You’re some big-hearted people over there, I have to say.

aren’t we ;)

How about sharing christmas traditions? I’ve learned in the netherlands you get the prisonas already at Dec. 6th, how’s that in Brussel or other European areas?

You’re inviting us to go play with ourselves?

People need an invitation to do that?

Lili Marleen,

in Spain nowadays we get toys for the children on 25 of December, from influence coming from France and other that have a Père Noël, and on 6 of January, as a more local custom that base its justification on the adoration of the child by the mages from orient. That tradition is more public, usually the day before there is an arrival to the town, where the people goes to receive the caravan of the mages, there may be a reception in which the children ask for they presents, and of the next day, the mages with their caravan goes through the town giving the toys to the children.

DSW

That would explain why Holland and Belgium have the same date - 6th December, Spanish Netherlands I guess.

Well, specially for Christmas, I ask your thoughts on the case of mr Jonathan Pollard.
Jonathan Pollard was arrested and charged with passing classified information to a foreign (ie Israel) government. He pleaded guilty. Jonathan Pollard received a life sentence without benefit of trial, as a result of a plea bargain which he honored and the U.S. government violated. For more information, see:
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/
Looks to me like this is an extreme case of whistle-blowing; albeit a whistleblower with a spot…
My impression is that he is a victim of horrific degrees of cynicism in US politics.