X-Mas in Afghan land

Xmas in Afghanistan number two. This was the second Xmas I have spend here, its not to much of a deal for me as a nonreligious type but for some here they try there best to make a big deal of it. I think its a way of dealing with the fact you are 10 thousand km from home and families...

How we more or less celebrate here is to decorate up the shops with the odd plastic office desk size xmas tree, trade some secret santa gifts, and organizes little parties using what extra food goods we have horded in the past few months. Make the best effort to have a bit of fun. I got a wood pen this year, I've done well.

The company gives us stockings the managers throw in to our tent spaces at midnight-ish usually filled with swag from the two parent companies (swag; stuff the company can print there name on) The stuff last year for most part was pretty useless as with most swag being cheep plastic stuff from china. This year was a good year, not a peace of plastic any ware, aluminium thermos mug, micro screwdriver set, pare of knitted gloves, and the big find was leathermen style multi tool with real wood handle. Ok I know I sound like a little kid at this point but we were generally surprised on the quality of the swag this year, i've never seen such useful swag from any company before.

On Xmas day it's self a few of us volunteer to work solo as the rest take the day off, what we call minimum manning. I did the evening shift this year, not too much to do, re-image a computer and clear a paper jam. We had to play a few games this year as this roto was being some what cheep on letting us do minimum manning but we managed. Ended up feeling a little like Cratchit going to Scrooge asking for the whole day off.

Doesn't help we were not invited to the little rally put on by the defence minster with Don Cherry. A few people were disappointed by that but between some of us we use this as the test to see the difference between honest thank you and a photo op. Apparently us civies are not considered good press material in the back ground of the photos.

One tradition the military never misses here is the men's turkey dinner, this is were the officers serve the men. The dinner it self was made at the defac, that’s military speak for dinning facility, aka a cafeteria. And as expected it was cafeteria version of a turkey dinner on paper plates and plastic forks, but it is nice to have something different.

The other tradition kept here is the gift from the Taliban every year, a rocket attack. I was at work for this one so spent it in a cold concrete bunker some what under dressed for the cold of the evening. The rumour on the base was a US civilian was killed. Its been luck that no one in this company has been hurt. (knock on wood) We had two come with in 100 yards of our little tent city and one land in it while I was gone, only luck that it hit a tent not in use at the time.

Any way by rotation i got boxing day off, chance to sit down and sort a few thing out after a few days of craziness. I should be off, Happy Holidays to every one out there.