Our life

I first wrote this on Christmas Eve. But then I lost access to the computer I wrote it on for a few days. So rather than post this back in time, I chose to post it tonight. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

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When I was a kid, I recall the highlight of Christmas was always the party Aunt Marrianne and Uncle Gene would throw. The food, the laughter, the stories and advice. Good times. Then, as the night would progress, the adults would start to point out the window in the living room, and direct our attention out there. Like clockwork, Rudolph’s nose would blink out in the distance. Cousin after cousin would start to plop down on the floor near the back door, and watch in amazement as Santa came closer.

Then the commotion would be directed to the front door with a boisterous “Ho Ho Ho” and a jingle of the bells. “SANTA!”, we would all cry, “You’re here!”.

Surrounded by children, he would make his way to the living room and pull up a chair. Like good children do, we would all line up and wait our turn to sit on his lap, tell him what we want, and get something else in return with the promise that he’ll talk it over with mommy & daddy. I’m still waiting on a few things, but I’m sure mom & dad told him not to bring the race car, motorcycle or hippo.

Oh, the memories of Christmas. Mom & Dad put so much into Christmas to make it a magical and wonderful time growing up. As the years progressed, I would remember the times around Christmas. The Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Alvin and the Chipmunks…

I would make a list and mom would get it through her channels to Santa. Then, Christmas morning, I would awake to find all the things that Santa could fit on his sleigh. Oh happy days.

As the years progressed, Christmas started to lose its magic. I grew older¹. The wonder was replaced with “I’m too cool/old for Christmas”. The trees and presents get smaller, and the spirit shrunk.

I regained much of the spirit when c became a permanent part of my life. Some of the magic returned as well. And then we had dd. All of the sudden, the magic returned like a long lost boomerang. The spirit grew into a giant. I started to remember the things that you once found magical about Christmas. Its like Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Morning²: “It’s Christmas…”

With the technology we have today, Christmas has become enhanced. It has become a world of flash and pop. Crafty scripting, mixed with big budgets and world connectivity. For the adults, we have YouTube, where we can relive all of those wonderful movies and shows we grew up with. We can even watch some of them instantly, uninterrupted, if we’reNetFlix subscribers.

If you’re a hack like me, then you’ll find that Ed Skoudis’ Christmas Themed Pen-Testing Challenges are a hoot. And if you’re a geek and love history, be sure to check out Vint Cerf’s 1985 Request For Comments: RFC 968.

And for the kids, there’s the coolest thing ever: NORAD live tracking of Santa. An accidental tradition, started in 1955, continues to this day. You can even call 877-HI-SANTA to find out his location. How cool is that?

In our world of immersion and interactivity; full of holographic imagry, Dolby^(tm) 7.1 audio, and LED lighting; I will never forget the magic of sitting on the floor watching Rudolph’s red nose dancing through the air.

I hope that dd’s memories of Christmas will rival those of our own. I hope that each Christmas will be more magical and wonderful to her than the Christmas before. I promise her now, that we will do everything in our power to make that happen, just as our parents did for us.

And so we end this post with one of my favorite Christmas songs. Every time I hear this song, I tear up.

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you. May your Christmas be full of magic and wonder, and may you never be too “old” to enjoy it!

1. ”We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing“ [↩]
2. I can’t seem to find this on youtube as a clip [↩]

I’d like to brag for a moment, if I may. Professionally, I’m a computer security guy. I hold the CISSP and GSEC certificates, along with a couple other very specialized certs. I build very secure computers for very specific needs. I also deal with a handful of administrative and managerial tasks within the security organization, and still offer up my technical knowledge to those who ask for it. For once in my career, I work in a position that I take pride in, as well as feeling like what I do can make a difference.

Outside of my corporate job, I am a web developer and independent consultant. One of the local businesses relies entirely on my knowledge and expertise to make sure their IT infrastructure continues to operate as expected. And this year, I was invited to become a SANS Mentor, asked to host a community education event, and speak at one of the business luncheons regarding wireless security.

But all of this pales in comparison to my latest endeavor. The pay is less than expected, but the rewards are endless. As I sat here this morning, still trying to wipe the sleep out of my eyes and snot off my shoulder, I was rewarded once again. Watching some show on engineering drilling platforms in the Gulf, I listened to dd’s feint snore/snortle on my left shoulder as she slept. Rubbing her back and hearing her breathing patterns change. Realizing that I help create this little child of ours.

Yes, folks, I have an amazing job. I am a husband and a father. Everything else I’ve done and do pale in comparison.

As we woke up this morning, I slowly came to the realization that my late night rendition of “Santa Baby” must not have made an impression on the big man in the red suit. No Sable. No 54 convertible in light blue. No Yacht. Maybe next year.

But Santa definitely hooked dd up. I’ll try to tell you more later. Right now, I’m going to continue to enjoy Christmas with the family.

Merry Christmas to all
(and to all a good night?)

p.s. - I wrote up an awesome post yesterday to talk about Christmas Eve. But its on a computer that I won’t have access to for a couple days. Senility must be striking early. I promise I will post it soon.

awesome, awesome, awesome. I’ll update this over the weekend.

Have a safe and happy turkey day everyone!