Dear Santa

I remember when I was a kid my grandmother would always threaten me that Santa would bring me a "bucket of coal" if I was bad that year. I'm not sure if anyone outside of the coal region has ever been threatened with that or not. This year I decided to write Santa a letter again. Let me know what you all think of it before I send it to him.

Dear Santa,

I've been a bad boy this year and I must inform you that I deserve a bucket of coal. In fact, to be honest I've been really bad and should probally get at least a ton of coal. I know you will have trouble getting a ton of coal down my chimney, so to save you some problems, please put it in the basement window on the north west corner of my home.

I'll write again next year and let you know my behavior.

PS. Please make it Rice coal.

Merry Christmas,

IceDog

We were threatened with "a lump of coal in our Stocking", thats all we would get for Christmas.

We didn't buy it, that threat didn't hold water and we knew it!

I want Coal, a case of Yuengling and a bottle of Whiskey! And a day without the Wife to enjoy it in peace!

That's not too much to ask is it?

Bk

When I was a kid, the "Wizard of id" comic was one of my favorites. The King was mumbling to himself on Christmas eve, "Their is no Santa, there is no Santa". As he grumbled & mumbled, he hung a sock on the mantle of the fireplace. He woke the next morning....something in the sock, he dumps it out to find a single lump of coal. He was ecstatic! He smiled and squealed with pleasure: "There IS a Santa!"

My Dad once put a stocking full of coal on the wall once and said something like Santa was there and said if I didn't behave over the next few days that's what I was getting. I was really young and that pretty much stuck with me for a while. Of course it wasn't until Christmas time that you started to worry if you were good enough. I've delivered coal to people as Christmas presents, usually parents trying to help out their kids.

I've told this story before but this is my best coal and Christmas story. My Uncle is an avid collector of mining artifacts, he has a huge collection in his basement. Some of the members met him during the Summer. We used to exchange names so everyone would get one name and I got his the one year. I'm over the breaker with my two brothers and we picked out this 300 to 400 LB. piece of coal. I gave it to him and he's really pleased, we brought it into the house through a ground level basement door and set it up in the corner. Sooooooo... we're all sitting around the bar and his niece comes walking down the steps, she's about 4 or 5. Her eyes are as big as saucers...... "Whoever got that must have been really baaaaaaaaaaaaad." she goes. Probably one of those situations where you had to be there but it was hilarious because she was so serious about it. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

I posted this picture in another area, but thought it might get more of a response here.
Dr.Thornbury was a dentist on my wife's side of the family. I think he gave these away as Christmas presents.
Anybody ever seen anything like it?
It weighs about 20-30 lbs. Probably done in the 1930's.

TSB

Interesting, there is still places that make sculptures and other trinkets from anthracite but they need a very specific type of coal. I have a paperweight/pen holder on my desk myself.

There's an altar at King's College here in Wilkes Barre made entirely of coal which I beleive weighs a few tons and may even be one piece.

bksaun wrote:We were threatened with "a lump of coal in our Stocking", thats all we would get for Christmas.

We didn't buy it, that threat didn't hold water and we knew it!

I want Coal, a case of Yuengling and a bottle of Whiskey! And a day without the Wife to enjoy it in peace!

That's not too much to ask is it?

Bk

I definately want a lump of coal in my stocking! A stocking the size of a super sack! Lump is the best bit for a hand fired stove. And definately a half keg of Yuengling to share with all you coal burners You didn't need to say without the wife, that goes without question!!!!!!

Freddy wrote:When I was a kid, the "Wizard of id" comic was one of my favorites. The King was mumbling to himself on Christmas eve, "Their is no Santa, there is no Santa". As he grumbled & mumbled, he hung a sock on the mantle of the fireplace. He woke the next morning....something in the sock, he dumps it out to find a single lump of coal. He was ecstatic! He smiled and squealed with pleasure: "There IS a Santa!"

Freddy: I had the book (probably still do) with that strip in it and I think of it every year when we hang up our stockings. I didn't really get it until I started burning coal.