Merry Christmas (2014)

[MauEvig]

To everyone here on Halloween Forums, a very Merry Christmas!!!

Today's the big day! We're keeping it simple this year with a dinner and spending time together. Our families got us quite a bit of presents though, feel bad I couldn't afford presents this year, but there's always next year and that's not what's important anyway. I hope you all are getting a chance to spend time with the ones you love this beautiful and wonderful holiday!

[Andybev01]

I gave myself the gift of a clean apartment and laundry so I won't have to do anything over my 4 day New Year weekend.

I work tomorrow then I'm going to the house this weekend and decompress.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !

[witchy]

Merry Christmas everyone!!

[Murfreesboro]

Merry Christmas Season! I hope everyone had a great day yesterday!

[MauEvig]

We did have a great day yesterday. I made my homemade lasagna, and put a nice twist to it by adding pepperoni on top in the shape of a Christmas Tree. Here it is before going into the oven:



And after it was done:



We spent the day watching a movie, A Christmas Carol, the animated version made by Disney with Jim Carrey as the voice: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067106/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

We also played an old school Sega Saturn classic game that was something of a promotion back in the day: Christmas Nights. It had a special Christmas plot added to it and was basically the first level and boss but Christmas-fied. Beating certain parts of the game got you to unlock "presents" in game, but it was basically a mini matching game where you would match the characters. Certainly brings back some childhood memories playing that game.

I also got to talk with some family over the phone and internet.

Over all, it was a great Christmas. ^^

[Kolchak]

I like the pizza tree Mau, That's cute!

We have a pot luck, bring your specialty dinner right before Christmas at my department. We have a big break room and all three shifts can bring in whatever they want and we pick and choose what we like. A few years back, just to be different I started bringing in chopped bar-b-q venison.

I really didn't know what to expect, but they ate it up so fast that I had to bring some more the following day so the other shifts could try it. Now I have to bring a boat load along with buns and cole slaw so people can make bar-b-q sandwiches.

I was a little worried two years ago because the butcher and deer processor I had been using for years had gone out of business and the new guy I found, I didn't know much about him. Thankfully he turned out to be just as good as my old butcher, even if the new guy charges a bit more.

Bottom line is that Christmas is about being with friends and family. Giving what comes from your heart goes a long way to filling peoples stomachs!

[Andybev01]

There has to be some way to make that look like Santa's reindeer...

[Murfreesboro]

Your lasagna is cute, Mau! And your barbecued venison sounds delicious, Kolchak.

[MauEvig]

I love a good pulled barbecue sandwich such as pork or beef, so I imagine I'd like the venison too. Haha! I'm not much of the type of person to go hunting, and I doubt I could bring myself to do it anyway, especially after encountering this very friendly doe in our yard once. (Apparently someone had tamed her, and she was really sweet. I honestly think they'd make wonderful pets, but it's actually illegal. She had a collar on her, but apparently the rest of the town turns a blind eye to it. Probably because she'd be easy prey for a hunter). As much as I love nature and a good hike in the woods, I doubt I could shoot a deer unless I was in a situation where I had to do it for survival. That said, if someone else is willing to bring me some delicious venison sausages, or in this case pulled barbecue venison sandwiches, I won't turn it down. I am not against eating meat, but I think killing an animal myself would kill me a little inside. Still wouldn't go as far as become a vegan or a vegetarian though. Not that I haven't thought of it. So alas I'm torn between eating meat and harming animals. Still even if I became a vegetarian, animals would still get harmed anyway, it would change nothing. So I just do the best I can to be a good pet-parent to my kitties.

Anyway, sorry for the depressing subject. ^^; It does sound delicious though. And that was also lasagna not pizza, although a good pizza does sound pretty good right now. I thought I'd try it with pepperoni for a twist, and since it was Christmas I got creative and made it into a Christmas tree. (Hey maybe next year for Halloween I can do a pizza that resembles a Jack o' Lantern, or a Lasagna)

Haha I don't know about the reindeer part Andy, or were you talking about Kolchak's venison? I doubt I could eat it then!

Hope you all had a great and Merry Christmas!

[Andybev01]

Short rant :

Please do not feed deer or encourage wildlife to collect around human habitats.

It draws their predators to your home.

Rant over.

[MauEvig]

I didn't think about that. Thanks for the advice. I always thought the laws were to protect the wild life, but I guess it can have devastating consequences for humans too, when they attempt to tame what was meant to be wild.

My Biology Professor informed our class that hunters were abusing the system and dumping dead deer carcasses illegally. This has resulted in an increase in the coyote population along with larger, healthier coyotes thanks to the surplus food supply they are getting from scavenging, resulting in more deer being killed. No wonder the hunters can't seem to find any around here when hunting season comes, and it's a shame for those who abide by the laws and don't poach.

[Murfreesboro]

When we lived in the Shenandoah Valley, hunting was so big that they actually gave the school kids excused absences on the first day of hunting season. I don't know what's going on up there right now, but I know from my husband (who is not a hunter, but is big on Second Amendment rights) that hunters are largely responsible for conservation efforts nation-wide. Their licenses help pay for conservation, and thinning the herds of animals like deer actually helps keep them healthy. Otherwise they would over-populate and die of disease. He was telling me just the other day, when we were watching something about declining populations of wild animals in Africa, that he thought the best thing they could do would be to make it legal to hunt those animals. Then the locals would have a reason to stop poachers, and the hunters would see to it that their favorite species survived through responsible hunting.

Emotionally, I am like you, Mau. I couldn't kill an animal myself unless it were truly a matter of survival for me and my loved ones. But I recognize the hypocrisy of my attitude, since I do eat meat and have no plans to stop.

[Boogeyman]

It is so awesome that those kids get the day off on my birthday.

[MauEvig]

I have no problem at all with hunters who abide by the law, and respect conservation rights. A good portion of income at the local stores comes from hunters and these guys are the ones who would gladly thin out the herds to keep them in check. We killed many of their natural predators off, so now it's our responsibility to maintain balance.

But not everyone respects the law, or nature for that matter. I'm talking about the guys who hunt carelessly leaving carcasses laying around, and who think they can just shoot up anything at any time of the year. Those who respect the laws actually get the short end of the stick because they can't find any deer when hunting season actually gets here.

I'm against hunting endangered species. Right now the Tiger population is in steady decline because of carelessness, there's no reason at all to hunt Tigers. (Of course, I'd be against it anyway even if they weren't endangered but I'm a little biased in favor of cat species). Yet due to ignorance, people still believing that some sacred "medicine" comes from tiger bones, and that there's this big thrill for hunting the biggest predator and having their big beautiful coats is causing them to die off. I don't want to live in a world with no more tigers, and no more big cats. Personally, I think the coats are more beautiful on a cat that's alive and breathing. There's something mystical about big cats. I have a lot of respect for these animals.

Yeah I myself just don't have the heart to go hunting, but like you said Murf I'm a bit hypocritical that unless I was in the middle of the woods starving there's no way I'd go out and kill an animal, yet I'll still consume meat. You're definitely right that most hunters will do the right thing, I'm talking about the few bad apples that spoil the whole bunch. Being the thing that keeps a population in balance is one thing, but careless poaching is another matter entirely. When my land lord still lived here, her dog would find dead deer carcasses everywhere and bring them onto her yard. These carcasses can carry bacteria and disease, and could probably even attract unwanted predators. But regardless, if you do hunt all I can say is follow the laws, respect nature, and clean up when you're done.

[Murfreesboro]

It is so awesome that those kids get the day off on my birthday.

I hear you, Mau. Lawbreakers ruin things for everybody.