Time to Start a New Year

Well, if you're a believer in the Dooms Day Scenarios, that you may be planning a huge New Year's Day celebration, since, according to the Mayan Calendar, this will be the last New Years Day the human race will see.  December 21, 2012, the Mayan calendar ends and because this calendar that has been around for thousands of years ends, some think the world will also. 

As for me, I'm ready to start the new year.  Not sure why, but for some reason, January 1 of each year is always a time of renewal.  I guess it could just as easily happen on March 10th as it could on January 1, but the start of a new year always brings hope that things will be better than the past year.  2011 wasn't a bad year for me and it wasn't a spectacularly good year either.  A lot of good things happened for me this year, and some not so good things happened too.  But overall it was a pretty good year.

While we always hope things will get better, let's not forget that the reason things typically get better is because we tend to learn from the past.

And so it ends

Well...Christmas Day has come and gone.  I worked a 12 hour day on the 24th, then finished up some last minute Christmas shopping, took advantage of my Giant Eagle fuel perks to fill up my gas tank, then went home to get a nap before going to Christmas Eve service at Church. 

I slept on the couch that evening, waking up periodically to catch bits and pieces of A Christmas Story on TBS, then got up to go to Church services Christmas morning. 

After that I made the drive down to Lancaster to my parents' place.  This year it was just my sister, one of her children and me.  My neice woke up sick, so my brother-in-law stayed home with her while my sister brought my nephew over for Christmas Day.  My younger brother was busy with other things, so he didn't make it over, and my older brother lives in Nebraska and, being a minister, doesn't make it home for Christmas anymore, as he usually has some more important matters to tend to during, what I would consider, the most important time of year for any Christian.

I was back to work early Monday morning as I was able to pick up some overtime.  It'll make for a long week, but that's ok.  The extra money will help to offset the extra cost of "the season".  Last week and this week I'll work at least 28 hours of overtime either covering for sick co-workers or covering for people who took time off for the holidays.  In some ways that's nice, the extra money is nice, but the extra rest is nice too.

2012 will start off with a 5K run, The First on the First starting and ending at the Westerville Ohio Health Campus on Polaris Pky.  After the 5K they serve up some pork and saurkraut...not sure I'll be in the mood for pork and saurkraut after running 5K, but we'll see.

Things I've learned about Santa's sleigh

When I was young I remember listening to the radio.  Dad always listened to WTVN radio, and on Christmas Eve they would update their listeners as NORAD tracked an unidentified object leaving from the North Pole and heading south.  (Of course, no matter which way you go from the North Pole, you're heading south).  It was fun to listen as they tracked the progress of Santa and where he was.

Now of course, we have the ability to track Santa a lot more closely, as NORAD has given us the on line capability of keeping track of where Santa goes.  Each year for the past few years I've tracked Santa's progress on http://www.noradsanta.org/.  In the days leading up to Christmas the site has an area with different games and information about Christmas and Santa to help count down the days.

Yesterday they gave out some information about Santa's sleigh that I found interesting.

According to NORAD Santa's sleigh is a versatile, all-weather vertical/short take-off and landing vehicle.  It is capable of traveling vast distances without refueling and is deployed, as far as we know, only on Christmas Eve and briefly for a test flight about a week before Christmas.  It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables his propulsion skis to fly at the speed of light.  The sleigh is 75 cc (candy canes) long and 55cc high (without reindeer).  We believe the maiden voyage of Santa's sleigh took place on Dec. 24, 343 A.D.  The sleigh, while occassionally updated with new technology, has never been replaced or damaged (although it almost crashed in 1931 near Paris' Eiffel Tower).  The elves, in addition to making toys, are responsible for keeping the sleigh in fine-tuned condition and perform a test run about a week before Christmas each year.  Although Santa typically rides alone, the sleigh seat was built to accomodate helpers.  Mrs. Claus has assisted with the Christmas festivities nearly a dozen times, while several elves over the centuries have helped.  Santa's trip around the world takes approximately 24 hours.  He departs the North Pole at 4:00am EST on December 24 with every present delivered by 4:00am EST on December 25.  The return trip to the North Pole takes significantly less time due to the decreased weight in the sleigh.
Santa's team of reindeer has remained the same since their first ride in 343 A.D., with the exception of Rudolf, who was permitted to join the team in 1031 A.D. 
Santa's sleigh features a high-tech console that uses GPS combined with 2-D visualization to best plot his Christmas Eve route.  Through simple data inputs, Santa can adjust his flight pattern to hone in on those who have gone to bed and fallen sound asleep.  Santa can also tune into Christmas music that radio stations around the world broadcast by satellites and also has a hot chocolate dispenser on his console to keep him warm on the long flight.

Have a Merry Christmas!!

The Answer was Yes

Yes...even though we're less than a week away from Christmas, I did take the time yesterday to put up Christmas lights outside.  Of course I'm sure my neighbors are thrilled that they get to listen to Christmas music outside for the remainder of the week while my lights flash on and off.  The new gutters were in place when I got home from work Saturday.  Sunday was a little busy so I didn't make it outside, but on Monday I started early in the morning putting up lights. 

One set across the front of the house.  One set around the front door and on the pine branches on the bench on my front porch.  One set on the bushes at the corner of my front porch.  One set on the dwarf lilac bush next to my front porch.  One set on the bush next to that.  Then I went to the store and bought a couple snowmen to put on one side of my yard. 

I woke up a little sore this morning, but still found the energy to run a few miles on the treadmill before work.  So now I'm not one of the few dark houses on my streets, and since the neighbors on both sides had decorations out front, it was nice to include my house in the mix. 

At church on Sunday there was a lot of emphasis put on people finding it difficult to really celebrate this Christmas.  With the economy being what it is, and the fact that life doesn't stop being difficult just because it's December, we do need to remember that not everyone is having a happy Christmas season, and this makes it more important than ever to really focus on the true meaning and reason for the Christmas season. 

People close to me are struggling this season.  One of my neighbors told me yesterday that she has had to file bankruptcy due to several medical issues that have created a real financial hardship for her and her family.  Others I know are facing relatives who are ill and may not make through the week.  It seems as though this year I personally know more people who are struggling than I've ever known in the past.  Maybe this is God's way of making realize how blessed I am and helping me to focus on what I have, and not what I don't have.  Maybe this is God's way of getting me to focus less on the lights and presents that I'll give this year and focus more on why we celebrate this time of year. 

I'll still celebrate the holiday with friends and family.  I'll still enjoy the lights and the presents.  I'll still listen to Christmas songs and do all the secular celebrating that I've done every year.  I'll still track Santa on noradsanta.org on Christmas Eve.  But this year I'll be conscious of those who can't.  This year I'll be conscious of just why this time of year is so important to both Christians and non-Christians all over the world. 

We celebrate Christmas because "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Do I or Don't I?

I'm hoping that when I get home from work today Able Roofing will have been there and replaced my gutters and downspouts on my house.  The question then is...if they were, do I then put up Christmas lights outside this far in to the Christmas season?

One co-worker says yes.  I'm still not sure. 

A few years ago I splurged a little on my outside Christmas decorations and got a box to plug my outside lights in to.  The box plays Christmas music and has six outlets attached for Christmas lights.  The six sets of lights then flash on and off in sync with the Christmas music.  It's pretty cool.  Not nearly as sophisticated as some of the huge displays you see other places, but pretty cool for my own little display in front of my house.

I was looking at pictures from last Christmas and realized just now nice the front of my house looked last year with all the Christmas lights out front.  So, if the gutters have been replaced, I'm leaning towards getting some outside lights up this weekend to finish up the holiday season. 

As for my last blog...no one has answered any of the questions...I'm disappointed.  My sister did send me a text message saying that she knows the answers, but wasn't sure how to comment on the blog in order to give the answers.  So, I'll go ahead with the "answer key" now...

"Why does Santa wear a red suit?"  The family of toy makers that raised Santa were known for their red suits.  It was their family attire.  So Santa wore his own "Kringle suit".

"Why does Santa slide down the chimney?"  The mayor ordered that all doors be locked to keep "the criminal" Kris Kringle from coming in to homes and leaving illegal toys.  So, in order to get in to the houses, we came in through the chimney.  It was a tradition he continues long after the rule of the mayor had ended.

"Why is Santa Claus also called Kris Kringle?" Santa was orphaned or abandoned as a baby and was adopted by the Kringle family.  They named him Kris..hence the name Kris Kringle.  At the time the Kringle's found the baby the only identifying item he had on him was a tag that said "Claus".  So when Kris Kringle became a "wanted person" for illegally distributing toys, he bagan using the name Claus as an alias and it stuck.

"Why does Santa put presents in stockings?" When toys were illegal the mayor would search the houses every morning to make sure toys hadn't been left for the kids during the night.  So Kris Kringle would hide the toys in the stockings that the kids had hanging by the fireplace to dry.

"Why does Santa have a beard?" Santa grew the beard to disguise his face when the clean shaven Kris Kringle's picture was posted on Wanted posters throughout the town.

"How does Santa get the reindeer to fly?"  Magic feed corn, a present from the Winter Warlock.

"Why does Santa laugh the way he does?"  Santa was taught to laugh by the animals at the north pool..specifically the seals.

"Why does Santa deliver toys on Christmas Eve?"  When Santa first started giving out toys he used to make his round nearly every night.  But as the population grew and Santa got older, it was too difficult to keep up with all the demands.  So he decided to go out only one night a year, and chose the most holy of all nights.

Now, how do I know that Sombertown was in Germany?

Santa Claus IS Coming to Town

My earliest childhood memory of Christmas involves watching the Rankin & Bass classic Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  At 45 years old, I still watch this show whenever it's on at Christmas time.  Before working at my current job I worked for the Meijer department stores in Columbus, and spent a few Christmas Seasons playing Santa in the stores where I worked.  I would use this show to help me answer questions that the children would ask.  After all, the storyline of the show was that the narrator/mailman played by Fred Astaire was answering questions that children had about Santa Claus.  Why do you wear a red suit?  Why do you slide down the chimney?  Why are you also called Kris Kringle?  Why do you put presents in stockings?  Why do you have a beard?  How do you get your reindeer to fly?  Why do you laugh the way you do?  Why do you deliver your toys on Christmas Eve?  All of those questions, and more, were answered in an hour.  So, when at a party this past weekend, someone asked the trivia question, "What is Mrs. Claus' first name?"  I knew the answer...Jessica, of course. 
Here's my challenge to you.  Answer the above questions without going to the internet.  Just comment on this post to answer the questions.

Simpler Times

As one of my co-workers was sitting here at work flying his remote control helicopter around the room, I went on Amazon myself and started looking for the helicopter.  I'll probably buy myself one sometime this week.  The conversation in the room turned to some of the older toys. 

There was once a remote control helicopter that was hooked to the controls by a wire.  It flew in circles and the object was to use the hook on the bottom of the helicopter to pick up objects and then land safely on the helipad.

Who can forget things like "Rock em Sock em Robots"?

A couple of years ago there was this huge craize for a game where the player would spin a top in an arena type setting.  The tops would bump against each other, and the last top spinning was the winner.  Basically it was a remake of a game my brother used to have called "Battling Tops".  Just a little modernized and somehow tied in to some cartoon or anime' characters.

Big Wheels were fun toys when we were kids. 

All of this made me think about the toys we used to have as kids.  I hate to sound like an "old man" but I don't think today's kids would appreciate most of the toys we played with as kids.  It was a simpler time with simpler toys.  I'm probably one of the few people my age who has no video game system in my home.  I don't even play online video games.  I remember getting our first "Pong" TV video game.

Then the original ATARI,

then Intelevision.

When I got out of the Army I went out and bought myself a Nintendo.

Although that was the ultimate video game (at that time) it would be considered ancient by today's standards.  Now, instead of using a joy stick or controller, the games out there use your body movements and voices to control the game.  Who'd have thunk it? 

It used to be that, if I wasn't at home and you tried to call me, no one answered the phone.  Then we started getting machines that would answer the phone for us and take messages.  Now, everyone just carries their phone with them.

It used to be that a friend was someone you talked to and visited with, now it's a number by which your popularity on Facebook is defined.  Ironically, joining Facebook is considered "Social Networking" even though it's caused people to be less social.  There's now a Neighborhood Socal Networking site which is designed for people who live in the same neighborhood so that those people can communicate with each other.  It's set up so that you have to "prove" you live in the neighborhood in order to join a group.  REALLY?  You need a social network to talk to your neighbor now?  Oh well, simpler times.

Addendum and Traditions

I got a text message from my sister the other day.  She is a regular reader of this blog and she let me know that, after reading my last entry, she never did find out one piece of information...how did I make it back from San Francisco to Monterey after my Christmas leave for 1985-86?

If you read the blog, you know that my flight from Columbus to Dallas/Ft. Worth was late, causing me to miss my connecting flight to San Francisco, which, in turn, caused me to have to cancel the ride I had arranged to get me from San Francisco to Monterey.  So after flying in to San Francisco (First Class thanks to a very kind American Airlines ticket agent) I was stuck in San Francisco. 

I wasn't the only one stuck though.  Most major airports have a USO room where members of the military can go to relax when they're waiting for flights, and the USO area in the San Francisco airport was packed with military personnel who's flights had been delayed and were trying to find their way back to their individual bases.  In 1986 there were 3 military facilities in the Monterey area.  The Defense Language Institute-Foreign Language Center (DLI), Ft. Ord, and the US Naval Officers College.  I happened to run in to a couple of guys who were trying to make their ways back to DLI and they had run in to a Naval officer who was trying to make her way back to the Naval College.  She was in the process of renting a car, which the 4 of us split the cost of, and we drove back to Monterey.  I didn't get in until about 1-2 am, but the guy signing people in allowed me to sign back in at 11:55pm, which saved me a day of leave. 

So, for those of you who were on the edge of your seats wondering how I got back to Monterey...there you go.

Speaking of Monterey...as I was decorating my tree this past weekend I thought about the small tree that I had up in my baraks room while I was stationed in Monterey.  That was my first Christmas tree.  It was a small 2-3 foot tree that sat on top of the dresser.  It did have a couple of presents underneath it for a family who was stationed there with me.  I would have preferred to be home during the whole Christmas season, but it was kind of nice to have "my own place" with my own tree that I could decorate.  My own way of continuing my family Christmas traditions while also starting my own personal traditions. 

Traditions WILL change.  Eventually we quit going to the grandparents on Christmas day.  In 1988 my grandmother passed away, so the Burkhardt side of the family started getting together on the Saturday before Christmas.  Eventually we quit going to Lyon grandparents on Christmas day, and now those grandparents have both passed away.  This year, the Burkhardt family tradition of getting together the Saturday before Christmas has changed, and only the older generation will get together for dinner at a restaurant.  I'll miss that part of the Christmas season, but I'll continue to build my own traditions.  It's not just the traditions we've followed for years that make the season special...it's the traditions we begin and build that also make it special.

I Guess I've Been Lucky

In 1984 I graduated from high school, and joined the Army the following November.  I actually left for basic training on the Monday following Thanksgiving.  However, the Army is the only branch of the Armed Forces that allows their trainees to go home at Christmas time.  When I was in basic training all training bases pretty much shut down on December 19 and didn't restart training until January 3.  Trainees were allowed, and actually encouraged, to take leave and go home. 
The funny part of all of this was, here we are, training to be combat soldiers, yet when we went on leave we had to be able to show either a bus ticket leaving from Ft. McClellan, AL or plane ticket home, or our parents could pick us up at our basic training units.  If we didn't have one of those things, then we weren't allowed to go.  Now, for most that was not an issue.  But I had one guy in my platoon who was 34 years old at the time he was going through basic training.  Both his parents were deceased.  His WIFE was picking him up.  Yet he had to jump through all kinds of hoops with the drill sgts. and the commander in order to be able to go home on leave.
We marched to the buses, which were all leaving from Ft. McClellan and I prepared for a very long bus ride from Alabama to Ohio.  As I sat there however, I saw a guy get on the bus who I knew.  A guy I had graduated High School with.  Being able to chat with a friend on the way home helped the bus ride go a lot faster.
Anyway, I was able to get home for leave at Christmas time while in basic training in 1984.  In 1985 I had completed basic training, but had been assigned to the Defense Language Institute - Foreign Language Center in Monterey, CA.  Another training assignment.  So, once again, we were allowed and even encouraged to take leave time over the Christmas holiday.  So, once again, I made it home for Christmas.  Coming back wasn't so easy.  While stationed in Monterey I would fly in and out of San Francisco Airport whenever I came home.  I would always fly from San Francisco to either O'Hare Airport in Chicago, or Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, and then on to Columbus.  On my way back to California after my Christmas break in 1985, my flight from Columbus to Dallas was late getting started.  I landed in Dallas as my connecting flight to San Francisco was leaving.  So I went to the ticket counter and the lady was very nice.  She gave me a ticket to the next flight to San Francisco.  This wouldn't get me in to San Francisco until late, and then I had to get from there to Monterey.  I had arranged for someone to pick me up at the airport, but had to cancel that ride since the flight delay meant it would be several hours later before I got there.  Then I had to call my unit in Monterey and request an extra day extension on my leave.  This was taken care of and I spent the next several hours wandering around Dallas-Fort Worth Airport with nothing to do but wonder how I was going to be able to get from San Francisco to Monterey once I finally got back.  When my flight finally left Dallas I noticed something strange about my boarding pass.  The seat number was 1B.  Now, I've flown enough to know that the number is the row you're in and the letter is which seat you are assigned to in that row.  At first I thought it must be a smaller plane than I usually fly on, and one which has no first class.  After all, I sure didn't pay for a first class ticket.  But as I prepared to board the plane I noticed it wasn't any smaller than any other plane I'd ever been on.  Then when I actually boarded, I was directed to the area behind the magic curtain.  If you've ever flown you know...only the SPECIAL ones get to go behind that curtain.  As I sat down in that nice large chair, the flight attendant approached me and asked, "Would like orange juice or champaign before we take off?"  WHAT??!! Yes, I was upgraded to first class without even knowing it.  Now, to this day I don't know if the upgrade was due to the fact that my flight was late and they upgraded me to make up for me missing my connecting flight, if I was put there because they didn't have any coach seats left, or if they upgraded me because I happened to be a soldier in uniform.  Whatever the reason...THANK YOU AMERICAN AIRLINES!
In 1986 I was still in the Army, and now stationed in Germany.  Getting home for Christmas was not going to happen.  However, my uncle was also in the Army and also stationed in Germany.  I would go visit him on occassion.  I would take the train from Wertheim to Frankfurt where I would snack on a couple of ham broechen (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm) then switch trains to head up to where my uncle was stationed.  Fortunately I was able to get time off at Christmas to spend time with him and his wife.  So, even though I was not home for the first Christmas in my life, I was with family.
In 1998 I started working my current job with the Dublin Police Dept.  This will be the 14th Christmas that I've worked for the department.  But I've only actually been at work for one of those, and that Christmas I was off work at 2:45pm and down to mom and dad's within about an hour. 
So, three years in the Army and fourteen years working in public safety, and I've only worked one Christmas and only missed being home once.  It brings to mind the number of people who haven't been so lucky.  Especially those currently serving in war zones and those who have spent more than one or even two holiday seasons in war zones.  I'll be thinking of them even more this year.
See...this blogging thing does serve some purpose.  It makes me stop and really think about things when I put them in writing.  I realize now just how fortunate I have been.