Merry Christmas!

Twas the Night Before Christmas, 2013, Stalking the Belle Époque Style

Twas the night before Christmas, about 10:30
When Joseph was nestled next to his Bertie
The two had packed a nice Christmas hamper
With goodies to bring to "Grandma" and "Grandpa."

The Bertie Dog was snoring like a freight train
And Joseph was dreaming of George the Fifth's reign
Within the dim house the chandeliers glistened
And though he was sleeping, Bertie still listened.

When out from the porch, they heard some faint scratching,
And they both wondered what Stumpy was hatching.
Through the window, they saw a bloke with a hunch,
And knew at once, it was their dear Mr. Punch.

"You there, my Chum, with the face sort of pale,
Did you know that your poor cat has no tail?"
With a soft blanket and a pat on the head
Our dear Mr. Punch made Stumpy Cat a bed.

And as he came inside, that puppet so wise
Said, "Merry Christmas to my two favorite guys.

And just so you'll know how sure I am of that,

this year I brought you a big orange cat."

"I call him Oscar and oh, he's a pip.

Keep him well fed and drunk on catnip.

Let him know that he's safe with a bit of a snuggle

So, he can forget, that he once had a struggle."

"See...Doggies and kitties and fat fishes that swim,
Horses and lizards, and big monkeys so grim.
Why! Even you humans with all of your hair,
Must always remember that someone should care."

With Joseph's sure nod and a wag of Bert's tail,
They retired to share a glass of wassail
And finding that no one still has such a drink
They gobbled fine cookies 'til they could not think.

And then, back to bed, sure that nothing could fail
Bertie, Punch, Joseph, Oscar,  and the cat with no tail
Knew that they should wish, from their heads to their socks,
"Yes, Happy Christmas, to all, from Stalking the Belle Époque."

Christmas Eve Special: Merry Mania

As you prepare for the coming holiday, enjoy this vintage foolishness and mayhem.

Up first, get into the spirit with some orphan suffering.





Next, raise the cup that cheers, but doesn't inebriate as a beautiful lady squirrel hosts a Christmas circus.




And then with Little Audrey and some ethnic stereotypes.

Holiday Posting Schedule

Hello all,

Being as it's the week of Christmas, Bertie, Mr. Punch and I will be taking off some time.  In light of that, regular posting will be rather spotty.  The next chapter of A Recipe for Punch is planned for December 30, 2013.  In the meantime, you can catch up with any chapters you might have missed to date in the Chapter Archive.  It'll give you a chance to see what's going on at Fallbridge Hall and to meet Punch's Auntie Morgana.  She's a lobster gal.  

This coming week, though I won't be posting regularly, that doesn't mean I won't be entirely away from my keyboard.  You never know what I might be up to.  So, pay a visit and see what sort of holiday hijinks I can throw your way.

Joseph

Merry Christmas!

With presents to wrap, cookies to eat, and puppet-chow to make, Bertie, Mr. Punch and I are going to take a brief hiatus from our usual updates for a few days. However, make sure to come back on Friday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day because there just might be some jolly surprises for you.

Regular posting will start again on December 27. We’ll see you then. On behalf of Bertie and Mr. Punch, I’d like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah.

Merry Christmas!

Regular updates to Stalking the Belle Époque will resume on Monday, December 27, 2010.  Here’s wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!

Image: Adoration of the Shepherds, Guido Reni, 1640, The National Gallery, London