Did you know it takes 49 minutes to wrap a rubber duckie?  I know that sounds unlikely, but that's how long it took to get the purple devil duckie ready for this picture.  Fortunately, wrapping easy, simple shapes, like boxes, tesseracts and klein bottles takes much less time than wrapping a duckie, so I should be able to get everything ready for Christmas.

I don't know about you, my readers, but I do have a little tradition when it comes to gift-wrapping.  I do it late on Christmas Eve, mug of hot chocolate (complete with immersed candycane) at the ready, whilst listening to WGN-AM out of Chicago.  In the past, the overnight team has a high school choir in the studio with them, so I wrap while they sing and banter.  It just occurred to me, however, that I won't be able to do that this year, as the overnight show is only on weekdays, and they have someone else on the weekend.  Woe is I.

It's kind of amazing how fast the Twelve Days of Duckmas has gone this year.  While much more challenging than normal due to the lack of winter weather (and I'm probably the only person in Duckford complaining about the lack of snow), I think it's turned out okay.  Hopefully you've gotten a kick out of it; the Twelve Days is just about the only time of year I can really be artistically creative, so I enjoy it quite a bit.  Even if it does disrupt normal blogging here at The Pond.

Big finale on Sunday... see you then!

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Lack of snow gotcha down, Binky?  Have I got a solution for you... Insta-Snow!  Just add water and voila!  A lovely snow-like substance... except in my case, because I bought a cheap knockoff ("Insty-Sno") and ended up with a not-as-lovely slush-like substance that eventually ended up looking like well-packed snow.

Y'know, I have to admit that I was surprised at how much it looks like snow "on camera".  However, I am saddened to announce that Insty-Sno did a number on my blackbox setup, and I had to throw it in the dumpster.  Not like that's a big deal or anything... it's just a cardboard box with posterboard lining the inside, I can recreate that at will.  The old setup was pretty worn out anyway.

If you want to see what this picture looked like from a different angle, just click "more"!

more...

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A tree needs to be decorated and trimmed, even if there's no snow on the ground.  Right?

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Happy Hanukkah to all of The Pond's Jewish readers.  May you get lots of gelt and eat lots of latkes and pontshkes over the next eight days!  Mmmmmmm... latkes... there's very little as good as a latke with sour cream.  Excuse me while I drool.

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"Merry Christmas!  Out upon merry Christmas! What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in 'em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart."
-Ebeneezer Scrooge, from A Duckmas Carol.

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If you wanted to whistle music from The Nutcracker as you look at this picture, I wouldn't blame you.

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If there's one thing that just about every college or university student can agree on, it's that the food in the cafeteria is never good enough.  I actually rather like the food service at Duck U, m'self.  Sure, it's no gourmet five-star restaurant, but it's good, tasty food with a wide and varied selection every day.  Nevertheless, it's probably written in the handbook that a college student has the god-given right to complain about the food at their school, and the student body at Duck U does so at every opportunity.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, none of it is acceptable.

Except for the desserts.  Those earn universal praise.  Cookies, cakes, ice creams, donuts, scones (om nom nom!), puddings, and on and on... all of it made right there in the Duck U kitchens.  The ducklings are lucky, and they know it. 

There was a lot of "soooooo cute!!!"ing at the sight of the gingerbread duckies that day.  It was kinda funny, actually.

^{We got less than a quarter-inch of snow last night.  It's already melting away.}

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When the snowducks begin to grumble, you know there's something big going down.

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Gotta keep the rain off the presents!

You can't tell from the photo, but it was raining to beat the band while I was taking this.

Rain.  Less than two weeks from Christmas, and it's raining!  Doesn't Ma Nature realize I have duck pictures to take???

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Push the button, Frank, it's time for the Twelve Days of Duckmas again!

Ah, the duckie in a fir tree, the usual beginning to the Twelve Days of Duckmas.  This will be the fifth year of holiday duckies, and this one's going to be different from the previous four.  See, in the past there's been no shortage of snow around Pond Central and Duck U when the Twelve Days came around, but not this year.  According to the weather nabobs, there's a chance of flurries in a week or so... and that's it; snow-free until sometime after the 25th.  I love a challenge. 

Tune in every day between now and Christmas Day for a new Duckmas photo!

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I like pumpkin pie.  A lot.  So much that I'd be perfectly happy having pumpkin pie all year round.  Which is why I don't let myself have pumpkin pie more than a once or twice a year.  Thankfully, today is one of those times.

That's a good start, yep.  For my readers here in the US, have a Happy Thanksgiving!  If you're not in the US, have a grand Thursday! 

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At 11 o'clock in the morning of the 11th of November, 1918, silence fell across the Western Front.  No shots rang out.  No artillery rounds exploded.  The cease-fire that would lead to the end of World War I had finally been declared.  Around the world, people everywhere celebrated... and mourned.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson made November 11th Armistice Day, a national holiday.  In his proclamation, he said:

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

After World War II, a movement began in Emporia, Kansas, to turn Armistice Day into a holiday honoring all vets.  In 1954, Congress officially replaced "Armistice" with "Veterans", and the day has been known as Veterans Day ever since.

Today, we honor all those who have served our country, and remember those who gave their lives in her service.

Without you, we wouldn't be able to do the goofy things we do today.  Thank you.

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Yarrrr, me hearties!  The accursed scalliwags of the snack scene, the Yan Yan Pirates, have once agains been spotted sailing the (very) low seas!  Hide your tasty delicacies, for none are safe while they're around... and to them knaves the Pocky Ninjas, hear this: they're comin' fer you, too!

^{(thanks to The Imperial Palace for the use of their ship, and for the yummy orange chicken, too!)}

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The four stages of a Monster's life.  They start as a youthful abomination, cute but destined for terrible things.  Then as a teenage affront to God, they wear makeup to change their skin color, wear wacky clothing and an odd hairstyle.  As an adult, they become the more traditional fiend.  Finally, the aged duckonculus becomes the very apotheosis of the Modern Monster.

Hope all your lil' abominations have a Happy Halloween!

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Whitebill the pirate wishes to remind you that today is International Talk Like A Pirate day. 

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Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  May we all enjoy these rights today!

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Ah, graduation.  That wonderful time of year when the fledgelings grow up and head out on their own into the real world.  A real world that involves many years of paying back student loans, yes, but the real world nonetheless.  Unless, of course, they go onto bigger and better things... like grad school.  In which case, they can avoid paying back those student loans for another few years.  But I digress.  I'd like to say congratulations to all the members of the Duck U Class of 2011.  Welcome to the Alumni club!

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In your Easter bonnet / with all the frills upon it /
you'll be the grandest duckie in the Easter parade...

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After last year's debacle, I'm afraid I had to make a tough decision: no alcohol at this year's St Patrick's Day shoot.  Of course, the leprechaun duckies never showed up to the casting call.

However, thanks to The Librarian they weren't needed on set this year.  Corned beef and cabbage was enjoyed by all who attended, much to the duckies' delight (and the duckrechaun's disgust) and a good time was had by all.  And no duckies passed out, even better.

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