Happy holidays!

Makes sure to invite your friends over for Hot Chocolate.

Happy Holidays!

Got a good amount of "retro" things done in 2025. We'll see what 2026 brings to the table. 😀

I do miss those "Merry Christmas from Sierra" cards! : https://ibb.co/mVXt0qNy : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4kts-snFpg&l … t=RDO4kts-snFpg

I play the 1988 version every year. 🤣

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2025-12-17, 15:14:

Santa has Gifts for Everyone. […]
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Santa has Gifts for Everyone.

Happy Holidays Everyone.
There has been a Shortage of Christmas trees over the last few years in USA because of Water Droughts
And Forrest Fires and Extreme Heat long Summer weather conditions.
Christmas trees are ridiculously expensive in California today.
The extreme weather conditions has hurt the Christmas tree farms.
It use to be you could buy a Christmas tree for $19 USD
Today they cost Over $75 for a cheap 5ft tree.
Mostly about $100 to $150

But we Still have some snow in California.
Not much yet but we hope for more snow and rain.

Anyways Christmas will go on.
We had an Amazing Old USA town Christmas parade with Christmas tree lighting and Old Santa train too.

An Old Family Retro computer would make an Amazing gift for the Family.
Maybe a WinXP computer.

I am from NY and I decorate the tree in my yard.

Very Happy Holidays - and a great New Year!

Meh, every year, it's the same shit. All the wishes and vows and whatnot... And what happens then? Nothing. Another year that isn't any better than the last one.

Just a convenient excuse to get drunk. And especially stupid ones get some of their limbs blown off.

Am I too negative?

UCyborg wrote on 2025-12-22, 21:35:

Am I too negative?

Yep.

UCyborg wrote on 2025-12-22, 21:35:

Am I too negative?

Nope. This decade in general has been a downward spiral.

UCyborg wrote on 2025-12-22, 21:35:

Am I too negative?

Nah.
I'd say you're just brutally realistic... or at least on the subject matter here. 😀

I personally really like they holidays, but solely because it's a good time to catch up with family and friends that you might not have seen in a while. I'm not a foodie, though, so the idea of doing that while just sitting around the table isn't something I like too much. But it is what it is. What I especially dislike about the holidays is mindless consumerism seen and pushed by everyone everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. Luckily, my family isn't like this.

Best part of the Christmas meal isn't Christmas day itself, it's the several days after where you can still have a Christmas dinner without all of the stress and hassle of getting everything ready for the same time.

Get leftovers, throw in large saucepan/frying pan, stick a few more Yorkshire puddings in the oven (you *did* buy more than enough, right?) and heat up some of the gravy you made for Christmas day.

No standing for hours prepping. Make up as much as you want, get all of the leftovers you carefully hid - "No, gran, we don't have any more pigs in blankets left, sorry" and enjoy at your leisure.

Fab.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2025-12-17, 15:14:

Christmas trees are ridiculously expensive in California today.

When the family evacuated from California to Florida a few years ago, we collectively gave up on real trees. I've gotten used to the fake ones now.
I don't know what real trees currently cost in central Florida or even where to get one, but I'm sure they're not cheap. My sister did continue with real trees up to 1-2 years ago but they also seem to have given up on it. They had a tradition of going to a tree farm where they could cut it down themselves, so they went north maybe as far as Georgia for that. In northern California real trees were more practical since they grew in our area.

Is the time of the year my wife always cheat me, i give a nice jacket, perfume, watch or pair of boots... and she always give me a pair of socks

Oh, I wasn't aware today is Christmas Eve. We celebrate it a few days later.

Anyway, Merry Christmas and happy hollidays to everyone celebrating today!

I am also going to use a chance to wish you Happy New Year in advance. I am 44, but still naive enough to hope this year will be better, more peaceful and financially more successful than the last several years. 😁

DracoNihil wrote on 2025-12-23, 19:24:

UCyborg wrote on 2025-12-22, 21:35:

Am I too negative?

Nope. This decade in general has been a downward spiral.

Yes, I certainly agree. Not on a personal level, but the general trend on a societal level. It has been ever-increasing inflation (*especially* for our hobby. cf the RAM prices thread for starters), uncertainty, selfishness and entitlement, escalating strife and volatility, and enshittification. People behave well for about 5-10 days around Christmas, and then it's more of the same the rest of the year.

Too cynical? I think not, just a bit of pragmatic realism.

UCyborg wrote on 2025-12-22, 21:35:

Am I too negative?

No, no. It's fine. But there surely will be better times again.
Not seldomly, as the saying goes, it has to get worse before it gets better again.

Maybe it just needs a positive event such as another moon landing,
a second space station or a new technology (hyper loop?) that inspires people to look positively into the future.

The best we can do, I guess, is trying to continue to stay around and won't let negativity of others take over everything.

(I don't mean your post here, in my opinion your statement was true after all.
And knowing the truth is important to be able make a change for the better.
So it's all good. We just must try to also see the bright side of life, when there really is.
If we're happy, we're able to uplift and motivate others too.)

zyzzle wrote on 2025-12-24, 07:26:

People behave well for about 5-10 days around Christmas, and then it's more of the same the rest of the year.

In some families it's other way round, even.
They haven't really seen each others during year and then they're forced being together and feel the pressure to pretend to be happy.
Then it's inadvertible that they will see each other's flaws and shortcomings and that all the negative feelings they held back over the year do surface.

That's why I'd recommend to take it easy and to not set the bar of expectations too high.
The more people want to have a "perfect christmas", the less happy is the outcome.
Sometimes having zero expectations (modest expectations) and letting develop things naturally on their own can lead to a peaceful holiday.

Merry Christmas, everyone. ^^ 🎄

PS: Kind soul that you're reading this: When feeling down at year-end festival, please remember that you're not alone.
There are many others out there that feel similar in these days and that the sun will shine for you again. 🌠

UCyborg wrote on 2025-12-22, 21:35:

Am I too negative?

Yes. I don´t get especially excited for Christmas either but I don´t feel the need to vomit my apathy on someone who´s trying to enjoy it.

khyypio wrote on 2025-12-24, 08:03:

UCyborg wrote on 2025-12-22, 21:35:

Am I too negative?

Yes. I don´t get especially excited for Christmas either but I don´t feel the need to vomit my apathy on someone who´s trying to enjoy it.

Makes sense. On other hand, UCyborg's statement also is reassuring and uplifting somehow to others who suffer the same.
See, in Christmas time all the people are seemingly happy - except those who are not.
To them, it's the loneliest time of the year. They look back at better times, remember beloved ones that are gone.
They reach out their hands, try to stroke their pet, but no one is there.
They sit alone on a sofa in a dim room and cry silently, while "jinggle bells" and "white christmas" can be heard in the distance.
These people must suffer to an extent that most of us who still have family/friends can't imagine even close.

Not negative, just edgy.