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EVERYONE is welcome and please join us each morning at 7:30 AM PACIFIC
to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
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Are you giving any gag gifts this year?
In my family, the tradition of giving gag gifts began with my father and my uncle. They were polar opposites in many ways, but they genuinely liked each other and enjoyed poking fun at each other. The first gag gifts I remember were when I was about eight years old. My dad didn't drink much, but he enjoyed it when he did, so he was delighted to find a bottle-shaped package under the tree with his name on it and couldn't wait to open it. Meanwhile, my uncle, a career Army officer, had a suspiciously heavy package with his name on it.
On Christmas morning they opened their gifts. My father's bottle turned out to be made of solid wood with nary a drop of spirits, and my uncle's heavy package was a brick wrapped in gold foil and addressed to "the biggest goldbrick in the Army." Everyone had some laughs.
As the years went on, the gifts frequently involved bad poetry as well as funny items. My father adopted the pseudonym "Anony-mouse" for his gag gifts and my uncle used the handle "The Kunnel" (since he was a Lt. Colonel). Since my dad was a liberal Democrat and my uncle a conservative Republican, their gags often involved politics.
Other family members became involved over time. My favorite was the year several of us got together and gave my uncle and my dad a combined gag gift. They opened the package and there was a pair of chef aprons. One said, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" and the other said, "Bah, Humbug!" Without any hesitation or discussion, my dad grabbed "Ho, Ho, Ho" and my uncle grabbed "Bah Humbug." Of course, that was the whole point, and we all had a good laugh over that one, too.
And then there was my mother, who always made gigantic meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas and who would always look at the overflowing table just before the blessing and ask, "Do you think this will be enough? Should I open a can of applesauce?" She was dead serious, but it became a running joke at our house. Anyway, one year my sister gave my mom a can of applesauce with apropos verse, and we all ROFL'd (although we didn't use acronyms then).
My brother and I got in on the act too. We would give each other funny presents. One year he gave me a box with an envelope attached. In the envelope was a clever, humorous poem written in the style of Shakespeare's epitaph. In the box was a T-Shirt he had gotten at the Folger Shakespeare Library in D.C. It had Shakespeare's picture with the caption,
"Let copulation thrive." King Lear IV, vi
I wore that T-shirt until it disintegrated.
After my dad died, I assumed the role of foil to my uncle, adopting the name "Anonymous, Jr." One of the last gags I did for him was in Christmas 2004. My sons and I made a video in the style of the old MasterCard "priceless" commercials. It went something like this (with images and voiceover):
George Bush, Election 2004
Tax cuts for the wealthy: $1.6 Trillion
Medicare Part D: $400 billion
Iraq War: $2 trillion
National Debt: $8 trillion
A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage: Priceless
We still do a few around our house. Mrs. Dragon and I sometimes give each other gag gifts, particularly if there is a funny and/or embarrassing incident that happened that year. I am not above picking on my own children either. When my younger son was about 15, I gave him a Britney Spears calendar at Christmas. He was not amused. But the rest of us were.
Maybe it doesn't count as a gag gift, but I did enjoy the virtual gifts I gave in J Town a couple of years ago. That was fun.
I am not sure I will do any gag gifts this year, but you never know. So how about you Newdists?
Are you giving any gag gifts this year?
Image Credits:
Gift wrapped bottle courtesy zimtundzucker.blogspot.com
Aprons courtesy cafepress.com
Applesauce courtesy makingfamilydinnerhourpossible.blogspot.com
Shakespeare courtesy alexlyras.com
George W. Bush courtesy politicalhumor.about.com
Britney Spears courtesy guidetoline.blogspot.com
Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the New Day sunrise cloud
:: COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES ::
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Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meatspace community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
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THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
>>>Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
NEW GROUPS IN THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZING:
Send a Kosmail to the organizers and ask for an invitation to the group.
• Northern Indiana Area: Kosmail Tim Delaney
• Long Island: Kosmail grannycarol
• Northern Michigan: Kosmail JillS
• Nebraska: Kosmail Nebraska68847Dem
• Westburbia Chicago Kossacks: Kosmail Majordomo
• Caprock Kossacks (Panhandle/Caprock/Lubbock/Amarillo area) : Kosmail shesaid
• West Texas Kossacks (including Big Bend Region and El Paso) : Kosmail Yo Bubba
• Las Vegas Kossacks: Kosmail miracle11
• Vermont Kossacks: Kosmail 4Freedom
Note to the above new leaders: Feel free to leave a comment any day reminding readers about your new group. Also, tell us about your progress in gathering members. Kosmail me when you've chosen a good name for your group and have created a the group. Then I'll move you to the NEW GROUPS LIST. When you've planned a date for your first event I'll make a banner for you to highlight your event in our diaries and your diaries.
These are the groups that have started since * NEW DAY * began. Please Kosmail navajo if you have started a group before that.
NEW GROUPS LIST:
• California Central Valley Kossacks - Formed: Jul 29, 2012, Organizer: tgypsy
• New England Kossacks - Formed: Aug 6, 2012, Organizers:
Clytemnestra for Lower New England (Conneticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island)
nhox42 for Upper New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont)
• Houston Area Kossacks - Formed: Aug 7, 2012, Organizer: Chrislove
• Kossacks in India - Formed: Aug 14, 2012, Organizer: chandu
• CenTex Kossacks - Formed: Sep 9, 2012, Organizer: papa monzano
• Central Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Sep 26, 2012, Organizer: VetGrl
• Kansas City Kossacks - Formed Oct 15, 2012, Organizer: [Founder stepped down]
• Phoenix Kossacks - Formed Oct 16, 2012, Organizer: arizonablue
• Chicago Kossacks - Formed: Oct 31, 2012, Organizer: figbash
• Koscadia the Pacific Northwest coast from Northern California to Alaska
- Formed Oct 17, 2012, Oganizer: Horace Boothroyd III based in Portland, OR
• Boston Kossacks - Formed: Nov 7, 2012, Organizer: GreyHawk
• Motor City Kossacks South East Michigan (Detroit) Area - Formed: Nov 10, 2012, Organizer: peregrine kate
• Pittsburgh Area Kossacks - Formed: Nov 12, 2012, Organizer: dweb8231
• Salt Lake City Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: War on Error
• Twin Cities Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: imonlylurking
• Dallas Kossacks North Texas - Formed: Nov 21, 2012, Admins: Catte Nappe and dalfireplug. Please contact them to join the group. An Event Organizer needed.
• The Southern California Inland Empire Kossacks - Formed: Dec 3, 2012, Organizer: SoCaliana
• Los Angeles Kossacks - Formed: Dec 17, 2012, Organizer: Dave in Northridge
• Northeast Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Jan 16, 2013, Organizer: GenXangster
• Kansas & Missouri Kossacks - Formed: Jan 17, 2013, Organizer: tmservo433
• I-77 Carolina Kossacks who live from Columbia, SC to north of Winston-Salem, NC. - Formed: Jan 30, 2013, Organizers: gulfgal98 and eeff
• Indianapolis Kossacks - Formed: Feb 6, 2013, Organizer: CityLightsLover
• Southwest Ohio Kossacks - Formed: May 10, 2013, Organizer: Dr Erich Bloodaxe RN
• Northern Arizona Kossacks - Formed: Jul 5, 2013, Organizer: Sam Sara
• Mexican Kossacks - Formed: Apr 14, 2013, Organizer: roberb7
• New York Hudson Valley Kossacks - Formed: Oct 27, 2012, Organizer: boran2
• North Carolina Triangle Kosmopolitans - Formed: Aug 2, 2013, Organizer: highacidity
• Silicon Valley Kossacks - Formed: Oct 31, 2013, Organizer: Glen The Plumber
ESTABLISHED GROUPS LIST: (List will grow as we discover them)
• SFKossacks Founded by navajo, Formed: May 2, 2005
• Maryland Kos Founded by timmyc, Formed: Feb 23, 2011. Contact: JamieG from Md for a group invite.
• New York City Founded by Eddie C - Contact the group organizer for meet-up events: sidnora
• Baja Arizona Kossacks, Event Organizer: Azazello
• Three Star Kossacks Tennessee, Founded by maryKK, Formed: Apr 8, 2011
• Nashville KosKats, Founded by ZenTrainer Formed: Jan 30, 2012
• Virginia Kos Founded by JamieG from Md, Formed: May 3, 2011
• Kos Georgia Founded by pat208, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
• Colorado COmmunity Founded by Leftcandid, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
• New Mexico Kossaks Founded by claude
• Philly Kos Founded by mconvente Formed: Aug 29, 2011
• DKos Florida Founded by ThirstyGator, Formed: Feb 14, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail Vetwife to be included in next event.
• Oklahoma Roundup Founded by BigOkie, Formed: Feb 13, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail peacearena to be included.
• DKos Asheville Founded by davehouck, Formed: Feb 13, 2011 - Organizing Assist by: randallt
• San Diego Kossacks Founded by La Gitane, Formed: Nov 18, 2011
• Massachusetts Kosmopolitans Founded by mem from somerville, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
:: Events Currently on the Books for Kossacks ::
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Sunday, January 12th
NYC Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Spitzer's Corner
101 Rivington Street (Ludlow) • NYC
Meet in the back room. This venue is wheelchair accessible.
ORGANIZER: Send sidnora a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. sidnora
2. blue jersey mom
3.
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Maybees:
mconvente
Ian Reifowitz |
Latest diary: Coming In From The Cold: January 12, A NYC Meetup!
Date Moving to January 2014
Connecticut Kossacks Meet-up!
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: The Shamrock Pub & Grill
210 Meadow St. • Waterbury
The Shamrock is a short walk from the MTA Metro North Station. If anyone wants to take Amtrak, thankgodforairamerica can pick you up in Meriden and drive you to the event.
ORGANIZER: Send thankgodforairamerica a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. thankgodforairamerica
2. gchaucer2
3.
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Maybees:
annieli
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Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Sunday, January 26th
SFKossacks Welcome matching mole to San Francisco!
TIME: TBD, daytime car trip to the Delta for birding with lineatus
LOCATION: Grizzly Island Wildlife Area
2548 Grizzly Island Road • Suisun City
lineatus will have a spotting scope and a few spare pairs of binoculars, so novices can have something to use.
ORGANIZER: Send lineatus a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. lineatus
2. matching mole
3. navajo
4. tgypsy
5.
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Maybees: |
TIME: TBD, evening event for city folk and to celebrate dharmasyd's and kimoconnor's birthdays!
LOCATION: TBD
[Address] • [City]
ORGANIZER: Send lineatus a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. lineatus
2. matching mole
3. navajo
4. dharmasyd
5. side pocket
6. norm
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Send navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?