Open the box and you find someone has sawed some branches from a tree that by this time of year has been hollowed from weathering. In the presence of the traditional tree you will think nothing unkind about this gift or else make an argument against all festive trees. This is an interesting joint in the wood where the branches fork. One branch has been sawed off near the intersection to form a stage, and the other rises above it like a half tent, or sound stage half-tent. Something is eery about the opening and you expect one of your favorite animals to appear. Instead it's a throwaway husk that contains a book that addresses your suspicions about what the object contained, and that a social and political system may consider these kinds of expectations.
-- rcarty, Dec 25 2014

sp: eerie, otherwise...Huh?
-- blissmiss, Dec 25 2014


He might have meant "eyrie", since there was something about a branch.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 25 2014


or beery.
-- FlyingToaster, Dec 26 2014


My wife and I give each other champagne, beer, and the gift of quietly doing nothing while periodically dancing on Saturnalia. I know, my life is difficult...
-- normzone, Dec 26 2014


Never heard of Saturnalia. Interesting read.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 26 2014


[bigsleep] no more harassing comments please.
-- rcarty, Dec 26 2014


Ah, you can't do stuff like that, at least put quoted bigsleep's comment in with yours..I'll be up all night wondering about it..
-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 26 2014


What [bigsleep] probably said.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 26 2014


Yes, it runs from early December to mid-November.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 26 2014


Well [bigsleep] is not welcome on my ideas.
-- rcarty, Dec 26 2014


Now now. Christmas is all about sharing, [rc].
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 26 2014


Well said, [bigsleep]! Although the Dutch ones tend to be larger.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 26 2014


rcarty by erasing posts you are filtering our view of events for us and basically doing what you speak against... no?
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 26 2014


NO he's just leaving harassing comments that are not about the idea, then when I do have a civil discussion with him he deletes all of his annos; I'll continue to delete.
-- rcarty, Dec 26 2014


Bigsleep, bigsleep, bigsleep is such fun.
in matters annotational, [bs] is no. 1
there's no need to delete it,
why be mean and dour,
but celebrate the criticisms-
a new one every hour!
-- pocmloc, Dec 26 2014


Well he's doing something where he thinks hes making me delete my annos but this is the halfbakery who cares what anyone writes here.
-- rcarty, Dec 26 2014


//they can delete our annotations, but they'll never delete our freedom// marked for tagline.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 26 2014


//who cares what anyone writes here

Not me, but I do seem to care about what people said, which then got deleted. Perhaps that makes no sense?
-- not_morrison_rm, Dec 26 2014


//who cares what anyone writes here// That pretty much depends on who writes it.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 26 2014


//who cares what anyone writes here?//

This site is an Earth-spanning beacon of free-speech, shared learning, and sanity. A mote or back-eddy of calm in an otherwise completely chaotic internet maelstrom.
Most of the things I've learned in the last decade were off-shoots of things written by people on this site, so... I guess I do.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 26 2014


I didn't think there was an idea.
-- pocmloc, Dec 26 2014



random, halfbakery