The teaching agency that I work for is located at a large shopping mall in the center of Phuket island, Thailand. For several years, a huge Christmas tree would be installed in late November directly outside of our entrance. Two or three years ago, this tree went airborne during a massive windstorm and pieces of it littered the nearby streets for quite some distance. In … Continue reading A Month of Christmas: The Christmas Tree
Taking a look through my Christmas stamps in preparation for this “Month of Christmas” series, I noticed that the vast majority show scenes from the Nativity with significantly more images of the Madonna and Child than the Adoration of the Magi or the Adoration of the Shepherds. Portrayals of Santa Claus, gifts, Christmas trees, and reindeer are in the minority. Ironically, I have never been … Continue reading A Month of Christmas: The Nativity and the Grabow Altarpiece
My mother was a remarkable cook. She particularly shined during the period between American Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, putting together awesome meals and delectable treats. Mom was a generous soul and our friends and classmates benefited from her culinary talents as she baked for endless school activities and neighborhood gatherings. As my birthday was smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season, I always got … Continue reading A Month of Christmas: Gingerbread
The Territory of Norfolk Island (Teratri a’ Norf’k Ailen in Norfuk) is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, 877 miles (1,412 kilometers) directly east of mainland Australia’s Evans Head, and about 560 miles (900 km) from Lord Howe Island. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia. Together with two neighboring islands, it forms one of … Continue reading Norfolk Island #286 (1981)
Christmas in August? Well, it is very hot in Thailand right now. . . plus, this is the only stamp I own from the post-1991 independent republic of Ukraine (Україна — Ukraina), aside from a few on-cover definitives. I happen to like Christmas stamps as a topical, so there you go. Sometimes called the Ukraine, it is a sovereign state in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia … Continue reading Ukraine – Christmas 2014
The Republic of Palau (Beluu er a Belau in Palauan) is an island country consisting of an archipelago located in the western Pacific Ocean. The country contains approximately 340 islands, forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia, and has an area of 180 square miles (466 square kilometers). The capital Ngerulmud is located on the island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Its … Continue reading Palau #60 (1984)
A Stamp A Day 