Monday Open Thread: December 24 is the last shopping day before Xmas.

December 24 is the 358th day of the year It is also Pungenday, The Aftermath 66, 3184 YOLD   (discordian) And let us not forget 13.0.6.1.14 by the Mayan Long Count

For some it is Christmas Eve. W00t, I suppose. For many of them, the fact that it isn't Christmas Eve for everybody in the world means that they are under attack and so is their winter holiday. Yes and no, but, not so much because ... The War on Christmas started long ago. The opening salvo was not people using the abbreviation Xmas, nor the fact that some committed the supreme sacrilege of failing to Capitalize xmas, like they capitalize all other Nouns (which I believe that the Germans still do), or at least all Holidays, like Spring Break, Summer Solstice, and Vernal Equinox. It was also not the disgusting practice of recognizing the existence of other, accursed, faiths by using the locutions "Happy Holidays", "Seasons Greetings", "Holiday Season", and the like. No, the attack was launched by the demon destroyer of all things good and decent, capitalism, and its innumerable minions. Hallmark was one of the early leaders in the campaign to convert this day into yet another excuse for runaway consumerist excesses and pointless purchasing, but its efforts were completely overshadowed by the masters of propaganda and psychological trickery, Madison Avenue . Long before Rancid Ronnie told us that greed is good, everybody already knew that this is the time to buy, buy, buy and to exchange and receive bountiful heaps of dreck beneath an extravagantly decorated conifer. Above I imply that the war on xmas isn't a thing, and that is true, because it is over. The marketing wallahs in their drive to make every moment of every day of every year nothing but a time for acquisition and consumption of ever more stuff, won. They won hands down, before many here were even born. To the Victor belong the Spoils, as they say. I, for one, salute them.

(For the evil communists among you, some low-waste last minute gift ideas may be found at https://www.joyofzerowaste.com/ ) Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift, look out kid, ... On this day in history: 1818 – The song "Silent Night" was performed for the first time 1871 – The Opera Aida premiered 1913 – The Italian Hall "disaster", an act of terrorism that caused the deaths of 73 partygoers, mostly striking miners 1914 – The "Christmas truce" began, a unique one-time freak of circumstances never since repeated. 1943 – Ike was named Supreme Allied Commander for the Normandy invasion. 1968 – The crew of Apollo 8 entered into orbit around the Moon 1973 – The District of Columbia Home Rule Act was passed So, Silent Night stopped being simply "more damn Xmas music", imho, with this recording

Born this day in: 1731 – Julie Bondeli, salonist 1761 – Jean-Louis Pons, astronomer 1809 – Kit Carson, trapper, scout, general, prodigious slayer of animals and people. 1818 – James Prescott Joule, physicist and brewer 1868 – Emanuel Lasker, chess player and mathematician 1893 – Harry Warren, pianist and composer 1895 – Marguerite Williams, geologist 1898 – Baby Dodds, drummer 1903 – Joseph Cornell, sculptor, practiced assemblage 1907 – I. F. Stone, journalist and author 1910 – Fritz Leiber, author 1924 – Lee Dorsey, singer and songwriter 1927 – Mary Higgins Clark, author 1930 – Robert Joffrey, dancer and choreographer 1931 – Ray Bryant, pianist, arranger, and composer 1934 – John Critchinson, pianist and composer 1934 – Alex Hutchinson, musician 1941 – Mike Hazlewood, singer, composer and songwriter, not the motorcyclist, Tim 1944 – Woody Shaw, trumpeter 1952 – Michael Ray, trumpeter 1961 – Darren Wharton, singer, songwriter, and keyboards player Died this day in: 1524 – Vasco da Gama, imperialist, pirate, murderer, and "explorer". A horrible, despicable person. 1863 – William Makepeace Thackeray, author and poet 1872 – William John Macquorn Rankine, physicist, engineer, and polymath 1914 – John Muir, geologist, botanist, and author 1931 – Flying Hawk, Oglala Lakota leader, warrior, historian, educator and philosopher. A Truly remarkable human. 1969 – Cortelia Clark, singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1971 – Maria Koepcke, ornithologist and zoologist 1972 – Gisela Richter, archaeologist and art historian 1992 – Bobby LaKind, singer, songwriter, and conga player 1997 – Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo, role model for how to wear a man bun; (https://caucus99percent.com/content/sunday-open-thread-december-24-xmas-eve-how-wear-man-bun , https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/24/1725668/-Sunday-Open-Thread-December-24-is-Xmas-Eve-How-to-Wear-a-Man-Bun ) 2008 – Harold Pinter, playwright, screenwriter and director 2014 – Buddy DeFranco, clarinettist  

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Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: The Last Day of Las Posadas The Last Shopping Day Before Xmas  

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Music goes here, iirc, well,

Silent Night Redux

Italian Hall Massacre

Viola de GambaVasco de Gama

Flying Hawk

Mifune

The True Meaning of Christmas

Remember, there are "Others"

Maybe try to end war one of these years, but only if you want to

And be aware, because you are ...

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Image is by Lukasz Radziejewski ans is public domain It's an open thread, so do your thing Crossposted from http://caucus99percent.com