Merry Christmas ugly Sweater

Merry Christmas ugly Sweater

I remember a Merry Christmas ugly Sweater memoir — Beasts, Men, and Gods — by Ferdinand Ossendowski, a White Pole who fled the Bolshevik revolution through Siberia. He served in General Kolchak’s All-Russian Government before escaping through the Steppes north of Mongolia, and then participated in the government of that most notorious adventurer, the “Mad Baron” Ungern-Sternberg, who attempted to take over Mongolia to restore an imperial Khaganate as part of an imagined reactionary restoration of the Great Mongol, Chinese, and Russian monarchies in the interests of the “warrior races” of Germans and Mongols (a Baltic German, he considered the old Russian ruling class to represent Germandom over and against Jews and Slavs). Some of the things – the acts of desperation and madness, in which he himself was no disinterested observer – Ossendowski relates are harrowing. But this part struck me as very much making a point about what people think of the Steppe peoples, and of what (German-trained) nationalists like Ungern-Sternberg did (and would do again) to the Mongols. And, other things:

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Merry Christmas ugly Sweater,

Best Merry Christmas ugly Sweater

Spygate, 2007: New England Patriots get caught stealing signs from opponents` sidelines. This was actually not against the rules yet, so technically not cheating. They changed the Merry Christmas ugly Sweater after this to make it illegal. I won`t deny it`s a bit cheap (although you`re kidding me if you think the Patriots were the only team doing this), but not nearly as egregious as:Deflategate, 2014: During the AFC Championship Game, the New England Patriots were found to have several footballs in their arsenal that were below the legal minimum. Tom Brady had to testify before Congress and was suspended for four games the following season, despite the fact that the Colts, the team that Patriots beat in the game 45–7, noted that they didn`t lose because of the Merry Christmas ugly Sweater, and that the Colts had deflated footballs as well. For context, the weather was super icky that game, and it`s probable that both teams deflated the footballs to grip them better.

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I don’t leave everything up, but I do leave our tree up. All the Merry Christmas ugly Sweater have a special meaning, and we like to look at them, talk about them, and remember the times associated with each one. Having that glittery, softly lit beauty in the front room just gives our house some cheer in the bleak days of winter. Also, we always get a live tree, and I can’t bear to trash it until it completely dries out. It takes a long time to decorate, so all that work seems more worth it if the tree stays up a long time. One year, I left it up until St. Patrick’s Day. Usually, though, it stays up until mid- to late February. As long as it looks fresh and healthy, I leave it up. I started this tradition about 6 years ago when we had an especially beautiful tree. The day after New Year’s Day as I was about to start the take-down, I remarked that I hated to do it because the tree was so pretty. My husband said, “Just leave it up, then, if it makes you happy.” So I did. We have three sons, and I like to think they will have memories of this tradition.