Christmas Dinner at USMA

[aspen]

<p>Spoke with my son today and he said the cadets had a great Christmas dinner Thursday and a wild snow party last night in the fresh snow. He said everyone was releasing some tension before semester exams which begin today.</p>

<p>Christmas dinner was a feast with eggnog, steak and lobster on the menu. He said everyone was so full they couldn't eat much of the cheescake dessert.</p>

<p>Tradition dictates that the plebes provide (and pay for) table decorations and cigars for the entire table. One activity of the evening requires all cadets to stand on their chairs. This exercise progresses to stacking chairs, and cadets, on top of the tables- and then lifting the tables. I'm sure the cleanup staff loves the evening.</p>

<p>There's some great photos of the dinner and smoke-in on the Class of 2009 Memory Pages. The second hand smoke was incredible. I even found a picture of Shogun's daughter participating in the cigar tradition. Probably should send a copy to her cross country coach.</p>

<p>aftermath of the dinner: <a href="http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_sutey/images//IMG_1904.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_sutey/images//IMG_1904.jpg&lt;/a>
Traditional Standing on chairs: <a href="http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_sutey/images//IMG_1905.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_sutey/images//IMG_1905.jpg&lt;/a>
the smokefest: <a href="http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_anderegg/images//the-corps-3.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_anderegg/images//the-corps-3.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Shogun's daughter with stoggie:<a href="http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_lafferty/images//IMG_0226.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.west-point.org/family/mem2009/cadetlife_pl/plebe_cl/xmas_lafferty/images//IMG_0226.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

[system]

<p>OMG. That table looked like it had been attacked then blown up with explosives! Whats up with the surviving cheescake? I would have bagged that and sneaked it back to my rack for later! AND I thought I smelled smoke down south. Must have been 2,000 stogies ablaze! Viewable from space. The lobster makes me think my kid might be at the wrong academy....Looks like a good time was had by all! Thanks for sharing! Awesome photos!</p>