Is Peace on Earth Possible During the Holiday Season?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the theme of peace during the holiday season, particularly Christmas, alongside participants sharing their wishes and experiences related to the holiday. The scope includes personal reflections, desires for gifts, and sentiments about the holiday spirit.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express skepticism about the possibility of achieving peace on Earth, suggesting that while it is a nice wish, it seems unlikely to happen soon.
  • Several participants share their personal holiday wishes, ranging from material items like an Xbox 360 and a mechanical pencil to more abstract desires such as love and job stability.
  • There are contrasting views on the commercialization of Christmas, with some participants criticizing the focus on spending and gift-giving, while others seem to embrace the holiday spirit through family gatherings and shared meals.
  • Some participants reflect on the emotional aspects of the holiday, reminiscing about childhood feelings associated with Christmas and expressing wishes for friends and family facing difficulties.
  • Discussions about the nature of gifts reveal differing opinions, with some participants rejecting the idea of gifts as unnecessary clutter, while others eagerly list their desired items.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the nature of Christmas and its implications for peace on Earth. There are multiple competing views regarding the significance of the holiday, the desirability of gifts, and the emotional experiences associated with it.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express a desire for personal well-being and the well-being of others, indicating a broader context of concern for friends and family during the holiday season. The discussion reflects a mix of light-hearted wishes and deeper emotional sentiments.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in personal reflections on the holiday season, the interplay between commercialization and emotional significance of Christmas, and diverse perspectives on gift-giving may find this discussion engaging.

  • #31
New Zealand beating Australia in the cricket.
 
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  • #32
I'd love to have the feeling I used to get on the 24th of December (I couldn't wait for the 25th and tried to go to sleep early so Christmas would come quicker) when I was around 6 years old. Christmas was the BEST! even better than a birthday. It was a feeling like, if Santa is real and Christmas is real, then nothing in the world can be bad...But, then you get older, Santa is a fake, half the world doesn't believe in Christmas, the other quarter call it xmas and it just becomes a fight through the shops at the last minute to buy a bunch of crap that people don't need.

I'm going to visit some new family eat myself into a half coma and lie on the couch and watch the Grinch. :wink:
 
  • #33
Math Is Hard said:
Love.

Ivan Seeking said:
In that case we'll have to get you a slide rule.

Slide rules are easy. Love?

That's going to take more than one box.
 
  • #34
I'll confess to wanting a pocket-size digital balance. It'd be perfect for outreach I do for HS physics/chemistry teachers... and our lab director keeps every single working balance in the department under PERSONAL lock and key. AUGH!

They are down to about $60. I'm thinking of splurging for my sanity and dignity. I hate groveling.

Plus... they look cute and and shiny! :biggrin:
 
  • #35
Evo said:
Oh, and I need a warm scarf/muffler for my neck, socks, and a large bulky sweater.

And a bottle of Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry (or Dry Sack), a good unblended scotch, and Baileys.

If the second list arrives, you shouldn't need any items from the first! :biggrin:
 
  • #36
Andre said:
Guests, for dinner. Everybody is invited.

and no X-mas shifts this year for me, X fingers
well what i want will take the whole computer system to overload.
 
  • #37
Can I have love too? I want this guy.
dork.gif
 

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  • #38
BobG said:
Math Is Hard said:
Love.

Ivan Seeking said:
In that case we'll have to get you a slide rule.

Slide rules are easy. Love?

That's going to take more than one box.

somebody may have missed a pickup line:

Math Is Hard said:
OK, here's my new trick. I bump into an engineer at a bar and say. "oopsie!" and let a slide rule fall out of my purse. I think it has potential.
 
  • #39
Evo said:
Can I have love too? I want this guy. [PLAIN]http://www.myemoticons.com/emoticons/images/msn/moods/dork.gif[/QUOTE][/URL]

I may have found him for you. Sending you a PM now...
 
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  • #41
New friends. Understanding.
Scholarship...
 
  • #42
Andre said:
BobG said:
Math Is Hard said:
Love.
Ivan Seeking said:
In that case we'll have to get you a slide rule.
Slide rules are easy. Love?

That's going to take more than one box.
somebody may have missed a pickup line:

Math Is Hard said:
OK, here's my new trick. I bump into an engineer at a bar and say. "oopsie!" and let a slide rule fall out of my purse. I think it has potential.
Doh! For some reason, my first thought was the Wizard of Oz (a diploma for the tinman, a robe for the lion, etc). Now it makes a lot more sense.

I just want a post with quotes nested to at least 7 levels.
 
  • #43
Math Is Hard said:
I may have found him for you. Sending you a PM now...
WOOT! Can you send him? :!)
 
  • #44
All the PF sisters are loved already.
 
  • #45
Kurdt said:
All the PF sisters are loved already.
I :!) you kurdt.
 
  • #46
Are you sending Kurdt, MIH?
 
  • #47
Anyone else find reciprocal gift giving sort of ridiculous as you get older. I think when I have kids it will be different. But my family is older now and it seems silly them giving me a list of what they want. All this stuff they can get on a Saturday afternoon. Then I have to give them a few things I kinda want. I can buy anything I want off amazon in 3 seconds. So what is the point? I suppose if you find something they really want by yourself without a list is fun, but that get harder the less you see them.
 
  • #48
Yes, Christmas is really for the kids. I think this thread shows how peoples priorities change over the years.
 
  • #49
Greg Bernhardt said:
Anyone else find reciprocal gift giving sort of ridiculous as you get older. I think when I have kids it will be different. But my family is older now and it seems silly them giving me a list of what they want. All this stuff they can get on a Saturday afternoon. Then I have to give them a few things I kinda want. I can buy anything I want off amazon in 3 seconds. So what is the point? Anyone?
My father likes handing out cards and checks well before Christmas, and I can't dissuade him, so my wife and I make sure that he gets stuff that he really needs. It's not store-bought presents, usually, but stuff that an 83 year-old widower can use. My wife is taking care of her mother for the next 20+ hours (home-bound with dementia) and when she gets relieved tomorrow she's going to take my father a nice big pork loin end roast and gravy. That will keep him in meals and sandwiches for a while. He stopped in yesterday, and I gave him a couple of quarts of home-made chicken soup. I made brine today, and she's going to soak two of the roasts in it tonight - one for her mother and one for my father - and roast them tomorrow.

When you're an old fellow whose cooking sucks (to be polite) getting decent meals is a good thing.
 
  • #50
Moonbear said:
A week with my boyfriend! I can't wait. :biggrin:

If you're willing to share, you can take care of MIH's request at the same time.
(Not mention giving bf a present that he'll never forget.)
:biggrin:
 
  • #51
Danger said:
If you're willing to share, you can take care of MIH's request at the same time.
(Not mention giving bf a present that he'll never forget.)
:biggrin:

Hey, we're not into that Canadian polyandry stuff. :-p
 
  • #52
Andre said:
Are you sending Kurdt, MIH?

No, someone a touch older and nerdier.
 
  • #53
A visa to Brazil
 
  • #54
Math Is Hard said:
No, someone a touch older and nerdier.
Wha? Did someone call my name?
 

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