Christmas Arachnids

Christmas Spider

“An old European Christmas legend tells of a poor woman unable to provide the traditional decorations for the special holiday. A spider made his home in her tree and began to spin beautiful webs. On Christmas morning, the first light of sun struck the cobwebs, turning them to silver. When the woman awoke, she found the tree was covered with silver treasure. The spider had brought good fortune!”
[via]

Other versions claim it’s a German or Ukrainian tradition, and that either the Christ Child or Santa transformed the webs. Although I grew up in an area with a large German population, I never heard the story and can’t find an original source.

Yet, there IS such a creature called a Christmas Spider.

[Image found here.]

Christmas Saturday Matinee – Fran Martin, Bradlee & Golder-Novick, The Bug Tussel Bluegrass Band, The Dukes of Dixieland & The Magic Piano

It’s not quite rockabilly, nor is it The Frankies (it’s apparently by someone named Fran Martin) but it’s awesome.

Scott Bradlee & Ben Golder-Novick.

The Bug Tussel Bluegrass Band‘s version is pretty good.

Jingle Bells” […] was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh” in the autumn of 1857. Even though it is now associated with the Christmas and holiday season, it was actually originally written to be sung for American Thanksgiving.b[Via Wiki]

Bells on horses were a wintertime safety measure to prevent collisions at crossroads – snow muffled the sound of horses’ hooves, and sleighs made little noise. The subsequent title is not about jingle bells, but is a command for the bells to jingle.

“Christmas Time In New Orleans” performed by The Dukes of Dixieland.

Now THAT is brilliant [via].

Have a great weekend, folks, and we’ll be back tomorrow for more festivities, frivolities y ¡Felicidades!

The .Gif Friday Post No. 311 – 16mm Christmas, Coordinated Company Jump, THE House & Stuff

Christmas Tree BW
A Company Christmas
Christmas Lights

Raccoon Christmas

[Found here, here, here and *ahem* here.]

Another Great Christmas Gift Idea

Thor

[Found here. More gift ideas here.]

Atari Meets Foghat

Atari + Foghat

This is creepy as hell. What did they do with Mom?

[Found here. Related post here.]

Pew Pew Pew

ak47-kit2_strangeco

“Each AK-47 Paper Model Kit comes with all the materials and instructions to construct this amazingly life-like paper model of an AK-47. [via]

Here’s a solution to the Anti-2nd Amendment (Anti-Self-Defense) crowd.

I propose that every child over the age of 10 be instructed in the safe handling and use of firearms; and that every adult shall be required to purchase, carry and display either a genuine weapon or a paper facsimile (painted flat black) at all times. The criminal element will be unnerved and uncertain as to who might return fire.

Licensed law-abiding citizens who desire to may carry the real deal, while those who are scared of the prospect of having to defend themselves with weaponry may use this inexpensive biodegradable camouflage and hope that a thug doesn’t challenge them with a flick of the Bic to the barrel. If that happens, the masquerade is as effective as a blackened bratwurst in a toilet paper tube.

But that won’t happen because Mister Gangbang can’t be sure that the real deal isn’t aimed at Mister Happy by an unseen bystander – with a bright red laser sighted on his cojones.

Pew.

Christmas Eve 1903

Santa 1903 Life Magazine

William Henry Walker (1871-1938), Santa Speeding Down Road in Motorized Sleigh, 1903. Charcoal on paper. Published in Life Magazine, December 10, 1903.

Santa’s driving a 1903 Winton, the first automobile to be driven across the United States in that same year. [Found here, via here.]

The .Gif Friday Post No. 259 – Christmas Stuffing

Christmas Tree Light House

Walking In A Winter WTF

Raccoon Christmas

All three are original .gif animation experiments using base images found via teh google, doctored a tad with MS Paint and animated with Jasc 3. Original undoctored images below the break.

Continue reading “The .Gif Friday Post No. 259 – Christmas Stuffing”

Great Gifts For Dad

Gifts For Dad 2012

As for the Meglinating Variable Intensity Multifunction Power Tool, I have one and it works great. You have to replace the Narvis coupling occasionally, but that only takes a couple of minutes. Buy spares.

The Narvis coupling is the weak link, and if you don’t have a spare or two handy, you’re screwed. Many agree that it should not be replaced unless a trammel gear fails. I made that mistake once.

If you’ve already got some davised camshanks, you’ve got spares as long as you’re willing to replace the panfold bushings, refrog and align them. Be sure that you have the proper torque trimmer, otherwise you’ll need to disassemble and rebuild every one of the winders, and you’ll end up buying a full set of trammel gears.

P.S. Forget the Bono goggles. Put ’em on and every good lookin’ woman looks like Sonny. I gave mine away for free.

[Found here.]

Update: Download the Hazard Fraught Tools catalog.

Elf Happens.

ELF HAPPENS

Original source unknown and I won’t link to where I found it. (Sorry, wc).