That is such a pretty Christmas table set-up, Debbie! You should include this, as the photo for your Christmas cards!! So beautiful!

I was at a clothing store in a mall, about a week ago, buying a pair of jeans, a jacket and some t-shirts, when I noticed that the store had a pretty large wall that consisted of art work, devoted to bands like 'The Doors', 'The Beatles' and of course, 'Led Zeppelin'! This kind of made my day!

There goes a place, that I really wanted to visit! It's been on my travel bucket list for quite a while now! What a shame! I really can't help but wonder whether the location of the Boleskine house might be cursed! I mean, after all, this isn't the first time that a fire has occurred in the area!

Honestly, if there was an award for the most action packed holiday photo posted on the forums, you and Strider, will be sharing that award! Cheers for sharing these photos, gentlemen!

Resistance? Come now, Strider! Don't be shy! It's only us fellow Zep Heads here and if anyone, I mean anyone says anything mean, I will hunt them down and kick their behinds! I've got your back, Jack! Honestly, if I could choose an appropriate photographic representation of that really cool yet subtle growl emitted by Robert Plant on 'For Your Life', your photo will be it!!

An episode of Classic British Comedy show 'Are You Being Served?', called Christmas Crackers!

Hi Strider! That looks like a very intriguing selection of wine! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Since Jack Daniel's happens to be one of your favourite whiskies, I am dedicating my whiskey selection to you, this Christmas, by opening a bottle of Jack Daniel's, in your honour! Cheers to you, my friend! It's an absolute pleasure knowing a terrific guy, like you!

This is in honour of Mrs. Bucket!

Thanks, Julie! These dishes have their origins in northern and southern India and are just bursting with flavour! Your menu is sure making me hungry! I hope you had a wonderful time! And of course I'll be cheering for Australia tomorrow! It's going to be a cracker of a game, I bet! I hope CP, too will be watching the 1st test between England and the Proteas tomorrow! Looking forward to two test cricket matches! Twice the cricket, twice the fun!!

Really, matey?! She sounds like quite the character! I am so intrigued!

You're very welcome, Pat! So do I! It was my pleasure! Happy Holidays!

I was helping my mom clean out the loft the other day, when I discovered tons of old photos (a lot of which I didn't even know existed! ) spanning the lives of my mom and dad (from childhood, adolescence and adult hood), my family's days on board ship and even a few of my late paternal grandfather and maternal great grandmother (of whom I did not know very much, as they passed away when I was a kid) and it was fascinating (to say the least!) and I actually felt as if I had won the lottery! There were even a few of me, as a baby taken on Christmas Eve, 1988 (I couldn't even recognize myself and I actually asked my mom, who the baby was, in the photos! ). Just a few photos were damaged luckily and you Debbie, have certainly inspired me to digitalize these family photos! Your Christmas certainly sounds like a special one!

You're very welcome, Debbie! It is always so fascinating discovering old photographs from a bygone era! It is such a valuable time capsule. I'm really grateful that my mom and dad, took loads of photos spanning the 70's, 80's and 90's, from when my mom and dad first met, to when they were a young married couple and during the years when my mom and myself, sailed with my dad on board ship (for months on end, sometimes even for over a year) due to the nature of my dad's job (he's a Marine Engineer and has almost retired now). Looking forward to seeing your photos in the Photography thread!

Christmas lunch will comprise of Chana Dal (soaked in a Tomato and Onion based Korma, with oodles of Pav Bhaji Masala), Egg Fried Rice (I eat it with some Tabasco Sauce, much to my mom's horror! ) and Rotis, courtesy of my lovely mom and myself. It's a family tradition! Christmas dinner will comprise of Onion based Uttapams, Sambar, Idli Milagai Podi and Curd. My mom and I are also trying our hand, at making a Strawberry Smoothie. Oh and may I add, I'm (as usual), in charge of the booze department! I must say that, New Year is when the real festivities begin in my household. It will be rather dessert-centric this year, with Apple Pie, Lemon Tea Cake, plenty of Vanilla Custard and of course, Strawberry Jelly (what you Americans refer to, as jello) The savoury dish will be traditional Southern Indian style Onion Bonda. Oh and I will be spending boxing day watching test match cricket, with my dad I will be cheering for England, CP!

Is Christmas really about the important aspects of our lives such as being kind to one another and being thankful for our families and friends and helping each other out? Or is it just about being greedy and measuring the 'success' of Christmas, in terms of how many presents you receive?! Honestly, living in the 21st century when society is as materialistic as ever, I was honestly, humbled when I came across this little boy's Christmas wish list to Santa, from 1915. It got me thinking as to what the true meaning of Christmas, has become these days!! 100 YEAR OLD CHRISTMAS LIST FROM A 7 YEAR OLD BOY SHOWS HOW MATERIALISTIC OUR SOCIETY HAS BECOMEMichael Snyder | End Of The American Dream - DECEMBER 22, 2015 If there were no presents at all, would you still want to celebrate Christmas? 100 years ago, a little seven-year-old boy named Homer Mellen sent Santa Claus a letter asking for “a box of paints, also a nine cent reader, and a school bag to put them in.” And he added that if Santa happened to have “any nuts, or candy, or toys to spare” that he would love to have some. My, how times have changed. Today, nearly all of us expect to be showered with presents on Christmas morning, and then almost immediately people begin posting photos of their “Christmas loot” on social media websites such as Facebook. And as you will see below, the “Rich Kids of Instagram” have taken boasting about wealth to an extreme that nobody has ever seen before. Our society has become deeply, deeply materialistic, and whatever “meaning” Christmas once may have had has become almost completely lost at this point. When I first came across this 100 year old Christmas list, I was quite stunned. First of all, this young boy was able to express himself far better than most seven-year-old boys can today. Secondly, his letter to Santa reflected a sense of humility and thoughtfulness that is extremely rare in this day and age. In case you cannot read the letter that I have posted below, here is what it says… “Dear Santa Claus,” the boy begins in cursive handwriting. “Will you please send me a box of paints, also a nine cent reader, and a school bag to put them in.” He modestly continues, “And if you have any nuts, or candy, or toys to spare, would you kindly send me some.” If so, Homer concludes, “You will please a seven year old boy.” The Mellen family kept and cherished this note for 98 years in a little box containing “private little things like locks of hair, or the first picture that was taken,” Mellen explained, in order to “put away for memories for grandchildren.” I don’t know about you, but that letter touched my heart, and it made me long for an era that has long since passed away. In 2015, things are very different. Most people spend the month of December eagerly anticipating all of the stuff that they are about to get, and this is ingrained in our children from a very early age. If you don’t think that this is true, just spend some time on the “Rich Kids Of Instagram” Tumblr page this holiday season. You will see example after example of rich kids boasting about the stuff they hauled in over their holidays. To these young adults, Christmas is far better when you are rich. And from a worldly perspective, it is hard to argue with their logic. Just check out how “rich kid” Serena Marron spent her holiday season last year… Does that sound like any Christmas that you have ever had? And check out how 20-year-old “rich kid” Evan Luthra spends his dough… Where did these young people learn to act this way? The truth is that this is what our society glorifies, and most of our young adults would act like this if they had enough money to do so. As it is, the average American will spend 830 dollars on Christmas this year. Most people pile up lots of debt on their credit cards buying lots of useless stuff, and much of it will just end up sitting on a shelf somewhere taking up space. But most Americans do this year after year because society tells them that this is what they need to do in order to be happy. Of course the truth is that most people do not find happiness during the Christmas season. In fact, the rate of suicide spikes to the highest level of the entire yearduring “the holidays”, and one survey found that 45 percentof all Americans say that they dread the Christmas season. Where did we go wrong? If Christmas really is all about stuff, what does that mean for those that cannot afford to buy much? Are their holidays “worse” than those that have a lot of money for presents? It is often said that “whoever dies with the most toys wins”, but I totally disagree with that. Our lives are not about the stuff that we accumulate, and we can’t take any of it with us when we die. Instead, our lives should be about loving God and loving each other. Rather than teaching our children to greedily look forward to all of the goodies they are going to get on Christmas morning, what if we taught them to try to be people of great love? How different would our society look? Just something for you to think about as you and your family enjoy “the holiday season”…

How about the changing art of photography? Honestly, discovering photos taken during the good old days, when digital cameras and smart phones weren't invented, makes me so happy! Gotta love those lovely black and white vintage photos! Photographs of everyday life in 1950s New York City discovered in an attic 45 years later18th December by Katy Cowan in Photography The vintage photographs you're about to see have an interesting history. They all came from a cardboard box filled with negatives that was unopened and virtually forgotten for over 45 years. When undiscovered photographer Frank Larson passed away in 1964, his wife Eleanora boxed up all of their possessions and moved out of their retirement home in Lakeville, Connecticut. The box of negatives were one of these items, and it has remained with the family ever since, tucked away in storage. That was until, Carole Larson – the widow of Frank's youngest son David – and her son Soren were sorting though old boxes in their attic and found the negatives. Soren said: "I had seen a few examples of my grandfather's photography over the years and always admired them – our old family photo albums have a few small prints of his work in them. My father also used to speak with admiration about his father's love of photography and his weekend trips with his Rolleiflex into the city to film places like the Bowery, Chinatown and Times Square. "But when I opened the box and began to explore what was inside I was truly shocked at the quality and range of the images, as well as the effort, dedication and love he brought to the task. When Frank died in 1964, I was only three years old, and too young to remember this gentle, careful man." Inside the box were over 100 envelopes filled with mostly medium-format, 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" negatives. The packets were marked by date and location, carefully sealed and left exactly as he packed them 50 years ago. Soren added: "As I began unsealing each packet and holding the negatives up to the light, it was like a trip back in time, back to the New York of the early '50s." Following the discovering, Soren built a website in dedication to his grandfather, sharing the negatives-turned-photographs with the rest of the world. You can view more of Frank Larson's amazing photography atwww.franklarsonphotos.com. Via MyModernMet Source : http://www.creativeboom.com/photography/photographs-of-everyday-life-in-1950s-new-york-city-discovered-in-an-attic-45-years-later/

Finally, getting into the Christmas spirit!

Wonderful!

You took the words right out of my mouth, Emily

Strider, being the overly sentimental sap that I am, the fact that you took the time and trouble to send me a Christmas gift, honestly, made me tear up a little. I don't mind at all, that my package won't be arriving on time. I'm just really thankful for our friendship! It is a pleasure knowing such a kind and lovely guy like you! Like CP, I hope to eventually, meet you in person in Hollywood! I'm honestly, so bloody determined to make it happen! Yes, siree, Bob!

Hi, Emily!!! Oh boy! Have I missed you! So nice to see you back here! Thank you for the compliment!

Blimey! Sometimes I truly cannot believe that I actually tune in to boring old CNN, each night just to catch a glimpse of her But, me thinks it is so bloody worth it! Damn!