[HPforGrownups] Christmas traditions elsewhere (OT)

[Aberforth's Goat]

No: HPFGUIDX 7223

> not to continue the american-bashing here (since i am one, after all), but
> can any of you other Americans imagine having party-favors with GUNPOWDER
in
> them?!?!?

But there's worse, you know. One of the deepest sources of suffering in
wife's life is my (very American) phobia about lighted candles on Christmas
trees. The first Christmas after our wedding, Susan followed  Swiss
tradition in buying a whole collection of clips and candles, then happily
set to decorating.

Poor thing--she was so proud of herself, until I got turned up, and accused
her of premeditating arson. Since I loved her very deeply indeed, I allowed
her to slip in a romantic cd, turn down the lights and light her candles.
And I spent the next ten minutes prowling back andforth in front of the
tree, clenching the sand bucket in white-fisted agony. After ten minutes,
she blew them all out and went for a long walk. (Alone.)

BTW, since she loved *me* very deeply, instead of calling it quits then and
there, she found a shop in Bern that sold electric lights. I've enjoyed our
trees ever since. (She drew the line at golden ones, though. She was willing
to make compomises, but the red, green and blue twinklers I wanted would
have scorched out a chasm of barbarism too vast for any human love to
bridge.)

Could it be that we Americans have evolved an extra gene possessed only by
the insurance salesmen of other continents?

Aberforth's Goat (a.k.a. Mike Gray)
http://profiles.yahoo.com/aberforths_goat