Merry Christmas! Heavenly grace, happiness and the light of the Star of Bethlehem to you all! Always strive towards the perfection of the Lord, and remember that there is no Saviour but Christ!
Ilya Repin, The Nativity of Christ, 1890. State Tretyakov Gallery
At the close of the Strugatskys' "Roadside Picnic" the Golden Sphere is asked for this: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to leave no one aggrieved, but the digest really does come free. So, here is the
Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least
