Yes, I know.
I can hear you all muttering. Bonfire Night was only a couple of weeks ago. The scent of gunpowder lingers, back note to the usual autumn perfume of mulch and dozing hedgehogs. You’re still fishing spent fireworks out of your fish pond and your lawn’s not yet recovered from an over-enthusiastic fire that was lit to bake potatoes and melt marshmallows and almost led to next door’s shed going up.
And here I am adding to festive sofa ads, towers of Quality Street tins clogging the supermarket aisles and your smug friend telling you how she’s already bought and wrapped all her presents.
Yes, the season of legitimised breakfast alcohol and all things sprout and raisin is weeks away, yet over at Weird Christmas.com everyday is Christmas, as everyday is seriously weird.
I recently found Craig Kringle’s site through a writing competition – came for the Weird Comp, stayed for the Victorian cards featuring dead robins.
Craig also has a podcast and today I found this gorgeous early festive treat – Santa is a Hallucinogenic Mushroom. Santa, shamans and fly agaric fungi in one post, just fantastic.
Enjoy. And a Merry Weird Christmas to you.
Thanks for the kind words! I’m so glad you like it. Always nice to know that others share my giggles at this stuff. 🙂
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I do really enjoy the blog and your wry comments and observations on the festive season and all it oddness. Looking forward to the coming weeks 🙂
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Um, you might be interested in this article I posted back in 2015
Although it wasn’t specifically about Santa
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Thank you for this, Crispina. What a well researched, thorough piece. You’re right, of course, others have noted before the similarities between our modern, Christian figures and ancient ones. All is borrowed, stolen, interwoven from one race and nation into another. Fascinating to see how it all melds together, isn’t it?
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Me, I just enjoy the research. But… shelved while I’m prepping these books.
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Disappearing down a rabbit warren into your research, back in time … It’s like writing fiction – it’s like having your own time machine. For a few moments at a time you feel as if you might actually be there (totally inaccurate, of course, for even the best fiction will be way off the reality of past lives) but still a special feeling
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Yea. I miss it. It’s the uncovering of new information, coupled with the understanding of that, to place it in context, see it as it connects to the wider world. It allows a quite extraordinary view of the developement of our country and culture.
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Just reading your text brought miles of smiles to me. When I have another fourteen minutes, I’ll watch the rest of the video. And as I must prepare for work (ugh – Christmas parties, ironically) I shall check out the podcast later as well!\
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Thanks Dale. Craig’s blog just makes me smile. He finds some truly odd things to share. Hope you survived the Christmas parties. I’ve had to make several Christmas floral displays at work already. It really does seem to get earlier every year, right?
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Fun stuff.
I dunno… I guess there are only so many weekends leading up to Christmas! I’m just SO glad we have none booked for the 20 & 21 December. After tonight’s (and it’s gonna be a doozie), I’ll be officially half done. Ugh.
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Hope you survived the party okay! Not many to go now. Can’t imagine how much of a pain it is to serve lots of drunk people in a night out. Be steadfast, Dale. It only happens once a year
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It was hell. A guy fell down the stairs and split open his head. Way to end the evening… in an ambulance. Ugh.
Halfway done, only four more to go! Meanwhile, I shall sit on my arse all day and do a whole lot of nuthin’! 😉
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Oh, no, how dreadful. What an idiot, falling down the stairs – how drunk was he? I’ve heard some terrible stories about parties at certain venues. People really do behave like numpties 🙂 I do hope the rest have better behaved party goers for you
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Beyond drunk, which probably saved him. Was bad luck he was on the left side of the stairs and not on the right. He would have avoided the desk…
There were so many eejits last night. Thankfully, most were good.
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Sounds depressing! Why do some people think they’re not having a good time until they’re so drunk they can’t walk? Mystifies me. Hope you don’t have any more falling numpties to deal with over the coming weeks 🙂
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It was an unfortunate thing. We were talking about him yesterday saying how much of a nice guy he is and falling down the stairs could have happened to anyone. He did survive it. I just don’t know why some feel the need to go past their limits. There were some last night but nothing major.
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You almost at the end of all that now?
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I missed the last two because I was sick..can’t say I’m sad about it… Missing them, not about being sick!
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Sorry you were so sick you missed work, but glad the timing at least worked out! Hope you can enjoy a little peace and quiet and put your feet up on the run up to Christmas
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I’m not all that sorry I missed work, to be honest 😉 It would just have added to my misery! I have been relaxing, as much as I can, since Thursday! Feel a tiny smidge better…
I may cancel my oyster fest this Saturday, though.
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Ooh, yeah, oysters are perhaps not a good thing if you’re ill. Hope you’re well in time for Christmas. All the best x
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I shall be.
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Where does all this leave Coca Cola’s scarlet claim to Christmas fame, I wonder…
Your write-up is divine, Lynn. Have you ever thought of approaching newspapers with a view to submitting entertaining review pieces? It would plump up your CV and bring in an extra splodge of dosh.
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Aw, thank you Jane. I have thought of writing non fiction pieces, I just don’t have many specialist subjects to write about – except for floristry and that’s too niche to make any money in. I will have to develop something. As you say, more dosh would be good. Thank you for your lovely comment. How’re the new family doing?
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Some of us are born to be scientists, or dancers, or writers; if we take on parenthood, we do it with varying degrees of conscience and ability. I think Laura was born to be a mother. there’s something about Joshua. I can’t quite define it,. but his eyes seem to see more than we see. And Laura; her whole life up to 3 years ago was tragic. But now, she’s happy, complete. Rooted. Up to the job of raising a child who looks like he carries the wisdom of ages.
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This is such a lovely thing to read. After all she’s been through, to find such hope and love in little Joshua. Truly happy for you all, Jane x
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