With all due respect, this Christmas has been an insult right down to the tree (as intended, to demoralize), what with the cruise being cancelled (they should have read the fine print) after the founder died as the Globe remembers those they have lost on Facebook because the coronavirus pandemic has robbed them of mourning in community and for the mourning and loss have to be shared.
One would hope they would learn from what they have wrought in as they honor the century-long partnership with Nova Scotia with a festive tree in Bo$ton, as visits with Santa Claus were different this year, with face shields attached to red caps, masks made specifically for people with bushy beards, plexiglass dividers and social-distancing for children making mall visits, and yes, virtual calls straight from busy “workshops” via Zoom that should make any child even more frightened from the costumed perverts than usual.
Hope you enjoyed the light show at the spot where disabled children were fed radioactive cereal during the Cold War as local families felt the pain of a global pandemic that taught children to set goals. The homeless shelter is making appeals to public for donations as pandemic strains its resources (at least they are being open about it), but you still need to consider the small landlord who is terrified despite the caring heart and a strong desire to help others:
"The Palestinian Health Ministry has recommended strict limits on Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Celebrations in the biblical town revered by Christians as Jesus’ birthplace are usually attended by thousands of people from around the world, but this year, the ministry has recommended the upcoming Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Manger Square be limited to 50 people, with the lights of the tree and area restaurants closed at 9 p.m. throughout the Christmas season. In its recommendations Saturday, it said religious services on Christmas Eve should also have limited attendance. Bethlehem’s economy, filled with hotels, gift shops and restaurants, relies heavily on the Christmas season. The cancellation or scaling back of the celebrations will deal another blow to an economy that already has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis this year. Palestinian officials are expected to make a final decision on Christmas celebrations in the coming days. Israel’s international airport — the main entry point for foreign travelers — has been closed to tourists for months, limiting the potential numbers of pilgrims in any case. The West Bank is in the midst of a spike in coronavirus cases, while Israel is only slowly emerging from a lockdown imposed in September to control a raging outbreak. The northern Israeli town of Nazareth, revered by Christians as the place of Jesus’ childhood, has been designated a “restricted” zone by authorities, limiting movement in and out of the area for at least the next few days....."
No sooner had they emerged, than they were locked down again:
"The Israeli government says it will impose its third nationwide lockdown on Sunday to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet approved the movement restrictions for two weeks. They include the shutdown of most nonessential businesses, limitations on gatherings and movement from people’s homes and reduced public transit, but classes for high school, kindergartens and some grade school students will continue. Israel, a country of 9 million people, started rolling out coronavirus vaccinations this week and has already inoculated over 140,000 people, according to the health ministry. Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel aims to increase vaccinations to 100,000 people per day by next week. Israel has recorded over 385,000 cases of the coronavirus since March, and 3,150 deaths, but the infection rate has shot up in recent weeks after the government started easing restrictions put in place in September."
They want you waiting at home for the jab.
That is why the casedemic is being ratcheted up.
God help us all:
"Thousands of people on Sunday attended the funeral of Serbian Patriarch Irinej who died after contracting the coronavirus, many ignoring preventive measures against the pandemic. Many mourners and most priests holding the funeral service in the massive St. Sava Temple in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, didn’t wear masks or adhere to social distancing inside the church, kissing the glass shield covering Irinej’s remains and even using a single spoon during Holy Communion. Irinej, 90, died on Friday, three weeks after attending the funeral of another cleric in neighboring Montenegro in which mourners kissed his remains lying in an open casket although he also died from COVID-19 complications. The Serbian Orthodox Church has asked mourners to keep their distance and wear face masks in line with the anti-virus recommendations, but even priests inside the temple were without masks. Serbian epidemiologists have said there was no way they could ban the traditional funeral prayers....."
"Police interrupted a Sunday Mass in a northern Greek village and fined a priest 1,500 euros (US$1,780) for allowing two people to attend the service. They also arrested the priest's 30-year-old son and one of the two worshippers, who they said attacked the police officers. The priest had been urging parishioners to attend, despite a ban, saying, “You're either with Christ or the coronavirus.” The two attendees were from a neighbouring village. Authorities are strictly enforcing a lockdown and nightly curfew after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. In the northern city of Thessaloniki, where most cases have appeared, an 18-year-old university student was given a 6-month suspended sentence and fined 3,000 euros (US$3,560) for hosting her birthday party, which police raided at 1.30 am Saturday. The six guests were fined 300 euros (US$356) each. Health authorities announced 1,498 new coronavirus cases Sunday, along with 103 deaths, five less than the daily record set Saturday. The number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is 91,619, with 1,630 deaths."
They are also facing criticism from the New York Times as Christmas tree farms were swamped by customers on first day of season in a “day like no other,” complete with maskless high-fives!
The Duchess of Sussex revealed that she had a miscarriage in July, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others regarding the risks of radiation as families need help from Globe Santa, now more than ever.
The Salvation Army’s Massachusetts Division predicts it will only collect half of the $2.6 million it raised in 2019, and to combat this year’s challenges the group is doubling down on its effort to attract digital donations.
They are struggling to meet fundraising targets and the red kettle hauls are down about 50 percent compared to last year’s collections, but not because of me. I probably donated about the same, a couple of handfuls of loose change and a few dollar bills. But for the grace of God go I, and they need to go where is the money.
Fortunately, Boston is laying the groundwork to end family homelessness, an earnest endeavor. that will hold political leaders accountable even as the Greater Boston housing market remains red-hot, with prices surging and the number of sales at record highs except for one place: downtown (ha-ha), and it may not last much longer because new-home sales in the United States dropped to a five-month low, suggesting red-hot demand is cooling amid resurgent COVID-19 cases and other signs of a slowing economy and buying a home in Greater Boston isn’t likely to get much easier in 2021.
All a mother stricken by COVID-19 wanted are some front-row seats to the concert as families told the Globe Santa how deserving their children are as Christians looked for a way to wait out pandemic during Advent and converted the anxiety of awaiting a COVID-19 vaccine months away into “joyful anticipation” in the days leading up to Christmas.
Another mother sought help from Globe Santa as COVID-19 took its toll as her autistic son cannot go to daycare because he doesn't understand why he needs to wear a mask, and does he ever have her on a hamster wheel with “no end in sight.”
The Globe says these six new films will get him into the holiday spirit, and the virtual Boston Comedy Festival will keep the laughs coming even as the medical and economic problems add to COVID-19 woes for Globe Santa families and the battle with COVID-19 pushed more families to the brink of history as the country’s affordable housing plans are woefully inadequate if not coupled with an ambitious long-term plan to build and invest in equitable and affordable housing.
Have no fear, Santa heard the call for help and is only a snowball’s throw away after being cleaned out on this day and as single parents strained to stay afloat amidst the jobs cuts and furloughs. At least there will plenty of movies to stream (can you believe who the host, executive producer, and subject? A real champion she) off the big screen.
I'm not trying to be a Grinch. I've been a good boy in the face of expanding tyranny as I hide out in the suburbs. No one gives a hoot anyway, not in the great outdoors where one can dance and mourns residents lost to COVID-19 and who are now part of history. We will all soon be back together since there are no good choices at this point. A women’s work is never done, and they say they feel powerless to ask for a raise during pandemic.
Of course, "months ago, when the pandemic was just taking hold, you might have looked to the end of the year with some hope that things would be better by then, but sadly, we know better now, and holiday plans are filled with the fear that we may be putting ourselves, and those we love, at risk and as public health officials urge us to stay home for the holidays, many people are having to forgo traditional gatherings and decline invitations from those they love the most, but saying no to family can be hard, so we asked some experts for advice on the best way to send your regrets."
Yeah, we can “all celebrate together next year” if you are still alive, because chronic medical conditions are making life difficult for many Globe Santa families as the pandemic heightens stress on families in need at the holidays (an anxiety-prone 7-year-old girl was stressed even more when she overheard someone say Santa isn't coming this year because he caught the coronavirus and she won't be getting the high-end winter jacket she had asked for, and might even become homeless because her parents are now unemployed.
Other families seeking Globe Santa help often have long-term troubles even as they confront the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, so the reboot craze should help along with Harry Shearer’s ‘Very Virtual’ Christmas extravaganza and the reindeer games that send a message of hope in the darkness as the world sinks into oblivion and single mothers hope Globe Santa can help make Christmas merry even as evictions are hitting hard in parts of Mass. where people are most vulnerable and caregivers share their plight during the pandemic and this moment in history.
What was a pleasant surprise was the snow storm that preceded Christmas despite the hottest year on record. I was so grateful for that day as parents and siblings asked the Globe Santa to help make their Christmas merrier this year as the post office struggled with holiday deluge (the fraudulent ballots must have got in the way).
Of course, COVID-19 troubles were not the only problems facing Globe Santa families this year, although the gaudy Christmas lights were just what 2020 demanded — a tawdry, cheap, and garish antidote to some of our festering national bitterness because we all need the magic of Christmas in the City more than ever (that's blasphemy coming from them).
"Winter may just be getting started, but our long, dark nights are about to turn a bit brighter. Monday is the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. On Tuesday, we’ll start gaining a few seconds of daylight again. This year’s solstice, which arrives Monday at 5:02 a.m. Eastern, coincides with another special astronomical event: On Monday evening, Jupiter and Saturn will be in a rare planetary alignment, appearing closer together in the evening sky than they have in nearly 800 years. They won’t appear this close again until 2080. The visual proximity of the two giant planets offers a good reason to gaze skyward on the solstice, but if you miss the event (or clouds spoil the show), there’s still plenty to appreciate about the winter solstice in its own right. On the December solstice, the sun appears directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, a line of latitude 23.5 degrees south of Earth’s equator. It’s as far south as the sun ever gets before starting its six-month journey northward again. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we see the sun take its lowest and shortest path across the southern sky, which is why it’s dark for a good portion of the day....."
You might even find a message in bottle as the Globe Santa greeted Medford families from fire truck during Kiwanis Club drive-by parade in honor of a neighborhood icon that is no more, euthanized by state officials after a series of incidents and as a child author writes a book about the murder.
Meanwhile, Cardinal O’Malley detailed Christmas Mass safety plans during COVID-19 pandemic after “significant preparations” to celebrate with a reduced number of parishioners able to attend, and I would like to ask him about the Satanic nativity scene that should be burned down. One wonders if they would even welcome the miracle child at the inn with songs, or try to proselytize the kid before he was born because of the virus rules for Christmas or outright jail him.
The delivery by Hanna Krueger of the Globe Staff says:
"This year, the band of holiday carolers known as the Cardiotonics had to adjust their typical performance to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. Dr. Thomas Michel consulted with the hospital epidemiologist, who gave him the green light to substitute humming for singing, but like nearly every tradition this year, the pandemic forced the so-called Cardiotonics — meaning medicine for the heart — to adjust their typical performance to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. The cheery music is a welcome distraction from the somber circumstances that landed them in the hospital during the holiday season. This year — the deadliest in US history — has strained hospital systems, sapped health care workers, and ravaged hundreds of thousands of lives, so despite the adjustments, Michel saw the Cardiotonics as a much-needed and welcome reprieve. “It’s something that has become a beloved tradition and I’m glad that despite the pandemic we can sustain that because I think we need it now more than ever,” said Michel, who is Jewish. He admits the holiday tunes are not for everyone. Michel, who doubles as a researcher and teacher, returned to the cardiology wards this week after a months-long hiatus. He received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. Dr. Julia Jezmir, a third-year internal medicine resident, described a moment last Christmas when a patient sang along with tears flowing from his eyes. The doctor looked around the room and all 20 carolers — a collection of doctors young and old, tie-wearers and antler-wearers — were crying as well. “Caroling is one of the more meaningful moments of my residency,” said Jezmir. “I made sure to work during the Christmas holiday bloc specifically for it. There’s something about the shared humanity of the moment. Something that reminds us we’re all in this journey together.”
Except we are not, and then, before you knew it, Christmas Eve was upon us:
"Christmas will look different for a number of reasons this year. Among them: The potential for some Massachusetts homes to have unlit trees. A storm system is expected to move into the region over the Christmas holiday, bringing the potential for power outages as strong winds topple trees and power lines, forecasters said, as state officials warn residents to be prepared for outages and utility company Eversource cancels some employee vacations to deal with cleanup. Forecasters are warning strong winds could lead to downed trees and widespread power outages on Thursday and Friday for Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with the worst of it to take place on Christmas morning....."
After a most difficult year, I felt blessed that it all stayed to the east, even if the rain washed way all the snow.
Cardinal O’Malley, vaccinated against COVID-19 on Christmas Eve, encourages others to do so, as well
Then he is a blasphemous apostate of Satan, and they come in all religions.
Bags filled with eggs, hams, canned produce, and other food along with laundry baskets stuffed with cleaning supplies were handed out to hundreds of Dorchester families Thursday, replacing the annual holiday toy distribution led by the family of Boston’s late and longest-serving mayor Tom Menino.
With protocols in mind, they turned no one away, according to Gal Tziperman Lotan of the Globe Staff, and the scene was quite different in Bethlehem:
"The Church of the Nativity was closed, and most souvenir shops shuttered. Hotels that are usually sold out months in advance were deserted. Among the few signs of life on the main street in Bethlehem’s Old City last Friday were the chirping of a few birds and stray cats scavenging an overflowing garbage can. Earlier in the month, only a few people attended the tree-lighting ceremony in Manger Square, an event that usually heralds the metamorphosis of the quiet West Bank town of Bethlehem into one of the main seasonal attractions of international Christendom. The coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on Christmas at the place where it is said to have all begun. “Great sadness,” Father Ibrahim Shomali, the chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said of this year’s celebrations. “We are very frustrated, but what can we do? We need to accept the reality and do the right thing.” Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity is usually one of the social events of the year on the occupied West Bank. The ancient limestone church takes on the atmosphere of a glittering movie premiere as diplomats and Palestinian officials emerge from motorcades of shiny BMWs and Mercedes in tailored suits and elegant dresses. This year, the ceremony will be limited to church officials, a handful of European diplomats and Bethlehem’s mayor. The Palestinian Authority imposed tough antivirus restrictions on Bethlehem on Dec. 10, setting up checkpoints around its perimeter, ordering the closing of restaurants, cafes, schools and gyms, and forbidding nearly all large gatherings. Bethlehem has about 1,000 confirmed, active cases of Covid-19, according to official data, although the true number is thought to be much higher. All intensive care beds at hospitals are occupied, the Health Ministry said. During a recent visit, the expansive lobby of the 222-room Bethlehem Hotel was silent. The leather couches and chairs were empty, the lights and heating were turned off, and a fine coating of dust was collecting on coffee tables. Until the pandemic, the tourism industry in the West Bank, which relies heavily on the Christmas-time business in Bethlehem, was anticipating its best year in two decades. The West Bank had more than three million visitors last year, tourism officials said, and despite competition from Israeli tour providers and the challenges of doing business under occupation, Palestinian travel-and-tourism companies were hiring, offering new itineraries and predicting continued growth for 2020. “We went from our highest to lowest point,” said Tony Khashram, the head of the Holy Land Incoming Tour Operators Association. “Everything fell apart in the snap of a finger.”
And with that, bells rang out around Bethlehem as the traditional birthplace of Jesus celebrated, but the closure of Israel’s international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions banning intercity travel in the areas they administer in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, kept visitors away, while in Beijing, official churches abruptly canceled Mass after China’s capital was put on high alert following two confirmed COVID-19 cases last week after two new asymptomatic cases were reported Friday.
I'm told that with economies reeling around the world, it wasn’t a year of lavish gifts and look at what the Globe found at the White House gift shop:
"With attitudes and laws about the plant rapidly changing, cannabis is increasingly a part — and an increasingly open part — of American holidays. Legal marijuana sales typically spike before Christmas, and interviews with a wide array of Massachusetts consumers found that products infused with hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD, are high (no pun intended) on many gift lists this Christmas season. Meanwhile, people said that marijuana’s fading stigma means they’re more likely than ever to be swapping joints, marijuana flower, and edibles as gifts with friends and colleagues, especially those under 40. The interviews also revealed that many people feel less pressure than ever to hide from their families marijuana-related holiday traditions, such as the annual “walk in the woods” to smoke a joint with the cousins before a family meal, even as the pandemic has forced somewhat unsatisfying adaptations of those cherished rituals....."
Take it outside, will ya'?
"After two dismal seasons that saw the market for their crop sharply curtailed by conflicting regulations, Massachusetts hemp farmers and their supporters are cheering a new state budget amendment that would extend a lifeline to the promising agricultural sector. The provision would allow hemp farmers to sell their plants to legal marijuana dispensaries. It was introduced by Republican state Senator Ryan Fattman of Webster and is headed to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk after a successful vote in the Legislature Friday. Proponents hope it will create a lucrative new market for hemp farmers, who have been hamstrung by state rules banning them from the most profitable segment of the industry: edible products containing cannabidiol, or CBD, a popular cannabis-derived compound that doesn’t get users high and may have health benefits. At the same time, it should provide marijuana dispensaries and their suppliers with a cheaper source of CBD, lowering prices for consumers. “It literally changes everything for small hemp farmers like myself,” said Linda Noel, a longtime advocate who grows hemp at Terrapin Farm in Franklin. “It’s a big win,” said David Torrisi, president of the Commonwealth Dispensary Association, who said his industry group is strongly encouraging the governor to sign it in time for farmers to make decisions about next year’s growing season, which starts in late spring. “There’s no downside to it at all, and it helps out a lot of folks, especially farmers who had the rug pulled out from underneath them last year.”
Hope that gave you some holiday joy despite the pandemic.
The consensus was "stay home, it’s not worth it," and what are they doing alive?
After taking a stab at a socially distant Christmas, the new coronavirus restrictions took effect on Saturday.
