Wishing Frank and each and every member here, a fine Christmas Day and a really great new year.
Merry Christmas
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Merry Christmas from Me,
- Thread starter Lowlight
- Start date
Merry Christmas Frank, thanks for the awesome site!
Figured I would have got coal?
Figured I would have got coal?
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Merry Christmas!!!
May our hearts know the truest gift of today and be filled with joy!!
God bless you all and God bless America!
May our hearts know the truest gift of today and be filled with joy!!
God bless you all and God bless America!
YepMerry Christmas to All hiders
Met some cool people in person and made his lifelong friends.
Hope everyone has a Great X-Mas and a Happy New Years.
We are due ! Before I turn into Santa, going to go knock out a 6 mile run
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. Christ IS the Reason for the Season.
To that, I'll add that while scrolling down through this thread, My Lady saw that toque above and instantly said "I Want ONE". So yeah, I gotta look around here for SH Swag where I can purchase a toque.
Good Job here on the site, and keep up the good place where so-many of us like-minded folks can hang out, comfortably. (No couch shots needed.... from any of ya'll. Or of Cousin Eddie)
HA
To that, I'll add that while scrolling down through this thread, My Lady saw that toque above and instantly said "I Want ONE". So yeah, I gotta look around here for SH Swag where I can purchase a toque.
Good Job here on the site, and keep up the good place where so-many of us like-minded folks can hang out, comfortably. (No couch shots needed.... from any of ya'll. Or of Cousin Eddie)
HA
The Christmas Rifle
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or for those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors.
It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving. It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so badly that year for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.
So after supper was over, I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace, waiting for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible; instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though; I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, but, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this.
But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up, put my boots back on, and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short or quick or little job, I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him.
The cold was already biting at me, and I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on.
After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain and all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something.
"Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?"
"You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "Why?" "I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said.
He then turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading and went to the smokehouse where he took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait.
When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. "Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunnysacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy.
"We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house, unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, and took the meat and flour and shoes around to the front door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?" Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all.
Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. "We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks.
She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out. "We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes, too. In my mind, I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy, and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.
She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us." In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it, I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth.
I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it. Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go.
I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine. At the door, Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away. Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you". Out on the sled, I felt warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold.
When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday, a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunnysacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent your rifle money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand." I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it.
Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night; he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or for those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors.
It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving. It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so badly that year for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.
So after supper was over, I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace, waiting for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible; instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though; I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, but, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this.
But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up, put my boots back on, and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short or quick or little job, I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him.
The cold was already biting at me, and I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on.
After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain and all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something.
"Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?"
"You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "Why?" "I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said.
He then turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading and went to the smokehouse where he took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait.
When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. "Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunnysacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy.
"We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house, unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, and took the meat and flour and shoes around to the front door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?" Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all.
Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. "We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks.
She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out. "We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes, too. In my mind, I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy, and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.
She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us." In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it, I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth.
I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it. Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go.
I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine. At the door, Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away. Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you". Out on the sled, I felt warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold.
When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday, a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunnysacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent your rifle money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand." I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it.
Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night; he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
Same to you Frank !
Attachments
Y'all know this is last years thread and there's new one?
www.snipershide.com
Merry Christmas Everyone
Merry Christmas Everyone, I want to thank all the listeners for another great year. Both on and off line we had great response to everything we put out for you. The classes have been awesome, watching the students grow has been very fulfilling. The online stuff has been slower from our end...
www.snipershide.com
Dint know dat , but thanks for pointing it out.Y'all know this is last years thread and there's new one?
Merry Christmas Everyone
Merry Christmas Everyone, I want to thank all the listeners for another great year. Both on and off line we had great response to everything we put out for you. The classes have been awesome, watching the students grow has been very fulfilling. The online stuff has been slower from our end...
MERRY CHRISTMAS Hiders
Couple of Christmas Days stick out for me … Christmas Bombing of 1972 Aka Operation Linebacker l l . 16 B-52’s shot down between December 18th thru the 29th.
I was a lowly deck-ape throwing chocks and tying down planes. Don’t think I slept but a few hrs a day.
Christmas Eve 1986 , I took out a tree that got in front of me , threw me out the windshield , and broke quite a few bones …was in a Coma until Jan 5 , 1987.
Sooooo everyone have a safe and great Christmas. Assholes haven’t taken Santa away …yet
Here's one that sticks out for me. In the dead of night. A frozen river. Rags for shoes. A 19 mile march. Merica. God bless those menDint know dat , but thanks for pointing it out.
MERRY CHRISTMAS Hiders
Couple of Christmas Days stick out for me … Christmas Bombing of 1972 Aka Operation Linebacker l l . 16 B-52’s shot down between December 18th thru the 29th.
I was a lowly deck-ape throwing chocks and tying down planes. Don’t think I slept but a few hrs a day.
Christmas Eve 1986 , I took out a tree that got in front of me , threw me out the windshield , and broke quite a few bones …was in a Coma until Jan 5 , 1987.
Sooooo everyone have a safe and great Christmas. Assholes haven’t taken Santa away …yet
1776 — George Washington crosses the Delaware River
Leutze's depiction of Washington's attack on the Hessians at Trenton.en.wikipedia.org
In 1776, Washington led his troops across a 300-yard stretch of the Delaware River in the dead of night between December 25 and 26.
The surprise move would put Washington's men a 19-mile march away from a garrison of Hessians — German mercenaries hired by the British to help them retain a hold on the rebelling colonies — that the Continental Army took completely by surprise.
The Hessians' quick surrender at the Battle of Trenton, just 90 minutes into the fight against Washington's 2,400 soldiers, would be the first of two rebel victories in New Jersey, the other being the Battle of Princeton a week later, as the Continental Army regained control of the colony.
This effectively reversed the British drive that had pushed the rebels across the state in the previous months. The daring crossing of the Delaware ended up being one of the turning points of the Revolutionary War.
It was a long hard winter
Coldest in forty years
The men were completely surrounded
The wive’s were shedding tears
It was the 101st Airborne
And a small Negro group
It was to be a bleak Christmas
For the young American troops
The enemy demanded surrender
The Americans cried NUTS
The enemy had four divisions
The Americans had their huts
The situation was critical
The enemy poised to fight
Then came the Christmas Miracle
It came as bright sunlight
In came the supplies, in came air cover
In came America’s Might
The 101st made their stand that day
With a small Negro group in the fight
What makes this bleak, blood struggle
Fit in with the Christmas time
It was the young men that died in Bastogne
But it was America in her prime
The wives are still shedding tears
Over that break Christmas Day
Their men died so others could find
A better, a happier way
Written
December 23, 1978
Coldest in forty years
The men were completely surrounded
The wive’s were shedding tears
It was the 101st Airborne
And a small Negro group
It was to be a bleak Christmas
For the young American troops
The enemy demanded surrender
The Americans cried NUTS
The enemy had four divisions
The Americans had their huts
The situation was critical
The enemy poised to fight
Then came the Christmas Miracle
It came as bright sunlight
In came the supplies, in came air cover
In came America’s Might
The 101st made their stand that day
With a small Negro group in the fight
What makes this bleak, blood struggle
Fit in with the Christmas time
It was the young men that died in Bastogne
But it was America in her prime
The wives are still shedding tears
Over that break Christmas Day
Their men died so others could find
A better, a happier way
Written
December 23, 1978
Here's one that sticks out for me. In the dead of night. A frozen river. Rags for shoes. A 19 mile march. Merica. God bless those men
1776 — George Washington crosses the Delaware River
Leutze's depiction of Washington's attack on the Hessians at Trenton.en.wikipedia.org
In 1776, Washington led his troops across a 300-yard stretch of the Delaware River in the dead of night between December 25 and 26.
The surprise move would put Washington's men a 19-mile march away from a garrison of Hessians — German mercenaries hired by the British to help them retain a hold on the rebelling colonies — that the Continental Army took completely by surprise.
The Hessians' quick surrender at the Battle of Trenton, just 90 minutes into the fight against Washington's 2,400 soldiers, would be the first of two rebel victories in New Jersey, the other being the Battle of Princeton a week later, as the Continental Army regained control of the colony.
This effectively reversed the British drive that had pushed the rebels across the state in the previous months. The daring crossing of the Delaware ended up being one of the turning points of the Revolutionary War.
And most people have zero idea about the kind of conditions these men were in when they pulled this off. Oh and imo, this want one of the turning points in the Revolutionary War, it was THE turning point!
In fact, I was thinking earlier, this, along with Thermopylae, and Operation Overlord. were turning points in the history of the world.
There are no words to express the gratitude I have for them, and the rest of my brothers, who fought to make and keep us free.
And He lives. Now and forever.
A belated Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to all.
I’ll be celebrating w/ a bottle of honey flavored Garrison Bros.
I’ll be celebrating w/ a bottle of honey flavored Garrison Bros.
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