 foot tall Christmas tree in Trivento, Italy is made entirely out of crochet βgranny squaresβ. pic.twitter.com/UDEIvJe6z1
β ZoΓ« Watson (@ZoeWatsonArtist) December 18, 2020
A history of Yule and Christmas from the Neolithic to today
The origins of Christmas stretch back thousands of years to prehistoric celebrations around the midwinter solstice. And many of the traditions we cherish today have been shaped by centuries of changing beliefs, politics, technology, taste and commerce.Β
Visit English Heritage to discover the history of Christmas through the ages, starting around 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic.Β
Yuleshard. n. a person ill-prepared for Christmas #OldWeirdScotland
Being tipped upsidedown is just par for the course when youβre a polar bear wrangler.
An evil clown wishes you Merry Christmas
He looks slightly worried though that you donβt take him seriously enough as a serial killer, so please put his mind at ease.
How to make a Christmas gin punch by English Heritage
As if you needed any other reason to have some gin on Xmas day
Paris at Christmas time in 1962
Christmas music from the Middle Ages
Luminous Edinburgh Christmas market in 2012
The year of knee deep snow and a lot of preventative whisky hot toddies.
A recipe for Christmas gingerbread by Townsends
When your Christmas lunch turns on youβ¦
Revenge of the poultry!
Originally tweeted by Undine (@HorribleSanity) on 06/12/2020.
Playing scrabble with your bassett hounds
These three are all good boys and this is the most wholesome thing Iβve seen in agesβ¦
Originally tweeted by Doc Kevin Lee Elder (@DocKevinElder) on 15/12/2020.
A woman with her sculpture of a shark devouring a gingerbread man
Christmas in Russia
Minus 20 degree days of snow could almost be bearable with this kind of decoration going on!
What do you think? Hope you enjoyed these and that wherever you are in the world, youβre having a good day for Yule/Christmas!
Another eclectic bag of festive treats here!! Merry Christmas to you!!
Merry Christmas Athena.
When I see a vomit on a footpath, typically on a Sunday morning walk, I say, βLook, a street pizza!β
Merry Christmas
All my best festive season wishes for you and your clan, over there across the Tasman Sea.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friend
Merry Christmas to you too my lovely friend, yes cheers to a much better new year and thank you for reading
The last image is gorgeous!
As a non-fan of freezing temperatures, Iβm happy to enjoy the visuals in image form rather than in person.
He he he, thank you I am so glad you like it Gia, yes I must admit Iβm the same, I love looking at snow but from inside a warm and cosy room though not outside! Thank you for reading π