Happy Holidays to all.

[callmeslick]

Whatever you celebrate, or don't, enjoy it. Today is my big family Christmas Eve dinner here, so I'm resting before attacking the job of cooking,
You all have a Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Cheery Kwanza, and all the rest. A little peace for a few days would be nice.

[CDN_Merlin]

Merry Christmas

[Tunnelcat]

Merry Christmas to everyone here. Both of us are going to be by ourselves again this year because my hubby just can't travel anymore, but we're sure going to celebrate and get plastered while eating our fill of sugary and meaty items. Then we'll veg out on the couch in the dark living room sitting by the glow of the Christmas tree lights, listening to soft music thanking God we made it another year. And why do I always stuff myself with fattening food this time of year anyway?

[Nightshade]

I'm an atheist, yet I say-

Merry Christmas to all!

[callmeslick]

Help! I'm trapped in a house overtaken by grandchildren! Both wonderful and sensory overload at once. At least, my nephew and daughters boyfriend are assisting with batteries, assembly, instuctions, etc. Thus far I've gotten a singing bird toy, a RC monster truck and Minnie Mouse microphone stand up and running. Whee!! In a few hours, they pack off to boyfriends family, so the wife and I can finally kick back, eat the leftover prime rib and shrimp and all, listen to tunes and pass out.

[sigma]

I more prefer Russian Christmas, but today I ordered in a flower shop just such a nice thing for the New Year's good mood.

[Tunnelcat]

That sounds like our family's house when I was a kid slick. It was a zoo, with all the relatives and their kids running around like monkeys with grabby hands. I'm kind of glad I've got a quiet house this year because I'm getting too old for that kind of chaos.

Sigma, I bet that lovely centerpiece makes the house smell really nice too.

[sigma]

The night before the Russian Christmas, go home from the street is very good and especially cozy to drink a cup of hot tea with pies, when the street -27°C with a strong wind. The night temperature will be -35°C.
I guess I will not be able to start the engine of my diesel Sorento in the morning and I have to go to work on the reindeer of Santa Claus.

[Tunnelcat]

That beats my 18 degrees Fahrenheit I woke up to this morning. Our problem is going to be on Saturday. It's supposed to rain in the afternoon and before that warmer air moves in, that rain is supposed to freeze on contact, leaving us with a half an inch of ice coating everything. Second time this winter too. Gaaaah!

[callmeslick]

Merry Christmas to all Orthodox celebrants, Sigma!!!

Heck, my temperate location is around minus 15 Celsius this morning, with snow on the ground. Korean-made grandchild shuttle started fine.

[Tunnelcat]

I keep my Japanese-made shuttles in a garage that's currently sitting at 48 degrees F. No ice scraping or hard starting here.

But I did notice that my Subaru's heater had trouble keeping up this morning. I'd hate to depend on it at anything below zero F.

[Grendel]

That beats my 18 degrees Fahrenheit I woke up to this morning. Our problem is going to be on Saturday. It's supposed to rain in the afternoon and before that warmer air moves in, that rain is supposed to freeze on contact, leaving us with a half an inch of ice coating everything. Second time this winter too. Gaaaah!

Cozy -- 13.6F at my place... Planning to stay at home over the weekend.

[Tunnelcat]

I shopped for food this morning and plan on avoiding going out this weekend altogether. It sounds like it's going to be an ice apocalypse for most of the weekend. It's almost as bad as it was in 1968/69.

[sigma]

Merry Christmas to all Orthodox celebrants, Sigma!!!

Slick, always a pleasure You know, in spite of severe frosts (for Russia it is a common phenomenon at that time), very warm Christmas bells chime from the Churches. Merry Christmas!!!

[Jeff250]

I'll be making some mulled wine this weekend to keep warm. Merry Christmas y'all.

[woodchip]

I have a fire going in the wood burner (going down to 4 deg F.) and the larder stocked. Wish you all the best this coming year.

[callmeslick]

snow starting by mid morning. Current call for only around 3 or 4 inches, but they said a dusting a couple days ago. I figure we'll either have nothing or get whacked. Food aplenty, about 1/4 cord of firewood inside on the screen porch. We're good. Sort of glad not to be down in the VA shore house. They are calling for them to see 10-14 inches, and they panic at the sight of flurries. It hardly ever snows due to the moderating influence of all the saltwater on both sides. The roads are all crowned for runoff purposes, so a bear to drive on any snow at all. They will be housebound until the sun and salt air melt the stuff, as there is no real snow removal equipment. Good times.

[sigma]

I have a fire going in the wood burner (going down to 4 deg F.) and the larder stocked.

Well, this is a common hunting tradition in Russia. If you, for example, lost in the forest, and you half dead, find hunter's hut, there is almost always all equipped with everything necessary so that you survived. Naturally, you should also think about others too in this case.

Wish you all the best this coming year.

I wish you ever sleep on a real Russian stove and to visit a real Russian village bath. You it will never forget. Wish you all the best!

[callmeslick]

we have the same esthetic up in the woods where I fish and others hunt. Outdoorsman know that certain cabins are available to those out in the wood in need. Not everyone leave their hunting cabin open to all, but many do.

[woodchip]

snow starting by mid morning. Current call for only around 3 or 4 inches, but they said a dusting a couple days ago. I figure we'll either have nothing or get whacked. Food aplenty, about 1/4 cord of firewood inside on the screen porch. We're good. Sort of glad not to be down in the VA shore house. They are calling for them to see 10-14 inches, and they panic at the sight of flurries. It hardly ever snows due to the moderating influence of all the saltwater on both sides. The roads are all crowned for runoff purposes, so a bear to drive on any snow at all. They will be housebound until the sun and salt air melt the stuff, as there is no real snow removal equipment. Good times.

We had the big snow dump back in Dec. Got 11" in one storm then another 5" a couple of days later. Snow has since melted. Looks like the temps are going up into the 30's and 40's next week. Already looking forward to spring.

[callmeslick]

not so much of a fan now that I don't ski actively(ok, pretty much not at all for at least 15 years). Hell, in New England, we got multiple storm weeks pretty frequently, and living near the coast, 50 inches when it all cleared was pretty routine. And, I was shovelling out manually. Ah, to be young.

[Tunnelcat]

Good grief. It's 25 F. We got a half an inch of sleet this morning, which proceeded to meld itself into a slimy, hard ice sheet and now it's being covered with an inch of snow so far. It's still snowing too. It's supposed to transition into freezing rain on top of THAT tonight. What a nice ice snow sandwich we're getting.

[sigma]

When I was in Bashkiria in the winter, my car just once frozen and stopped. Then it was about -40 С. It was at night. In the distance I saw some lights and found a village. I was very lucky, otherwise I would have frozen completely and truck drivers on this road no.
Villagers helped me in the end, though and after the sixth my attempt. This is understandable, it is not clear who is knocking at the gate at night and asks shelter, and even the car towed.
But in the end there were good people who helped and I was able to return home. I will be forever grateful to them.