Dallas Defeats Detroit on MNF

It was a meaningless game, effectively, for Dallas. It meant everything to Detroit.

So, of course Detroit loses. What else do the Detroit Lions ever do, after all?

Going in, some thought it would be wise for Dallas to rest their starters. After the apparent injury to rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot, it might have reinforced this message that this is what would have been wisest.

But Dallas had all of their starters in, and as it turned out, they had themselves an incredible game. Rookie Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott had perhaps the best game of his young career. He completed 15 of 20 pass attempts for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Overall, Prescott earned a 152.7 passer rating for this game, which is as close to perfect as you can get. In a losing effort, Stafford completed 26 of 46 yards for 260 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception, although Stafford ran for one touchdown in the first half, when Detroit looked capable of pulling off what could have been a huge win for them. 

Yes, for a while there in the second quarter, the Lions looked good, and seemed to want the game more than the Dallas Cowboys did. Dallas kept scoring touchdowns, and Detroit just kept answering, and even took the initiative by taking a short-lived, 21-14 lead. At that point, it was entirely possible to see the Lions at least lock up a playoff spot, and putting themselves in position to at least contend for the number two seed, with a win over Green Bay, and a Falcons loss.

That, however, was as far as Detroit's hopes would go, as it all began to fall apart for them very shortly thereafter.

It began with a Dallas drive that culminated in a brilliant touchdown catch by Dez Bryant. He juggled the ball initially in the corner of the end zone with one hand - with a defender draped all over him, to boot, - before bringing it in for the score. That was Bryant's 7th touchdown catch of the season, a new Cowboys record, and it tied the game up for halftime.

It did not take too long for Dallas to take control with a dominant third quarter. It began with a Detroit mistake. Matthew Stafford, who has been enjoying a brilliant season, made one of his rare mistakes, but it was costly. He threw a bad interception, giving Dallas the ball and great field positioning. Not too much later, Ezekiel Elliot, the young running back phenom for Dallas who had some impressive runs last night, wound up running it in a for a second touchdown to give Dallas the 28-21 lead. 

Not long after that, after the Big D defense stopped the Lions suddenly sputtering offense, Prescott ran after faking a hand off to Elliot, and took the Detroit defense by surprise, picking up solid yardage. Another trick play shortly after that saw Prescott hand the ball to wide receiver Bryant, who then threw the ball to tight end Jason Witten in the end zone, providing Dallas with a 35-21 lead.

In the fourth quarter, another brilliant pass by Prescott was followed by another brilliant catch by Bryant gave Dallas a 42-21 lead. 

The Lions still were fighting to stay alive in this game, and with under five minutes, they were in position to score, and at least close the margin a bit. Dallas defensive lineman David Irving had other ideas, though, as he hit Stafford and stripped the ball very close to the end zone. The ball was recovered by the Cowboys, ending the threat, and also effectively ending any remaining suspense in the game.

So, the Cowboys move to 13-2 on the season, and tie a franchise record for wins in one season, tying the 1992 Dallas Cowboys, who finished with a 13-3 record. They would end up going to the Super Bowl, and beating the Buffalo Bills for the first of three titles in the 1990's, when this franchise won "Team of the Decade" honors. Dallas already had the top seed locked up going into this game against Detroit.

As for Detroit, this was a huge disappointment, and they now face a winner takes all showdown with the Green Bay Packers, although at least for the Lions, they will be hosting it. Still, a win in Dallas could have secured a playoff spot, although the loss puts them in position of missing out on the playoffs should they lose the game next week, if Washington also wins. By virtue of this loss, the Lions lost the ability to control their own destiny.

Christmas NFL Games Review

Yes, there were only two games throughout the NFL today, even though this was the last Sunday in December. That, of course, is because it is Christmas Sunday.

At least the two games were very interesting, with tons of playoff ramifications for all the teams involved in the two games. 

Both were AFC divisional showdowns, and in both, the visiting team faced possible elimination with a loss. The first featured the visiting Baltimore Ravens at the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the second had the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs.

Let's see how it went:


Pittsburgh 31, Baltimore 27 - Okay, I have to admit that while this was pretty much the outcome I expected, it was not the one that I wanted. Frankly, it's a bit tiring to watch the AFC North, and has been for many years now. The Broncos and the Bengals are consistently unimpressive, and that even includes the Bengals recent slate of playoff seasons, which just happened to end this year. Pittsburgh has gone to Super Bowls in recent years, while the Bengals, despite having made the playoffs six of the prior seven seasons, have a grand total of zero playoff wins dating back to the 1990-91 season. Back then, Sam Wyche was still the head coach,Boomer Esiason was still the quarterback, and Icky Woods was still the running back. That is how far you have to go back to remember the last time that the Bengals were seriously relevant in the AFC playoffs, because they never, ever win the truly big games. Sure, they somehow came close against Pittsburgh last January, but that almost exception still proved the rule that they just cannot do it. And the Browns are even worse, having not qualified for the postseason since the 2002 season, and not having won a playoff game since the 1994-95 season, when someone named Bill Belichik was their head coach. That leaves the Ravens as the only serious contender outside of the dominant Steelers, and although Baltimore has enjoyed success, they have traditionally just not been able to beat Pittsburgh with any degree of consistency. Admittedly, my major problem with Pittsburgh is their quarterback, who does not even deserve to still be playing in the league, based on his conduct off the field. That is why I am tired of them and their success, and actively route against them. Yet, admittedly, they usually win, and did so this season again, as well. One more come from behind win to capture the division title for - who else? - the Steelers. Yawn! Anything else on?



Kansas City 33, Denver 10 - The Broncos could feel the season slipping away as they entered into this game. Denver started off the season with an impressive 4-0 start, and looked every bit the part of a defending champion that was playoff bound. But then they lost a couple in a row, and looked human. Still, they were sitting pretty at 7-3 just about a month ago, one game behind Oakland, and tied with the Chiefs for second, when KC and Denver met at Mile High. KC won, and the Droncos never seemed to be the same after that loss. Since then, Denver has won only one game, and that was to lowly Jacksonville. They had lost three of four, and their flickering playoff chances rested on certain scenarios that required their getting help, but they first needed to help themselves by winning. They did not, as KC jumped ahead early, and then essentially wore the defending champs down as the game. Alex Smith had a decent day, completing 25 of 36 pass attempts for 244 yards and one touchdown, as well as one interception. He also ran for a touchdown, and his stability and leadership helped KC in this victory. The defense for the Chiefs effectively shut Denver down, Kansas City had already locked up a playoff spot going into this game, but the win allows them to stay right on the heels of Oakland, who are a game ahead, but without their young star quarterback. The Raiders will visit Mile High next weekend, and if Denver does KC a favor by beating them, then the Chiefs could win the division, and pick up a playoff bye in the process, by beating the Chargers at San Diego.

Boxing Day

My family took a nice holiday trip to Montreal way back in 1988, for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. It was a trip that allowed my family, which has French roots, to really fall in love with Canada, and particularly with Quebec province.

But there was one thing that I remember seemed a mystery to me. The day after Christmas, there was this strange holiday that I had never really heard of. It was called "Boxing Day".

It sounded so strange, so....foreign, to me. It felt like there was a measure of exoticism in the holiday.

What was this "Boxing Day", anyway? Did it really have something to do with the sport of boxing, which was the first image that came to my mind? Did it perhaps have more historical roots, perhaps some sort of association with the Boxing Rebellion in China?

I really did not know. And, truth be told, it seems like it is a mystery to many others around the world, including many Americans.

So, for this Boxing Day, I thought it would be appropriate to do some research on it, and explore it further, in order to slake my own thirst of knowledge on the subject. This is some research that I have been meaning to do for some time, and actually did a long while ago. But, with the renewed activism on "The Charbor Chronicles", it also seemed an appropriate subject for this day in particular.

Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally celebrated in Great Britain and the British Commonwealth nations, including Canada and Australia. The idea behind it is that those who are more fortunate and better off generally are to give gifts to those who are less well off. It seems more or less like an extension of the most idealistic notions of gift giving during the Christmas season, along the lines of Charles Dickens in his famous "A Christmas Story".

Boxing Day is not a national holiday in the United States, although it is recognized in some measure in northern parts of the nation, particularly areas neighboring or near Canada.

So, why is it called "Boxing Day"? That much remains unclear. There are theories, of course. The one that seems to make the most sense is the close association to "Christmas boxes" as presents, and this term would then be an extension of that.

Now, Boxing Day is known as a shopping day, not unlike "Black Friday" in the United States. It may seem odd to you, as it kind of does to me, that this shopping holiday falls on literally the day after Christmas, when most people's Christmas shopping is done, and many people are thinking of saving up. But, there you have it. It almost makes me wonder why Boxing Day has not become an American holiday yet, because any holiday associated with shopping seems capable of taking off in the most consumer obsessed culture on the planet.

Also, not unlike Thanksgiving in the United States, Boxing Day is apparently a huge day for sports in participating countries, sure to get an unusually large audience because of the holiday.

For now, however, Boxing Day remains relegated to Commonwealth nations.

Please take a look at my published article on the Guardian Liberty Voice that explore the history of Boxing Day in greater detail:

Boxing Day History and Traditions

http://guardianlv.com/2014/12/boxing-day-history-and-traditions/





Here is the video attached with my GLV article, which you can view here as well:





Here are some websites that helped me in writing this particular blog entry:



Wikiepedia page on Boxing Day:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day



"What is Boxing Day?" on About.com under British & Irish Food:

http://britishfood.about.com/od/christmas/p/boxingday.htm



Here is a fascinating piece on the history of Boxing Day by Time magazine: "A Brief History Of Boxing Day" by Claire Suddath of Time magazine,  Friday, Dec. 25, 2009:

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1868711,00.html



"All you need to know about Boxing day matches – History and memories" bySakshi of Sportskeeda – Tue 24 Dec, 2013:

Christmas History Predates Christianity

So, I wrote a blog last year where I explored a little bit about the origins of the Christmas holiday, just out of curiosity (reprinted below).

However, I was not feeling fully satisfied with it, and so this year, with the pressure of having editors checking my work, as well as certain criteria that need to be met, I decided to do a more extensive article on the history of Christmas, including the pre-Christian origins of the holiday.

It was pretty fascinating, and I can honestly say that I learned quite a bit while doing the research. It is a more informative piece than my Christmas article from last year. If you are interested, I urge you to go ahead and click on the link below so that you can read the article, which also has a video attached. There is some fascinating material there.

Some of the things I did not know, and even though I tried to make the history of Christmas complete, there are some things that I had to leave out, because the article was already growing too long for that site. I needed to rein it in a bit, and so it did not include all of the information that I encountered.

That said, I will now try to add some of the information that was missing, which I did not include in the article, since this is my own blog page.

"The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism."

~Reinhold Niebuhr  

If you are reading this blog page, I have to imagine that you are an adult. And since we are all adults, I wanted to discuss something that has been on my mind lately - specifically because it is Christmas time.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. It really can bring out the best in all of us, the best in humanity, because of the emphasis on giving. If human beings are not at their best then, then when are we at our best, anyway?

The Significance of December 25

The oldest is Horus (circa 3000BC). He was also born on December 25th, and born from a virgin, with a star in the east. There were three kings present for his birth. He was teaching people at 12 years old, and leading a ministry at 30, with exactly 12 disciples to spread his word. He walked on water and healed the sick, was crucified, and came back to life three days later.

There was Attis (circa 1200BC), who was also born of a virgin on December 25th. He was crucified, and raised from the dead after three days.

We also have the Persian God Mithra (circa 1200BC), who was honored by a popular cult known as the Mystery Cult, which honored the virgin birth of Mithras on December 25th. Placed on a manger as a baby and attended by shepperds. he had 12 disciples and performed miracles. His message was to personally sacrifice for the greater good of the world, and ascended to Heaven. He was known as the way, the truth, and the light. He also was crucified and resurrected after three days.

There was Krishna (circa 900 BC), who was also born of a virgin when there was a star in the eastern sky. Like Jesus, Krishna also performed miracles and was known as the "son of God." He also happened to be the son of a carpenter, and was resurrected after his death. 

Finally, we have the Greek god Dionysius, the god of wine (circa 500BC). he also was born of a human mother impregnated by Zeus on December 25th (he was later reborn by Zeus, who used a piece of his own leg), and performed miracles, including turning water into wine. Dionysius taught and traveled widely in his day. He was known as the "Holy Child" and was also resurrected after his death.

So, we can see that all of these mythical figures had their birthday on December 25th, which was picked (yes, picked, because there is no actual concrete proof) as the day to recognize and honor the birthday of Jesus. It was both a way to blend the long established traditions of worship on a sacred day for pagan faiths, while simultaneously replacing it, which is to say accelerating the process for many in forgetting it.

December 25th is also significant for another reason, as well. The ancient Romans honored this day as the Winter Solstice to honor the "Unconquered Sun". Indeed, it is right around the time when days begin to get longer, even though the winter season has essentially just begun. So, Pagans recognized this as a time to worship the sun, understandably, even with months of often harsh winter yet to come. One can see the positive and hopeful motives behind this. Generally, it is roughly three or so days after the winter solstice, and this was indeed recognized by many so-called pagans before Christianity, so the date was already significant. It would be easy enough, and very convenient, for Christianity to pick up on this significance for one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar.

There is no mention of the birth date in much of early Christian writing. Celebrating the birth of Jesus was hardly a unanimous, undisputed thing when it was first instituted, and Origen of Alexandria (circa 165-264) even mocked the practice of recognizing this particular date, and considered them remnants of "pagan" traditions.

Overall, celebrations during this time of the year in recognition of the winter solstice are actually quite widespread. Many of them I get into in the article for the Guardian Liberty Voice, and again, I do hope you will take a look at it. But in the interest of space and time (I had to make sure it was actually published by Christmas day itself), not everything was mentioned. One thing that I left out, for example, was a tradition recognizing the sun god for the winter solstice, although the Spanish banned this tradition when they tried to convert the Incas to Catholicism. Yet, in the 1950's, a small group of Quecia Indians from Cusco, Peru, resurrected the tradition, and it has grown into a major festival in the present day.

There are the St. Thomas' Day celebrations honoring St. Thomas the Apostle. That falls on December 21,the shortest day of the year. Mayan Indians in Mexico and Central America honored the sun god in what was known as polo voladore, or “flying pole dance”.

For the Kalasha or Kalash Kafir people of northwestern Pakistan, there is something called Chaomos, which lasts no less than seven days, and always includes the winter solstice. There are baths that represent cleansing, as well as a torchlight procession, singing, dancing, and feasts complete with bonfires.

There are plenty of others, as well. The yule was a Scandinavian god of fertility, and the tradition of Yuletide carols and greetings seems to have stemmed from that. Decorating with wreaths was a Wiccan tradition, adopted by practitioners of Christianity for Christmas. Druids began the tradition of putting up a mistletoe with hopes of getting a kiss as reward. The tradition of putting in a decorative tree into your home seems to have stemmed from the older tradition of putting a Saturnalia tree to honor Saturn. The fairy tale of some jolly stranger entering your home and giving gifts for the holidays existed in other traditions, with Thor, Odin, and St. Nicholas all establishing that before the more recent myth of Santa Claus. Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse, who predated the eight reindeer that brought Santa across the globe to slide down chimneys and give those wonderful gifts to the children of families. Mithras celebrated the sun's rebirth on December 25th. Finally, let us remember that the name Christmas came from the original celebration, which honored Jesus and was known as Christ's Mass.

There may be other celebrations involving the winter solstice that I have not yet gotten around to. However, I suspect that this list this year is far better than the one I did last year, if you include the Guardian Liberty Voice article.

In any case, this was a topic that interested me quite a bit, and which I always wanted to learn more about. Below are some of the links that helped me to understand this history a little better, and greatly assisted me in writing this particular blog entry. Of course, you are free to do your own research, and come to your own conclusions. But these websites seemed a good starting point to getting the debate going:

 Horus was born of the reanimated and reassembled body of his father Osiris.   Mithra was just born. No mother.   Krishna had a mom and dad and has no real parallels with Jesus.   Dionysus was son of Zeus and Hera got pissed off because as usual he was out banging mortals.

Okay, before the links and video, I just thought that it would be fitting to share the following quote by comedian Chris Rock, which I think illustrates the paradoxes between what Jesus taught and represented, and what the holiday officially celebrating him and his birthday has come to represent and be in reality:

"Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Now, I don't know Jesus, but from what I've read, Jesus is the least materialistic person to ever roam the Earth. No bling on Jesus! Jesus kept a low profile, and we turned his birthday into one of the most materialistic day of the year.

"Matter of fact we have the Jesus Birthday Season... 'We had a horrible Jesus' birthday this year, hopefully business will pick up by his crucifixion.'"

Chris Rock pushes close to the edge with Jesus and 9/11 jokes on SNL by Christian Today staff writer, November 3, 2014:

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/chris.rock.pushes.close.to.the.edge.with.jesus.and.9.11.jokes.on.snl/42523.htm

Here is the article of mine that was published on Guardian Liberty Voice. Please take a look:

Christmas Celebrations Predate Christianity [Video]

http://guardianlv.com/2014/12/christmas-celebrations-predate-christianity-video/

"Dionysus: Born of a Virgin on December 25th, Killed and Resurrected after Three Days"  by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S

http://truthbeknown.com/dionysus.html

"WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DECEMBER 25?"  By Dr. Lee Warren, B.A., D.D.   (c) 2002 PLIM REPORT, Vol. 11 #5:

http://www.plim.org/1225Pagan.html

"What pagan holiday falls on December 25?" In: Paganism  [Edit categories] for wiki.answers.com:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_pagan_holiday_falls_on_December_25

"How December 25 Became Christmas" by  Andrew McGowan   •  12/07/2012:

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/

Facebook post by Elizabeth Ruth

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1942114202680472&set=a.1400308770194354.1073741828.100006457336083&type=3&theater

Christmas History Lessons by Jennifer Czepiel, December 9, 2014

http://www.collegenews.com/article/christmas_history_lessons

My Annual Brady Street Christmas Story

I originally wrote this blog entry some years ago, way back in 2010, during what were the earliest days of "The Charbor Chronicles".

I did my normal holiday routines, by now so common they qualify as traditions. I got off to a very hot start with my Christmas shopping early in the year, getting a few nice gifts for a couple of people and, also like always, I assumed that this was the start of something new, something good. This time, I would be wiser than last year, and the year before that, and so on and so forth. 

But you can likely predict that, like last year and so on and so forth, very much the same result ensued. I forgot about it, did not have quite as strong an urge to get it all done early as I had originally wanted, and kind of allowed the holiday season to sneak up on me once again, predictably.

Yes, that means I was out there once again, racing to get all the shopping done on Christmas Eve, cursing myself, just like last year and so on and so forth, for not getting all of this done earlier. Yes, that was me, dodging lines, crawling in an overcrowded parking lot, trying desperately to find the right gift at the right time. 

The good news is that I feel I was more imaginative with the gifts that last year, and so on and so forth. Improvements have been made. But, of course, there is still that feeling that, by law of averages, sooner or later the holiday season shopping will get done in a more timely, efficient manner at some point in time in the distant, hazy future. When, I cannot say, as certainty has most assuredly eluded me in regards to early holiday shopping. But someday, it will be all done early, and I can finally laugh at those last minute shoppers braving long lines in the stores as well as on the roads (and even parking lots), and rest at home, thankful for having been wise enough to get it all done early enough to avoid those headaches.

Just not this year.

Also, there is definitely that feeling that I spent too much, as my spirits sank with each ring of the cash register, each swipe of my card, each dismaying total price that always seemed a tad higher than I had originally expected (in some cases, even more than just a tad). 

It becomes easier to understand why this is also one of the most stressful and depressing times of the year, as well, and why people always approach this time with caution, financially. Things can get out of hand in a hurry.

That said, it is also the season when you should focus on the blessings of life, of which I have quite a few. My Christmas Eve was spent with a wonderful dinner with my family, including my little boy. Later in the evening, I joined my girlfriend over at the home of some close friends of hers, who are becoming closer friends of mine, as well. They are warm people, and it was a very nice dinner (no meat) that we got to enjoy. We sat and relaxed on the sofa afterward, beneath a towering and beautiful Christmas tree, and we were warm and laughed. Good times.

This can be a happy time of the year, and I have a lot to feel blessed for. So, with that in mind, here is the Brady Street Story, which some of my friends really seem to enjoy hearing. It is almost my own, personal holiday tradition, at least for now - although I would like to make more. But this story, I think, is nice, and should lighten things up and get me back in the holiday spirit.

Hope you enjoy!

The Brady Street Story

There are a lot of things during this time of the year that can serve to be reminders, pleasant or otherwise, about the holiday season. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, I know, and this story is mostly about a specific Christmas tradition that I fondly recall. But is also simply a pleasant memory that I thought would be nice to share, and which shows at least a good and friendly sentiment.

The holiday season changes as we change. It can often seem only positive as a child, but as you get older, the undisputed positive feelings can sometimes begin to fade away by the overcommecialization and false sentiments that prevent us from remembering what the true meaning of Christmas is supposed to be. At once, it can be a time of great joy, as well as great stress. The delight of seeing family members can also be tempered by the anxiety this can provide, and induce heavy drinking. The pleasure provided by the excitement of an impatient child could be quickly erased when that child tears the beautiful gift wrapping you so carefully chose and loses interest, moving onto the next colorful box, hoping to get the one really desired toy that will provide ever lasting happiness (or for a few days, anyway).

We were not a rich family by any means, but I can remember the richness of own holiday traditions, and the simple joy and even thrills that these provided during the build up, at once extremely pleasurable and excruciating, for those Christmas mornings, particularly when we would spend it, as we often seemed to, at my Grandparent's place. Not interested back then in what almost all adults, myself certainly included, seems interested in doing now on such a morning - namely sleeping in - I would wake up at the first trace of light in the eastern horizon, and my impatient legs would kick off the blankets and land onto my bedroom floor with a thud (admittedly as loudly as possible in the hopes of waking everyone up). I would open the door and run down the creaky stairs (again, in the hopes of waking everyone up) to the downstairs area, where the site of the Christmas tree, looking almost mystical with the dulled glory of Christmas morning with all of those shiny ornaments and tinsel and wrapping paper of the beautiful and enticing gifts spread out like buried treasure awaiting discovery, at the foot of the tree.

These memories are wonderful, and I guess at the time, a part of me understood all of that, too, even if what I was doing, in effect, was prolonging the agony of a child's interminable wait, that seemingly endless countdown that came a week before the official countdown of a new year. The excitement would slowly build, as one hint after another would clue you in on the upcoming Christmas holiday. The warmth of early autumn and the brilliance of the changing of the colors would give way to the stark, brown branches, shedding their leaves and facing the winter with the dull brownish tint that seems to just go with the colorlessness of the winter landscape. The Christmas decorations begin to go up sometime in November, especially after Thanksgiving, and the excitement builds further still. When your parents take you shopping and actually ask what you might want for Christmas, as you drive past strip malls with larger than life Santa decorations smiling and removing all doubt that the big day is virtually here. And then finally, when the last school bell rings before the winter recess, (thus concluding a day that hardly counted as a school day at all, because it was filled with parties and movies and free time with kids engaged in conversations focusing on comparing holiday plans that their families would be involved in,  and generally an exciting air of expectation) and kids would go racing off to their homes. School was done until January (see you next year! Ha-ha!), and in the meantime, it was the season of getting (if you were a fortunate kid, that is – and one of the holiday gifts that probably is better appreciated with age is just how rare and fortunate being such a kid is, on many levels). All that waiting, and there I was, wide awake downstairs in a sleeping house still only dimly lit by the early morning light. Oh, everyone would wake up, eventually. But it seemed impossibly long and torturous, those final hours (Or were they merely minutes that seemed like hours to a small child? That seemed, in fact, like years) until everyone would wake up, and I would shamelessly lead them to the living room to finally open all of those beautiful gifts and end the mystery, finally slaking that thirst.

This is, of course, before adulthood. Before you realize all of the more stressful aspects of the holiday season. Before the time when being bombarded by aggressive Christmas sales and Black Friday and cards and gifts and parties and obligations came into play. Before the bills came in to add to all of those other bills that keep piling up, and you realize that it might be a good idea to pick up some extra hours of overtime when the new year came and sent you back to your job, or jobs.

When you are fully grown, these are the new realities of the holidays. The stress and tensions that so many people fear from these family get-togethers, when toys no longer distract you, and when conversations have the potential to turn unpleasant or annoying, if not worse. The older you get, the less you look forward to all of those wonderful gifts that can make such a wonderful presentation by the Christmas tree, because now, you know the cost of such a lovely presentation. You are an adult now, and the main thing that you can rely on savoring is the blessed ability to sleep in (unless you have an impatient child intent on waking you up bright and early, as I did when younger), and perhaps being able to pig out on all of that delicious food (my personal favorite would be win and cheese, which is almost like milk and cookies for adults), and maybe add some holiday cheer by consuming entirely too much of that spiked eggnog. Before you wake up the next morning and begin to piece together the broken fragments of the dreamy holidays and realize that it had turned into a nightmare right about the time that you lost all of your inhibitions and decided to show off that cool tattoo you got on your rear quarters to that aunt you have not seen in so long (and no doubt will not see again for quite a long time, much to the relief of you both). Before you remember singing far too loudly, and remember the mockingly indulgent smiles of some, and the harsher, but more hushed recriminations of others who tried to get you to stop before you took it much, much too far (too late! Fait accompli!). You try not to think about which reaction is worse, but it can be hard to think about anything else, until finally, you return home to normal life, not sure if you should feel grateful upon realizing that the holiday break seemed far too short, and that, yet again, your time off seemed to not have been utilized in the best manner possible. But at least these embarrassing holiday memories become exactly that – memories. Maybe next year you can pull yourself together better. Maybe it becomes your New Year’s Resolution, even. Well, that, and losing those extra pounds that seemed to have mysteriously attached themselves to every part of your body that you do not want them.

But the holidays can still be pleasant. People can seem genuinely in better spirits. More willing to give, even if it is just a smile. Often times, it is far more than that.

Which brings me to another holiday tradition that I cherish, albeit on an entirely different level, and for different reasons.

I neither lived on Brady Street, nor have any strong affection for it, other than this one story that was, as chance would have it, one of the most memorable of these festive traditions. My family lived in West Milford township, in a small house on High Street, on what could be considered a hill. On top of that hill was Brady Street. Turn left, and this road will end maybe one hundred yards downhill, joining a more clustered network of houses, a busier street. Make a right, and you will see a couple of houses on a dead end street.

Now, West Milford had an annual tradition where members of the fire department would drive around town with someone dressed as Santa Claus, waving to the locals as the horns and sirens blared. It was, and remains, a relatively sleepy town, but this was often enough to arouse children (and a number of adults, as well) out of their homes, and to happily wave back, and express their appreciation and holiday cheer. You could hear them coming from quite a distance, and so there was usually time to prepare.

That in itself does not make this story unique, of course. It is probably fairly common practice for townships to have something more or less like this. But what made my particular memories of this event stand out is that, maybe for three of four years running, I would come out to see that fire truck turn onto our street at the bottom of the hill, and then proceed upwards, where inevitably, the fire truck with blaring horns and the smiling, waving Santa would systematically make a right onto Brady Street, which was, of course, a dead end.

I never actually saw them when they pulled in, but I could imagine the smiling and waving continuing...until maybe a couple of hundred yards down the road or so, when it abruptly ended.

Usually, the fire truck seemed to pause, as if unsure of how to proceed with this unexpected development (although I began to wonder just how unexpected this development actually was when it became a holiday tradition). Suddenly, the sirens would fall silent, and those men that accompanied Santa, perhaps maybe even dressed as holiday elves, would climb down and have to guide the enormous truck out of the fairly narrow, dead end residential street. It always seemed to take quite some time, maybe ten and even twenty minutes, to guide the truck out, and this obviously interfered with the general hoopla and good cheer of a positive holiday sentiment. As it approach my street again, they would have to caution cars, of which there were always a few, since High Street is a nice shortcut that is frequently used by locals, even by people who do not live on the street itself.

And so it went, for a few consecutive years. I remember once, my mom and I were in the living room, and we both heard the Santa truck coming. Having remembered this Brady Street tradition, which always put a slightly sour note, I'm sure, on the day's events, I remember pulling back the curtains and wondering aloud if they would do it again this year.

As it passed our house, the smiling Santa and his helpers would be waving, often only to us, since hardly anyone else on our section of the street got out of their homes.

“I wonder if it's going to make the right onto Brady Street again?” my mom asked.

About a minute or two later, we watched as the fire truck reached the top of the hill, and as if pulled by some stronger force than it could muster the will to resist, the truck would make the right turn. I would watch Santa and his helpers, still forever smiling and waving, disappear behind the corner house that blocked my view. Of course, disappear is not the best choice of words here, because there really was no mystery as to where it went. The main mystery was how long would it take to get out this time, and whether or not they would do it yet again next year. Perhaps the greatest was that it happened every time. True, this was before GPS and all of the modern technology that might have helped to avoid this annoying (at least for the Santa fire truck and, perhaps, the residents of Brady Street) and surely unintentional Christmas season tradition.

Still, there is an endearing element to these memories. It was, after all, a nice gesture that simply had this fairly minor mishap. And although the fire department no longer seems to make this right onto Brady Street anymore, and finding out the hard way (time and again and again as luck would have it) that it is a dead end street, the fire truck now passes by it without really even coming close to getting trapped again. But, in my memory, there will always be a part of me that longs to see the sweet confusion of a simple, if predictable, mistake, that helps keep our humanity and humor intact in the manufactured chaos that our present holiday season has become.

NFL 2016-17 Week 16 Review

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another huge and exciting weekend in the NFL, as the postseason scenarios heat up. The playoff picture is now getting much clearer, as the Giants clinched a playoff spot despite losing, while the Falcons and the two Lone Star State teams, the Texans and the Cowboys, each locked up their division titles, respectively. Miami is awfully close to clinching a playoff spot after a very exciting road win in frigid Buffalo.

Some other teams got knocked out because of untimely losses, including the Bills, the Titans, and Colts all saw their playoff hopes vanish with defeats.

Also, two teams with massive losing streaks finally won, as the Browns avoided the prospect of a winless season by beating San Diego, and the 49ers ended their franchise record losing streak by beating the Rams on the road.

Let's take a close look at all of the Christmas Eve games that were played yesterday:

Philadelpia 24, N.Y. Giants 19 - I already reviewed this one. Here were my thoughts on it from just a few days ago (from Giants Blow Chance to Clinch Playoffs, published on 12/23/16):

Not really sure what it is about the city of Philadelphia that makes it so difficult for the Giants to win there, but they rarely ever seem to do it, these days.

Apparently, they cannot even do it when they enter a game red hot while the Eagles looked ice cold, like both teams did for last night's game.

Nope, it hardly mattered that the G-Men had won eight of their previous nine games, and that Philly had won only two games total since starting the season off 3-0 back in September. Once these teams took the field last night, it was Philly that dictated play and found a way to win.

Maybe it is those black uniforms that the Eagles always wear whenever they play the Giants in the City of Brotherly Love. I honestly cannot remember the Giants ever beating them when Philly wears those black uniforms. 

For their part, the Giants wore throwback uniforms in honor of the New York Giants teams of the 1980's and 1990's - the team that won both Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV. Their were slight differences - particularly the helmets, which remained the color that they are now, and not the very dark, navy blue that sometimes looked almost black back then. Also, the Giants traditionally had blue on the top of heir socks, Still, it was refreshing to see those old uniforms put back into use for the first time since the 1999 season, before the Giants changed their uniforms to something very similar to what they have now.

In any case, the Eagles won again, and New York wasted an opportunity to finally clinch a playoff spot. Also, the loss by the Giants assured that the Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East title, as well as home field advantage throughout the playoffs. 

Costly missed opportunity for the G-Men.

New York had some opportunities down the stretch, and their defense, which has been stellar all season, kept them in this game, as well.

However, in the end, too many mistakes did the Giants in. Eli Manning attempted a career record 63 pass attempts, and completed 38 of them for 356 yards and one touchdown. However, he also threw three very costly picks that helped do the Giants in.

Most likely, the Giants will qualify for the playoffs, although they seem intent on doing it the hard way. It will not be easy for them to win at Washington next week, either, and their offense has been quite mediocre and limited in production for the past three weeks, failing to reach 20 points for four consecutive weekends now. They are one of four teams that has failed to put up 30 points in a single game thus far. The other teams that have not managed to score 30 points in any games this year are the Chicago Bears, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Cleveland Browns - the three losingest teams in the league this season, with a total of four wins and 38 losses this season. Methinks the Giants will have to do better to have a chance at doing more than qualify for the playoffs, and then seeing a quick exit. This team will need to score some points against elite teams come January, always assuming that they will still be playing in January. Their defense is awesome, ranking third, but the offense has proven to be a liability, even with a two-time Super Bowl MVP at the helm. They should be better.

A missed opportunity for sure, and the Giants now probably need to route for the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Detroit Lions in the next game, as a loss by the Lions would likely allow the Giants to just about clinch a playoff berth finally, once and for all.

We shall see.

Miami 34,  Buffalo 31 (F/OT) - Remember the days when the Bills and the Dolphins was one of the best rivalries in the NFL? That was around the early 1990's, when the two teams battled frequently, but Buffalo was the one who generally triumphed and accomplished things, going to four straight Super Bowls, and knocking out Dan Marino and the Dolphins out of the playoffs, specifically, twice during that span. Of course, that was a long time ago, back when Pearl Jam was a young and still emerging band, instead of legends who have secured their place in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Well, this game was almost like a throwback to that glorious era between these two teams, as they met in a very relevant, intense game, with a lot of playoff ramifications for both. Clearly, Buffalo showed up for their head coach, Rex Ryan, as they came ready to play. But do did the Dolphins, who are so close to the playoffs now, they can smell it. They fought very hard for it, too. Both teams played extremely well, but it was Miami that made the biggest plays when absolutely necessary in this back and forth affair, that went deep into overtime before this thing was decided. The Dolphins got the winning field goal after Buffalo coach Ryan decided to punt with a little over five minutes left in OT, in a game that the Bills could neither afford to lose or even tie. Now, he has a lot of explaining to do, as questions are swirling as to whether or not he will remain as Buffalo's head coach next year. This win almost assures the Dolphins have punched their ticket into the postseason, although a loss by Denver at KC later today would make it official. Huge win for Miami, and equally huge loss for the Bills, who will extend their playoff drought to 17 seasons!

Atlanta 33, Carolina 16 - Remember when Atlanta and Carolina was one of the best rivalries in the NFL? Yeah, neither do I. That's because these two teams never seem to be very good at the same time. It seems that when the Panthers are doing very well, the Falcons are not, and vice versa. Last year, the Panthers looked like world beaters, while Atlanta was irrelevant - particularly in the second half of the season. This year, it's the Falcons who look suddenly high and mighty, while Carolina has been surprisingly inept all season. In a game that meant nothing much to the Panthers, but which meant everything to the Falcons, Atlanta once again showed an impressive level of dominance to win convincingly on the road, and officially clinch a playoff spot. Yes, Atlanta's offense is indeed one of the best and most dangerous in the league, and at Carolina yesterday, they were, once again, explosive. They scored 33 points, which is right around their average, and the defense made that stand with a solid showing, containing Carolina to a pedestrian 16 points total. The Falcons, by virtue of their winning and both Tampa Bay and Seattle losing, not only clinched the NFC South title, but even currently hold the second seed in the NFC playoffs, and they can wrap that position up with a win over New Orleans next weekend.

Washington 41, Chicago 21 - Washington snapped an untimely losing streak, and got back into strong relevance in the NFC playoff picture yesterday by beating the Bears convincingly in Chicago, as well as by benefiting from a surprising Tampa Bay loss at New Orleans. Still, Washington would need some help from their division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, as they have to hope that Detroit loses to Big D on Monday Night, and that the Lions then beat the Packers next weekend. If those two things happen, then Washington would simply need to win against the Giants next week, and the Giants might just rest their starters, having already locked up the fifth seed themselves. 

Cleveland 20, San Diego 17 - The Browns managed to clinch their first and only win of the season this year, thus assuring that they will not be remembered historically as one of the few winless seasons in NFL history. Instead, this season will be forgotten, as this team was not inept at a historical level, but just very, very bad. It helped Cleveland that San Diego had some miscues. Once again, the Chargers reverted to earlier season struggles, when they kept finding new and innovative ways of losing. It happened again this weekend, just in time to remind management that some major overhauls are required.   

Green Bay 38, Minnesota 25 - The Packers struggled earlier this season, and a major losing streak threatened to derail their playoff hopes and expectations. But Green Bay has gotten hot while Lambeau Field has grown frigid, and the Pack looks virtually unstoppable right now. Once again, they took care of business, and convincingly, as Aaron Rodgers was very prolific, and looked very much like an MVP candidate. Minnesota just could not seriously contend, as they were beaten down into submission, their playoff hopes for this year extinguished, once and for all. By virtue of this win, the Packers control their own destiny, as a win next week at Detroit gives them another division title. 

Jacksonville 38, Tennessee 17 - What a disastrous day for the Titans. All season long, they had been showing some signs of tremendous hope, but all of that was for naught following this one horrific game. This was the worst case scenario for Tennessee, as their playoff hopes came crashing down with a shocking suddenness to one of the worst teams in the league, and the Texans beating Cincy to clinch the AFC South. To add insult to injury, the present and future of the franchise, Marcus Mariota, was injured after an awkward hit, and is out for the duration of the season - which will be only one game for the Titans. The big, end of season clash against Houston means nothing now, and the Titans will have to hope to build on their success this season now going forward, as they were eliminated officially from playoff contention.

New England 41,  N.Y. Jets 3 - New England just keeps on rolling, as they improve to 13-2 on the year, having already clinched a playoff bye, and are now eyeing the top seed throughout the AFC playoffs with a win next weekend, no matter what happens anywhere else in the league. Predictably, the Patriots looked as impressive as ever in humiliating Gang Green in this one. This would have been the most fitting end to the Jets miserable season, but the torture for the Jets and their fans will go on at least for one more week. New York is one of the worst teams in the league, while New England might very well be the best, and this game was what you could expect it to be, given the circumstances. The Patriots will hope to wrap up the number one seed with a game at Miami next weekend.

New Orleans 31, Tampa Bay 24 - This was one crushing loss for the Bucs, who had been fighting for a playoff spot. Now, they need some serious help. Tampa Bay lost controlling it's own destiny with yet another untimely loss, this time to New Orleans. The Saints have the league's top rated offense, and they were a dangerous team coming in. Tampa Bay learned that the hard way, as they fell victim to that offense at the most inopportune time. Now, the Bucs are almost eliminated from playoff contention, as a scenario where they make it in seems unlikely. Still, this was a season that should instill hope for the Tampa Bay faithful, and the future does look bright.

Oakland 33, Indianapolis 25 - The Raiders reached an impressive 12 wins on the season, having already clinched a playoff berth. In the process, they are inching closer to that division title, and enjoyed their most successful regular season since all the way back in the 1990 season, when they finished at 12-4 on the year. Of course, the Raiders already had a playoff spot locked up, but they are battling to win the AFC West outright, and needed this win to stay ahead of Kansas City, because the Chiefs win any tiebreak by virtue of their season sweep of Oakland. As for the Colts, another disappointing season sees them missing the playoffs for a second season in a row. Now, the Colts will need to spend the off-season making adjustments to try and field a more competitive team next season.

San Francisco 22, L.A. Rams 21 - A gutsy call to go for the win with a two-point conversion rather than just the tie helped the 49ers end a franchise record 13 game losing streak, as they completed a season sweep of the hapless Rams - the only team that San Francisco managed to defeat this season. This was a battle of two pretty bad teams, but San Francisco managed the win, overcoming a 21-7 fourth quarter deficit, and taking that tremendous gamble that paid off for them, and earning their second win of the season, and their only road win on the year. Still, this was a disappointing season for both teams involved in this particular game. 

Arizona 34, Seattle 31 - The Cardinals stunned the Seahawks in Seattle, and in the process, they knocked the 'Hawks out of the coveted second seed, which came with a playoff bye. It is not impossible that Seattle could still get that second seed, although they now need some serious help, as they need not only to win next weekend, but they need Atlanta to lose. Maybe this is a sign that the Seahawks just are not nearly as good as we have gotten used to them being in recent seasons. As for Arizona, this was a solid and promising win for a team that was supposed to be a hell of a lot better than they actually wound up being this year. One of the few highlights for the Cardinals.

Houston 12,  Cincinnati 10 - Another thriller for the Texans, who just keep amazing us by lighting up the board with incredible offensive production. This win clinches the division title, in what surely remains the weakest division in the league. So now, a huge showdown for the division title against Tennessee was averted, and the Texans can relax, having locked up home field for a playoff game in the Wildcard round. As for the Bengals, just another loss in a disappointing season that saw all of their hopes and aspirations, and even expectations, frustrated. This was a real snoozefest of a game for Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas in Languages Around the World

Merry Christmas in different languages!

AFRIKAANS  Geseënde Kersfees 
ALBANIAN  Gëzuar Krishtlindja 
ALSATIAN  gleckika Wïanachta 
ARABIC          ميلاد مجيد (miilaad majiid) 
ARMENIAN  Shnorhavor Surb tsnund 
AZERI          Noel bayraminiz mubarak 
BASQUE          Eguberri on 
BELARUSIAN З Божым нараджэннем (Z Bozym naradzenniem) 
BENGALI  subho baradin 
BOSNIAN  sretan Božić 
BRETON          Nedeleg laouen 
BULGARIAN  весела коледа (vesela koleda) 
BURMESE  Christmas nay hma mue pyaw pa 
CATALAN  bon Nadal 
CHEROKEE  ulihelisdi danisdayohihvi 
CHINESE  圣诞快乐 (shèng dàn kuài lè) 
CORNISH  Nadelek lowen 
CORSICAN  bon Natale 
CROATIAN  sretan Božić 
CZECH          veselé Vánoce 
DANISH          glædelig jul 
DHOLUO  bedgi sikuku maber 
DUTCH          vrolijk Kerstfeest 
ENGLISH  Merry Christmas 
ESPERANTO  gojan Kristnaskon 
ESTONIAN  häid jõule 
FAROESE  gleðilig jól 
FINNISH          Hyvää joulua!  
FRENCH          joyeux Noël 
FRISIAN    noflike Krystdagen 
FRIULAN  bon nadâl 
GALICIAN  bo Nadal GEORGIAN  gilocav shoba axal wels 
GERMAN  Frohe Weihnachten / Fröhliche Weihnachten
GREEK          Καλα Χριστούγεννα (kala xristougenna) 
HAITIAN CREOLE  jwaye Nowel  
HAWAIIAN  mele Kalikimaka 
HEBREW  חג מולד שמח (hag molad saméa'h) 
HINDI          मेरी क्रिसमस   (Krismas ki subhkamna)
HUNGARIAN  boldog karácsonyt 
ICELANDIC  gleðileg jól 
IGBO          annuri Ekeresimesi 
ILOCANO  naragsak a paskua 
INDONESIAN  selamat Natal 
IRISH GAELIC  Nollaig shona
ITALIAN          buon Natale 
JAVANESE  sugeng Natal 
JAPANESE  merii kurisumasu 
KABYLIAN  tameghra tameggazt 
KHMER         រីក​រាយ​បុណ្យ​ណូអ៊ែល (rik reay bon Noel) 
KINYARWANDA  Noheli nziza 
KIRUNDI  Noheli nziza 
KOREAN  즐거운 크리쓰마쓰 
KURDISH  Noela we pîroz be 
LAO          souksan van Christmas 
LATIN          felix dies Nativitatis 
LATVIAN  priecīgus Ziemassvētkus 
LIGURIAN  bón dênâ / bón natâle 
LITHUANIAN su Kalėdomis / linksmų Kalėdų 
LOW SAXON  vrolik Kersfees 
LUXEMBOURGEOIS  schéi Chrëschtdeeg 
MACEDONIAN  среќен Божиќ (srećen Božić) 
MALAGASY  tratry ny Krismasy / arahabaina tratry ny Krismasy / arahaba tratry ny Krismasy 
MALAY          selamat hari natal 
MALAYALAM  Christmas ashamshagal 
MALTESE   il-milied it-tajjeb / milied hieni 
MANX          Nollick ghennal 
MAORI          meri Kirihimete 
MIZO          Krismas chibai 
MONÉGASQUE  bon Natale 
MONGOLIAN  zul sariin bayariin mend hurgie 
NORWEGIAN  god jul 
OCCITAN   bon Nadal 
OROMO           baga ayyaana dhaloota Kiristoos isin ga'e 
PAPIAMENTU bon pasku 
PERSIAN   کریسمس مبارک (Christmas mobaarak) 
POLISH           Wesołych Świąt bożego Narodzenia 
PORTUGUESE feliz Natal 
ROMANI   baxtalo Krečuno 
ROMANIAN  un Crăciun fericit 
RUKIGA          Noheiri nungi / webale Noheiri 
RUSSIAN  с Рождеством Христовым (S rozhdestvom Khristovym) 
SAMOAN  ia manuia le Kerisimasi 
SARDINIAN  bona pasca’e Nadale (logudorese) / bona paschixedda (campidanese) 
SCOTTISH GAELIC  Nollaig chridheil 
SERBIAN  Христос се роди (Hristos se rodi) 
SHONA          krisimas yakanaka 
SILESIAN  Radosnych godów 
SINDHI          Chrismas joon wadhayoon 
SINHALESE  suba nattalak wewa 
SLOVAK  vesele vianoce 
SLOVENIAN  vesel božič / vesele božične praznike 
SOBOTA          dobro dedek 
SPANISH  feliz Navidad 
SRANAN  switi Krisneti 
SWAHILI  heri la Krismasi 
SWEDISH  god jul 
TAGALOG  Maligayang Pasko 
TAHITIAN  'ia 'oa'oa e teie Noera 
TAMIL          கிறிஸ்மஸ் தின நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் (Krismas dina nal vaagethoukkal) 
TELUGU          Krismas shubhakankshalu 
THAI          สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส (souksaan wan Christmas) 
TONGAN  mele Kilisimasi 
TSWANA (SETSWANA)  Keresemose sentle 
TURKISH  Noeliniz kutlu olsun 
UDMURT  Shuldyr Ymuśton 
UKRAINIAN  З Різдвом Христовим Z Rizdvom Khrystovym 
VIETNAMESE Mừng Chúa Giáng Sinh 
WALOON ("betchfessîs" spelling)  djoyeus Noyé 
WELSH          Nadolig llawen 
WEST INDIAN CREOLE  jénwèl 
YIDDISH          אַ גוטע ניטל (a gute nitl) 
YORUBA  e kun odun Keresimesi 
ZULU          UKhisimusi omuhle 



Got these from the following websites:

http://www.wishesquotes.com/christmas/merry-christmas-in-different-languages

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0877712.html

http://www.ehebrew.org/word/11575/merry-christmas-.php