Hi Friends:

I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I hope that Santa -who some people believe lives in a space
settlement in Bernard star- comes swiftly in a anti matter rocket
driven by the mutant Rudolf, and bring you all the gifts you deserve.
Lady included if you wish :)

Merry Christmas, Ho, Ho, Ho

Omar Vega

(P.S. Because I live down south, here Santa is sweating like crazy :)

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Omar E. Vega" wrote:
>
> Hi Friends:
>
> I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
> I hope that Santa -who some people believe lives in a space
> settlement in Bernard star- comes swiftly in a anti matter rocket
> driven by the mutant Rudolf, and bring you all the gifts you deserve.
> Lady included if you wish :)
>
> Merry Christmas, Ho, Ho, Ho
>
> Omar Vega
>
> (P.S. Because I live down south, here Santa is sweating like crazy :)

Merry Christmas to you too.

Ew. I just had visions of Santa is a skimpy red swimming speedo. With
suspenders of course.

TangoMan

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 00:22:18 -0000, victoriatangoman
wrote:
(...)
> Ew. I just had visions of Santa is a skimpy red swimming speedo. With
> suspenders of course.
(...)

The wonders of the Southern Hemisphere. Here in the region of Brazil
where I live he will have to use a raincoat (a red one, I imagine),
because it has been raining almost uninterruptedly for a week or so;
think of a "Gray Christmas"...

Anyway, Omar raised an amusing point: supposing that the Santa Claus
legend survives enough to see the first space settlements, what would
be the "refactorings" needed to make it more "plausible" for space
children? Obviously, the reindeer are antigravitational, and so the
Earth gravity well is no problem for them; however, would they use
spacesuits tailored to reindeer? And what about the sleigh? Will it be
pressurized and perhaps have a radiation shelter in case of solar
storms during Xmas? (On a second thought, that does not seems to be
necessary. Assuming that Santa Claus and Saint Nicolas are, in some
obscure way, the same person, then he is a ghost and radiation should
not be a worry for someone who is already dead.)

Or perhaps space settlers will finally admit that Santa Claus has the
teleportation technology. Otherwise, how could he get the presents
inside houses without chimneys, like mine? Besides, since obviously
the bag is not big enough to accommodate all the billions of presents,
then one of the possible explanations for how billions of presents
come out of it is that the bag is a wormhole generator connecting the
sleigh to the North Pole, and wormholes are a teleportation technology
of sorts. Finally, again assuming that Saint Nicolas and Santa Claus
are (inexplicably) the same person, it is recorded that Saint Nicolas
performed miracles of teleportation and ubilocation. So, space
settlers could just assume that Santa Claus teleports the whole combo
sleigh-reindeer to the pressurized volume of the habitat.

__________'Twas the Night Before Christmas__________

`Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the moon base,
Not a creature was stirring
In the silence of Space.
The moonboots were hung by the airlock with care
In hopes that St. Nicolas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of daifuku danced in their heads.
And Ma in her PJ's and I in my cap
Had just settled down for a long Lunar nap.
When from the motion detector there arose such a clatter
That I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
To the monitoring room I flew like a flash,
Shut off that alarm (it made such a terrible clash).
The Earth in the sky was full and aglow
So I could see quite clearly, and the dust looked like snow.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh and nine tiny reindeer,
And each in a hard-suit! Now, that took wit!
And I knew that their driver could be none but St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came.
I tuned in to his frequency and heard him exclaim,
"Now Dasher! now Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On Comet! on Cupid! on Donder and Blitzen!
Lead on, Rudolph! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

Xenophile (who wrote this about two years ago, and never finished it,
just like everything else :( )

From: Lucio de Souza Coelho [mailto:lucioc@...]

"Anyway, Omar raised an amusing point: supposing that the Santa Claus
legend survives enough to see the first space settlements, what would
be the "refactorings" needed to make it more "plausible" for space
children? "

In `Cities in Space', the third volume of the `Endless Frontier' series
edited by Jerry Pournelle, there's a story titled `The Christmas Count', by
Henry Melton, that covers this.

Dave

Lucio de Souza Coelho wrote

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 00:22:18 -0000, victoriatangoman
wrote:

>Anyway, Omar raised an amusing point: supposing that the Santa Claus
legend survives enough to see the first space settlements, what would
be the "refactorings" needed to make it more "plausible" for space
children? Obviously, the reindeer are antigravitational, and so the
Earth gravity well is no problem for them; however, would they use
spacesuits tailored to reindeer?<

Someone actually wrote a story for Analog or Asimov's about Santa making the
rounds on Mars in a bubbled-up tractored vehicle. Apparently, a storm had
cut off some outlying settlements that needed supplies. So a guy in a red
suit went out as Santa Claus, accompanied by "Black Peter."

We're so memed about Christmas that we automatically think of a jolly fat
man with his sleigh and reindeer. But in Holland, Santa comes on Jan 6
(Feast of the Wise Men) with his assistant, the Moor Black Peter, from Spain
in a treasure ship.

While I was little I was concerned that Santa wouldn't be able to get into
our apartment because we had no chimney. Mother said she'd leave a window
unlocked for him. Parents are going to twist and turn the Santa legend in
whatever way is going to modify the kiddies and keep 'em happy. So, yes,
some will say that Santa uses a ST type of teleporter. In other places,
Santa and Peter will blow into town, fresh off a "treasure rocket from
Earth", and dispense presents to kids in the street or door to door.
Whatever works.

Some excerpts from
http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

Some of the info contradicts my poor memory.

In Germany the traditional visitor is the Christkindl who is the Christ
Child's messenger. She is a beautiful fair-haired girl with a shining crown
of candles who visits each house with a basket of presents.

In parts of Germany, people believe that the Christ Child sends a messenger
in Christmas Eve. He appears as an angel in a white robe and crown, bearing
gifts. The angel is called Christkind. There is also a Christmas Eve figure
called Weihnachtsmann or Christmas Man, he looks like Santa Claus and also
brings gifts.

St Nicholas arrives early in Holland with his gifts, in November. He is
dressed in Bishop's robes and journeys in a boat with his helper who is
called Black Peter and who wears Spanish clothes. It is said that the pair
live most of the year preparing lists of presents and writing every child's
behavior in a very large book. Many people go to Amsterdam docks to greet
him. He mounts a snow horse and rides through the streets in a great parade,
amid many festivities.

December 5th is Sinterklaas Eve or Sinterklass Eve, and presents are given
and received.
All Dutch children know that Sinterklaas or Sinterklass lives in Spain,
where he spends his time recording the behavior of all the children in his
little red book, while Piet stocks up on the presents.
Christmas Day is a religious time, and the day is spent with visits to
Church. In the afternoon, people sit around the tree, sing carols and tell
stories.

In Finland the Christmas tree is set up on Christmas Eve. Apples and other
fruits, candies, paper flags, cotton and tinsel are used as decorations, and
candles are used for lighting it.
The Christmas festivities are preceded by a visit to the famous steam baths,
after which everyone dressed in clean clothes in preparation for the
Christmas dinner, which is served at 5-7 in the evening.

Christmas gifts may be given out before or after the dinner. The children do
not hang up stockings, but Santa Claus comes in person, often accompanied by
as many as half a dozen Christmas elves to distribute the presents.