Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year

[Thomas B. Thompson]

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!!
Looking forward to meeting new members at the AGM and seeing the old ones.
As the new year approches, I see it as an opportunity to grow and continue
the quest for our clan's goals. An atribute of a strong family is good communications,
so let's continue communicating with each other by means available: Forum, E-mails.
Phones, whatever ,to ensure to everyone that as clan family we are there for
each other.
Best Wishes to all

Tom/Barbara (Indiana)

[Duke Thompson]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, glad to be part of the family!

Duke, Alison, & Taylor (Florida)

P.S.  If you have not read the Scottish version of the story of Mary and Joseph that Stu posted in I think the poetry section, take a look!!!

[Donna]

Hey Y'all,

My wish for you and yours is a Christmas filled with family, friends, and lots of chocolate and a New Year full of Blessings.   

Donna

[Mary]

And Merry Christmas greetings from the mountaintop in Tennessee!

We've had a great year of building our Thom(p)son family and much to be proud of! We're a long way from our ultimate goal for our society, but some
milestones just take time and/or money.......we'll get there!

May your holidays be safe, warm and wonderful.

Tom and Mary

[Stirling Thompson]

Hoping you and your family have the best of times this holiday season! Merry Christmas and a Happy Hogmany! Don't overdue the cheer the weather may be bad and who knows what fools are out and about this time of year.

[Barbara]

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY and SAFE NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Barbara

[Mary]

Barbara........I think you're an over-achiever!!!    Christmas colors and all!

[Barbara]

Well.....seems I forgot the green.   

Barbara

[Jim Reed, PA Commish]

Happy Hogmanay
'Lang may yer lum reek' - ('Long may your chimney smoke')

If you're "First Footing" don't forget your gifts -
The first-foot is expected to bring suitable gifts to ensure good luck throughout the year. These may include:
• A lump of coal - for warmth.
• Cake or biscuits - to ensure the household never goes hungry. The cake is often a very rich and moist fruit cake known as Black Bun.
• Salt - to bring wealth.

in exchange your host might give you a wee glass of scotch whiskey

[John ThomsonHollingsworth]

Happy Hogmanay
'Lang may yer lum reek' - ('Long may your chimney smoke')

If you're "First Footing" don't forget your gifts -
The first-foot is expected to bring suitable gifts to ensure good luck throughout the year. These may include:
• A lump of coal - for warmth.
• Cake or biscuits - to ensure the household never goes hungry. The cake is often a very rich and moist fruit cake known as Black Bun.
• Salt - to bring wealth.

in exchange your host might give you a wee glass of scotch whiskey

Its been many years since I heard :lum reek" and "first foot"
My mother was born in Scotland in 1902 her mother in 1879 her family moved to NJ in 1911
I was born in 1940 , my grandmother until the day she died in 1974 sounded like she never left Scotland
Of course they were Thomson's

Happy Hogmanay to all

[Mary]

OK - ignorance abounds here.........what is 'first footing?' and how do you know if you are the first-foot?  I don't want to 'set a foot wrong'  (snark, snark........yeah, I know - no rotten tomatoes please!)

Wonder how  lump of coal went from bringing warmth in Scottish to being given to naughty children over here?!?

[John ThomsonHollingsworth]

If my old memory don't fail.
First foot is the first person to enter house after midnight on New Year's eve.
We used to have some one leave the house prior to midnight and then enter with the prescribed items so as to ensure good luck to household.

[Ernest Thompson]

G'day and Merry Christmas to all our American cousins.
I thought it may interest those family members who have never been down under to hear how we spend this most Holy of days without snow or cold or sleet.
Remember we are approximately 16 hours ahead of you guys so we get to greet the jolly old fellow first which means we get our presents first. yuk yuk yuk.
Christmas Eve sees most people participating in Carols by Candlelight and many attend midnight mass. Then it's time to get to bed so the old bloke can ride his sleigh across the stars of the Southern Cross .
Due to the heat Santa arrives slightly differently than in the Northern hemisphere.
Santa is dressed in a broad brimmed hat with UV sunglasses, a red singlet, red & white board shorts and a pair of red thongs to protect his feet.
His transport has also been adapted to our climate and instead of reindeer, who have trouble with the heat, the sleigh is drawn by six white Boomers (kangaroo).
Chimneys are rare so Santa enters Aussie homes via pure magic.
Everyone is asleep when he arrives or are supposed to be but a mate of mine told me he stayed up one year and sprung his Mum  having a pash with Santa under the mistle toe. I myself never believed him.
Christmas morning sees everyone up early to gather round the tree and receive their presents then the adults all sit down for a champagne and OJ breakfast while the kids wreck the place and rush off to their mates place to compare presents.
The rest of the morning is spent preparing the lunch, the ladies that is, and the blokes test out their new toys with a shot or two of Bundy Rum or whatever comes to hand.
The big lunch is also somewhat different than in the North though there are still some traditionalists that swealter with a hot European type meal. Most of us drag out the Bar-B-Que and the fun begins for the blokes. On the hot plate goes seafood by the score, Barrumundi, Schnapper, Moreton Bay Bugs (like a small but sweeter lobster), Mud Crabs, and of course no B-B-Q would be complete without KING PRAWNS (shrimp-very large ones). This is then served with various salads, cold meats, tropical fruit, christmas pudding with custard, and of course copious amounts of Christmas Cheer.
This is then followed by the traditional afternoon nap befor driving home to recover and prepare for Hogmanay.
This year the tempersature will be somewhere between 90-100 deg F and Cheryl and I will be on our own for the first time so have decided to go to Mt Tambourine for a catered affair and sleepover at one of the Chalets before attempting to drive back down the mountain.
I'm sure we'll have a fabulous time and We hope and pray that all our family in the North, that means you, all have the same.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOGMANAY
Your Aussie Cousins
Ern & Cheryl Thompson

[Graham Thompson]

Now lets all get drunk and fall in the snow 

[Ernest Thompson]

Good idea Graham.
Just send us some snow.