F/4.5, 8.0, ISO 64.
Day 357 / 365
It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner, ” What are you charged with? ”
“Doing my Christmas shopping early”, replied the defendant.
“That’s no offense”, said the judge. “How early were you doing this shopping?”
“Before the store opened.”
Interesting Fact: The custom of giving gifts to relatives and friends on a special day in winter probably began in ancient Rome and northern Europe. In these regions, people gave each other small presents as part of their year-end celebrations. In the United States and England, children hang stockings on their bedpost or near a fireplace on Christmas Eve, hoping that it will be filled with treats while they sleep. In Scandinavia, similar-minded children leave their shoes on the hearth. This tradition can be traced to legends about Saint Nicholas. One legend tells of three poor sisters who could not marry because they had no money for a dowry. To save them from being sold by their father, St. Nick left each of the three sisters gifts of gold coins. One went down the chimney and landed in a pair of shoes that had been left on the hearth. Another went into a window and into a pair of stockings left hanging by the fire to dry. No one was really in the habit of exchanging elaborate gifts until late in the 1800s. The Santa Claus stories of giving gifts to good children, combined with an amazing retailing phenomenon that has grown since the turn of the century, has made gift giving a central focus of the Christmas tradition. ( http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/trivia/gifts.htm )
Through Open Lens 
Love the joke and the info on the evolution of Christmas gift giving. Merry Christmas!
Thank you very much for stopping by and enjoying my work. Merry Christmas to you as well. 🙂
Retailing and Hallmark phenomena…I am more and more thinking that what is under the tree is less important than connections with family and friends. I would rather laugh and cry with them than unwrap a present.
I agree spend time with friends and family should be the only gift that we should be happy about. Thank you very much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. 🙂
Hahahahaha! Love it.
Thank you very much. 🙂
Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta!
Kiitos ja toivotan teille hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta samoin . 🙂
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Thank you very much for stopping by and checking out my work. 🙂
Merry Christmas! Thank you, love, nia
Thank you very much and I want to wish a Merry Christmas as well. 🙂
Reblogged this on Crazy Pasta Child.
It’s insane how commercialized Christmas has become. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few short years they are selling Christmas stuff year round!
Oh yeah I can believe that this is the director we heading towards. Thank you very much for stopping by and sharing. 🙂
LOL Love the joke! Happy Christmas to you!!
Thank you very much, and a Very Merry Christmas to you as well. 🙂
Haha, I love your jokes and all of these interesting facts. Do you know that the first text message was “Merry Christmas”?
Thank you very much, it makes me happy to see that you enjoyed my work. I did know that it was sent on December 3, 1992, thank you for sharing that information with us. 🙂
Thank you very much for stopping by and checking out my work. Happy Blogging! 🙂