Merry Christmas from Matt

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I personally celebrate this time for Christian reasons. However, if you choose to celebrate for other religious reasons or even no religious reason at all, I wish you a safe holiday. Most of us will be gone over the next week or so, some on a voluntary basis, others on a more forced vacation. I encourage us all to take this time to look at how blessed we are. If you are able to read Trail Talk, that means you have access to a computer. With a little 7 degrees of separation, it can then be determined that you are blessed with more money and material items than a majority of the population on our planet.

Trail Talk reminds me of summer camp. Many of you know that I grew up as the son of a summer camp director. So I spent every summer at camp when I was growing up. Summer camps have their own society. They tend to be removed from the general world for those 3 months. Often, world news doesn’t filter into the camp society. People are just happy to be with each other and could care less about what happens outside of camp. As a counselor, whenever I had a day off and ventured back into town, the world seemed different. You could wine and dine a fellow counselor by just going to Walmart. The outside world didn’t understand all the silly songs and chants you yelled at people as you strolled down the street. You could say the rules were different at camp.

At Trail Talk, some people think the rules are different, and they are. Since people know each other, sarcasm and name calling are acceptable ways to tell someone you like them. But someone from outside of Trail Talk wouldn’t see it that way. They wouldn’t know the rules are different, and in turn they would think Trail Talkers are just a bunch of impolite, foul mouthed, “I eat fuego for breakfast” type of people.

The internet is not an anonymous place. The laws of respect still apply. I think we often tend to forget that when we type something in the monitor on our desk, thousands of other monitors across the world display it. In our world, it is possible to live next to someone who doesn’t hold our same beliefs. Different doesn’t mean wrong. And just because you speak the loudest, doesn’t make you right.

So to everyone, Merry Christmas. May Santa bless you with down sleeping bags and ultralight packs. May your New Year’s resolution be to not become personal friends with moleskin. And remember to hang your food bags extra high since reindeer can fly.”

“Hey, thanks, Matt... For everything you do.

And, Merry Christmas, to you, too!”

“Merry Christmas Matt!

Amen to all you said on this fine solstice day.”

“Couldn't be said any better than that.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you and yours too.”

“Thank you Matt! and Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Very well put - Peace on earth and good till to all men (and women)!”

“Merry Christmas Matt, and Merry Christmas to the rest of you fellow TT'ers!”

“merry christmas and a happy new year to everyone here!!”

“Thank you Matt. Merry Christmas (happy Birthday!) to you and your family too.

Thank you for TT and the good times that come along with it. I'll keep in mind what you've asked of us and do my best.”

“Merry Christmas Matt and thanks. That was very nice.”

“Merry Christmas Matt, and thanks for having this board where all you cool people hang out.
last edited: 12/21/05 9:22:30 PM”

“Matt hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!”

“Merry Christmas to you and your family!”

“You mean people actually read this stuff?! Hee, hee!!

Thank you, Matt, for our little niche in the cyber world. :)


MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!”

“Hey Matt! Merry Christmas to you and your family...and I am sorry for being a butthead. :)”

“Merry Christmas, Matt! Gracias, senor!”

“bah humbug...is hooters open on xmas day?...lol


jk guys...

HAPPY KAWANZA!!!!!!!”

“Merry Christmas to you and your family, Matt. And thanks for what you said here and for TT.”

“Happy Holidays to you & yours Matt... you are getting into some GREAT years with your young family... visits from Santa, presents under the tree, enjoy & take lot's of pictures!”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Matty. See you again this summer?

ps. a little something will arriving soon in you mailbox.”

“... and thank you for providing this place for the rather strange, sometimes dysfunctional, but always caring extended family we all share here.”

“And a Merry Christmas to you!!!”

“Merry Christmas to you to and your family Matt! Also, thank you for giving me a place to go and find to find friends.

Fuego for breakfast? I'll take mine with a side of homefries, lol:) Unfortunately, people fight on all types of sites, even dog related ones that I go to. Some people are passionate about what they believe and some people just like to argue. The passionate people, I would think, would be more understanding of another person's thoughts where people who just want to argue will never stop, even with your good thoughts and words for everyone here, but I sure do hope it gets through to whoever harbors anger against another person or persons. It's fruitless to be angry.”

“Matt,

Thanks! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.

I appreciate your well-spoken remarks about civility. Sometimes we are not sensitive to what we leave in our wake when posting on-line with people we do not know. Every person that is discouraged from posting is another person we won't make friends with on the trail.”

“Words of wisdom. What Phil said is so true. Again, thanks to Phil for creating the photo page that links to tt. I think it really connected many people by putting a face to a name which encouraged people to meet each other and hike together. I think posting the photos really kick started the group hikes amongst tters here. Thank you so much Phil for your selfless work. Merry Christmas to you and yours also.
last edited: 12/22/05 1:08:35 AM”

“feel the love”

“Merry christmas to you Matt,I hung My food bag extra high last night per your instructions and this morning found a bunch a reindeer crashed into it with some dead fat guy! Arrggh I killed Santa,but I have some real cool toys right now”

“matt, thanks for the Christmas wishes, and right back at you and yours. My three month trip to this summer camp is nearing 6 years, great place.”

“Merry Christmas to you and your family Matt. Thanks for a great year around the campfire!”

“Thank you Matt. Merry Christmas to all who cherish this site. I worked at a summer camp right after I graduated high school. I have many fond memories of that summer. Oh, Happy Festivus too!”

“Merry Christmas Matt, thanks for the time and effort you put into this place, it's the best BP site on the web!!”

“I second BackSlacker, Matt. And Amen to Kindness and Civility.

I learned Kumbaya (and more!) in Summer (Day) Camp. This place reminds me more of "Cheers" from the TV show except that everybody has a monitor and a connection the the World's Virtual Supercomputer.”

“To you and your family. I've taken by two sons through summer camp 7 years now ,great memories”

“What is this? A lump of coal from matt?

I want to take this moment to thank everyone for another year of entertainment and abuse. I also want to thank everyone who sees me, not as a person, but as a little red X.

Peace be with you all.”

“well hotdang, i think that's the most i've ever seen you say at one time, Matt! a very merry christmas to you too, and thanks for hosting the summercamp/insane asylum. LOL! but for real, i do consider myself very lucky to be a part of TT, and you rock as a webmaster.”

“Happy Holidays!”

“Merry Christmas, Matt and thank you for being such a superior webmaster...thing about reindeer..the higher they fly, the further "things" fall...wonder if you can see Santa's path by following the poop on top of trees? oops, sorry, wondering out loud...luckily, we can do that sort of thing here...life good...”

“Merry Christmas Matt and thank you for providing us with this forum.

(i think matt has more maturity and class in his pinky tow than the all of us put together) :) ;) :0 :O :-)”

“Thanks for everything Matt and hope you have a great holiday!”

“Merry Christmas to all. Thanks matt, for all you do.”

“Well said Matt.

Merry Christmas!”

“Thanks Matt,
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
To you and all of the TT crowd.”

“Matt, thanks for allowing us to attend your camp here on trial talk.

Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, and a prosperous New Year to all.”

“Merry Christmas, Matt. If you're ever in Texas, I'll show you a nice trail.........or two.
last edited: 12/22/05 7:43:27 AM”

“Thanks for being our Camp Director Matt . . .your Dad should be proud.

I appreciate the opportunity to hang out.

Best wishes for the New Year.”

“Merry Christmas to you and your family Matt. Thanks for providing this virtual campfire. Things get a little nuts around here, but I think for the most part, TT'rs consider Trail Talk a place of fellowship.”

“Merry Christmas Matt!

I'm sorry and I promise to be better. Please do not ban me.”

“Joy to the World ! and to you and your family Matt as we celebrate his re-birth in the cradle of our consciousness..and may TT and this site prosper in the new year.

i always felt I was missing something by never having had the wonderful opportunity of going to summer camp in my youth, and actually started backpacking in the early 70's when i was 20 something. The majority of those experiences were solo treks.....almost 30 years later, i learned about TT. Yay!! Thank you for the gift of this forum... the opportunity now to gather and have the summer camp experience and meeting so many beautiful , unique spirits from so many magnificent places. We are all connected. Reading the posts are often quite entertaining and have certainly become a regular part of my in modem experiences during the day.... Thank you and many blessings for all you do~~~~~~~~~~~~
om..aum...amen”

“Trailtalk is about as low-brow as it gets. That's its niche. Trying to nice up the place is like Volkswagen trying to go upscale with the Phaeton - pretty much a lost cause from the get-go since it abandons its roots. You've got what you've got; don't try to change it. The sensitive types *need* abuse, anyway. They need to learn Internet survival skills.

Anyway, enjoy your fairy-tale's "birthday".”

“Well said Matt, and the best to you this holiday season, and thanks for not banning all of us.”

“Mutt - Merry Christmas.”