As every year, we strolled around my hometown to admire the beautiful nativity scenes. You'd think surprised on the subject wouldn't be possible; you'd be wrong. As, for example, this creche showing an artisan building a creche:


( Read more... )

...to everyone who celebrates, and be safe if you're in the US and menaced by a snowstorm (or its aftermath). It's my pleasure to share my annual pic spam of the creches and nativity scenes in the churches of Bamberg (and this time, a little bit of Munich) with you again. Welcome to Franconian Bethlehem(s)!


( Read more... )

For the second year, due to the pandemic conditions some of the nativity scenes we used to visit in Bamberg were closed, but as last year, people were inventive and found some alternative places in addition to the larger churches which still showed them. Thus: Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and only good thoughts for other friends, with my ( Read more... )

First, a question: last night I wanted to watch the latest Star Trek: Discovery episode, when about fifteen minutes in, the screen vent black on me, and when I reentered Netflix, all two and two third seasons of Disco episodes were no more. I tried my laptop, in case it was simly due to the machine I was watching it on, but the result was the same ( Read more... )

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and happy Yuletide to everyone, for the archive is open! Sadly, even during the plague my holidays are exceedingly crowded, so it will take some time to even begin to read all those treasures, but look at my gifts! They indulge my taste for dysfunctional and/or codependent siblings to the full, in both ( Read more... )

Like every year, the APs & self yesterday visited and admired the various nativity scenes in the many, many churches we have in Bamberg. Like every year, I wanted to share as a seasonal greeting, but photobucket foiled me, so at last, I picked the DW image storing option instead. Anyway: Merry Christmas to all who want to celebrate, and best wishes ( Read more... )

...to all who celebrate, and happy holidays to everyone. The APs and I, as every year, visited the nativity scenes in many a Bamberg church. While one of my favourites inexplicably was gone (seriously, Carmelites, what was up with that? The church isn't being renovated, and there wasn't even a note explaining why there was no nativity scene at St. ( Read more... )

Erich Kästner, author of witty and wise poems and some of the most beloved books for children in German literature, about whom I’ve written before, also wrote one of the saddest Christmas stories I know, but not in any of his works of fiction. It’s from his book about his childhood, Als ich ein kleiner Junge war („When I was a little boy“), and I ( Read more... )

Joyful holidays to all who celebrate, and a time of all you hope for for everyone. Some moment of rest also wouldn't be bad for yours truly - I haven't had the chance to read more than my Yuletide gift yet (separate post forthcoming) because of all the family (and AP's widowed friend, who spent Christmas with us so he's not alone) matters ( Read more... )

Some years ago, I joked about shows Least Likely To Do A Christmas Special, and I think I picked Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and then came up with a Christmas Special Type of scenario.

This year, I think my pick for Least Likely But Wouldn’t It Have Been Fun In An Absurd Way would be Black Sails. Leaving aside that Black Sails takes ( Read more... )