25 Christmas Facts 2011

1. The percentage of pet owners who have their dog or cat pose and photographed with Santa Claus stands at 27%
2. 364 is the amount of  presents would you receive if you were to get every present in “The 12 Days of Christmas”
3. Father Christmas has 2 addresses: Edinburgh, and the North Pole. Letters addressed as 'Toyland' or 'Snowland' go to Edinburgh, but those addressed to The North Pole have been sent there because there really is such a place.
4. After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
5. Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition.
6. "Wassail" comes from the Old Norse "ves heill"--to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.
7. Greeks do not use Christmas trees or give presents at Christmas. A priest may throw a little cross into the village water to drive the kallikantzari (gremlin-like spirits) away. To keep them from hiding in dark, dusty corners, he goes from house to house sprinkling holy water.
8. In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by one of the Wise Men's camels. The gift-giving camel is said to have been the smallest one in the Wise Men's caravan.
9. Long before it was used as a "kiss encourager" during the Christmas season, mistletoe had long been considered to have magic powers by Celtic and Teutonic peoples. It was said to have the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. Celts hung mistletoe in their homes in order to bring themselves good luck and ward off evil spirits.
10. The "Twelve Days of Christmas" was originally written to help Catholic children, in England, remember different articles of faith during the persecution by Protestant Monarchs. The "true love" represented God, and the gifts all different ideas:
    The "Partridge in a pear tree" was Christ.
    2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
    3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity-- the Theological Virtues
    4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
    5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which relays the history of man's fall from grace.
    6 Geese A-laying = the six days of Creation
    7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
    8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
    9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
    10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
    11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
    12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed
11. Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch conservationist, banned Christmas trees in his home, even when he lived in the White House. His children, however, smuggled them into their bedrooms.
12. Gift giving, Christmas drinks, Christmas Cards and many other Christmas traditions are not modern gifts of capitalism (though capitalism sure does love it) – they actually come to us via the Ancient Romans who exchanged all of those things on New Year’s Day (Strenae, named after Strenia the goddess of New Year’s gifts). This was initially shunned by the Church (“(Do not) make vetulas, [little figures of the Old Woman], little deer or iotticos or set tables [for the house-elf, compare Puck] at night or exchange New Year gifts or supply superfluous drinks [another Yule custom].” -St Eligius, 7th century) but old habits die hard and it eventually transferred to Christmas.
13. That one small word causes anger amongst many people; many Christians consider it to be disrespectful to replace Christ’s name with an ‘x’ – even going so far as to that that it is a ploy by anti-Christians to de-Christianify Christmas. However, Xmas is almost as old as the feast it refers to – the ‘x’ is actually the Greek letter chi which is the first letter of Christ’s name in Greek (Χριστός). Xmas is every bit as religious as Christmas.
14. Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green.
15. More diamonds are sold around Christmas than any other time of the year.
16. "It's a Wonderful Life" appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.
17. The first church the Dutch built in New York City was named in St Nicholas' honour -St Nicholas Church.
18. America's official national Christmas tree is located in King's Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree," is over 300 feet (90 meters) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.
19. Before settling on the name of Tiny Tim for his character in "A Christmas Carol," three other alliterative names were considered by Charles Dickens. They were Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam.
20. Contrary to common belief, poinsettia plants are non-toxic.
21. The American Puritans wanted to make the festival of Thanksgiving Day the prime festival instead of Christmas.
22. Listen to the song "Twelve Days of Christmas" and count the number of gifts in the song. You will realize that gifts were exchanged 364 times. Thus the gifts are exchanged everyday of the year.
23. Warning: Christmas shopping may be hazardous to your health. If you are an avid Christmas shopper statistics have concluded that you will be elbowed at least three times while shopping. Ouch!
24. The annual Christmas pudding was more than just a tasty treat. Small items were placed in them which had the power to predict what the New Year would bring. Coins were associated with a gain in wealth, a ring was a sign of an imminent marriage and a button signified extended bachelorhood. This idea actually goes back to the middle ages where the cake being served on the Twelfth Night would come complete with a hidden bean. Whoever found this bean was declared “king” for that one night.
25. Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
     

Christmas Countdown fact(s) # 9, # 10 and cookie recipe

Christmas Countdown Fact #9: A native Mexican plant, poinsettias were named after Joel R. Poinsett, U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to America in 1828. Poinsettias were likely used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. One legend has it that a young Mexican boy, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene, realized he had no gift for the Christ child. He gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church. Though the other children mocked him, when the leaves were laid at the manger, a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch. The bright red petals, often mistaken for flowers, are actually the upper leaves of the plant.

Christmas Countdown Fact # 10: Christmas Lights History begins with the tradition of arranging dainty exquisite candlelights also known as fairy lights to illuminate the Christmas trees. The History of Christmas Lights dates back to the 17th century with Germany as the entrant. Candles were then prepared from melted wax and sequestered to the tree branches by wax or pins.


Candleholders were first used in 1890 whereas other accessories like small lanterns and glass balls started to be used between 1902 and 1914.

Very soon the inconvenience of candle lighting was felt as candles melted quickly and had to be replaced frequently. This necessitated the use of electric lamps. In 1882 Charles Edison first lit up a Christmas tree by eighty electric bulbs. The red white and the blue bulbs of 6/8 of an inch in diameter were hand wired and wound round the trees like the beads of a string. Of course the Christmas trees looked more sparkling and scintillating with the electric light strands. Hence started the new era of electric lamp lighting.

Cinnamon-Chocolate Chip Refrigerator Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

A delicious variation on the traditional Mexican wedding cookie, flavored with cinnamon, chocolate and orange zest. The ideal partner for cups of steaming hot chocolate. (Williams-Sonoma Cookbook)

Ingredients:

¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons grated orange zest

1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

1 ¾ cups all-purpose (plain) flour

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

cinnamon sugar (directions to follow)

Directions:

Combine the butter, granulated sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and chocolate chips and mix just until incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half. Roll each piece between your palms and the work surface to form a log 1 ½ inches in diameter. Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or as long as overnight.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter baking sheets. Unwrap the dough and cut each log into rounds ¼ inch thick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 ½ inches apart.

Bake until the edges are brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Put the cinnamon sugar in a bowl. Add several warm cookies and toss to coat with the sugar. Return the cookies to the racks to completely cool. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

The first Christmas light set was launched in 1903 by the American Eveready Company. The connection could be made by screws in the bulbs and a plug for the socket. Later the lightings were pulled from telephone switchboards and run by a battery. This type of electric lighting was expensive for the common people as services of wiremen were required to do the hand wiring. Moreover generators had to be installed for the people living in the city outskirts.                                               

Two-fer-Tuesday {pt. 2} Christmas Countdown(s) 5,6, and 7

 So I have slacked with the Christmas Countdown stuffs. As punishment, you can rob me of my pet dog Lola (the pain-in-the-ass-puggle.) So being that this is a Two-fer-Tuesday day, and also being that I don't have much to say today, other than I made an apple pie...and am getting ready for the 'big showdown' tomorrow night I will mush your 5th, 6th, and 7th countdown fact in to one post. On the 8th day (tomorrow) I will go back to keeping up with the daily countdown.

(belated) Christmas Countdawn fact # 5:   Yuletide-named towns in the United States include Santa Claus, located in Arizona and Indiana, Noel in Missouri, and Christmas in both Arizona and Florida.

(belated) Christmas Countdown fact # 6:    The tradition of Christmas lights dates back to when Christians were persecuted for saying Mass. A simple candle in the window meant that Mass would be celebrated there that night.

Christmas Countdown fact #7:     After "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the original.

Christmas Countdown Fact # 4-the kitties *must* go

Christmas Fact #4: In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which has not yet been repealed, states that every citizen must attend a Christian church service on Christmas Day, and must not use any kind of vehicle to get to the service.

 I am an animal lover. There is no way that I can even try and deny the fact that I love animals. Mom has even told me that not my first, but one of my first words as a baby had been 'cat'. Growing up there have been numerous fish, hamsters, and hermit crabs in our house. We've had a red-eared slider turtle by the name of Michelangelo (named after the ninja turtle, not the artist.) We had a dog give birth to puppies, zebra finch which had a slew of babies too. Then I had the idea to get hamsters again, and see what happens if you put a male and female together........................tons of babies. We've had our share of dogs and a few cats too. And when I am 34 1/2 years old, my fur-babies consist of two awesome cats (Pooka and Cro`i), a crazy-ass puggle (Lola), and a kitten (Luna.......who actually shares the love of my life, Colin Farrell's birthday.)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Somehow though over the summer. a stray cat got in to my back yard and gave birth to a litter of kittens on the side of my house without out knowing it. It was not until the mama cat (who I've since named Larri) came sniffing by our back door, looking for food that we knew we had an interloper. Then it was discovered that she had her babies with her. (I have named the babies Daryl and Daryll....however they've now become Lil' Daryll and Daryl P.J.) The mama cat (Larri) is a short haired tuxie and very feral. One kittie, Lil' Daryll is a gorgeous gray tabby and is a scardy cat. Daryl P.J. is a doll, long-haired, angora tuxie and a mush. I can pick her up and hold her, and love her and bring her in the house for a short visit.

However, there is 'no more room at the inn', in regards to bringing this trio of interlopers in to my house as pets. Living with my cats, the dog, and an aunt who has the beginnings of dementia takes up enough of my time and energy to take care of them (not to mention mom too.) I have called every shelter and animal rescue person you could think of and have gotten no luck or help from anyone. Long Island is so over-run with cats that no one will accept or trap strays for you. I refuse to bring them to the town shelter, as it hurts me to think of these innocent animals being euthanized. So they've been living in my back yard, and I've been giving them food and water until I can find them a nice home. Even my mother, 'Mrs. anti-pets' enjoys watching them play in the back yard....but we worry about them surviving the winter and the snows we know will come. These interlopers need a home....and I will miss them when they go.

Tonight though was the straw which broke the camel's back. Tonight my darling boy.....my son-of-sons, Pooka went out to get some night air. And when he tried to come home, the mama cat....aka Larri got in to a tiff with him, and he won't come out of my neighbors yard and come home now. NO BODY messes with MY Pooka. NO ONE! So now it's on like donkey kong. Larri (and the Daryl's) must go. Because nothing comes before my fur-babies!

Christmas Countdown #3 Christmas Craziness which I am partaking in

Christmas Fact #3:   Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch conservationist, banned Christmas trees in his home, even when he lived in the White House. His children, however, smuggled them into their bedrooms.

It is so easy to get through life sometimes it scares me. And it's so funny how life makes the 'hard' decisions for us at times. Case in point....due to some turmoil taking place in a group which I help founded and built from the ground up I will *not* be making the Christmas gift which I had planned to give to each member of the group, commemorating the first year of the group.

You see, I had purchased a box of fuchsia Christmas balls and planned on decorating and personalizing each one for the members of the group, as well as have some other handy-dandy little gifts for them at our Christmas party. But now they are churning up a lot of lies, and petty rumors and causing chaos in the group. (I will go in to this in a different blog entry at some point.) And I was torn about making the gifts or not, and what could I do with these balls if I did not make the gifts. Because I am notorious for chucking out my receipts.

Today as I drove to work, I saw a slip of paper in my car and looked at it. Low and behold it was the sales receipt for these pink Christmas balls. So there it is, the universe presented me with the means to get my money back...and I plan to. Returning the balls I am, and not gifting these people with something special. Life is easier than we think.....at times. :o)

Christmas Countdown fact #2

Fact # 2:     In Portugal, the traditional Christmas meal (consoada) is eaten in the early hours of Christmas Day. Burning in the hearth is the Yule log (fogueira da consoada). The ashes and charred remains of the Yule log are saved; later in the year, they are burned with pine cones during Portugal's thunderstorm season. It is believed that no thunderbolt will strike where the Yule log smoke has traveled.

So here is my Christmas craziness question for the season: If you were discussing the holidays with someone of an 'important' status to you. Perhaps a family member or a friend whom you don't see too often, and you state that this year you are not exchanging Christmas/holiday gifts to the extended list of people you usually do. This can be for a slew of reasons.....maybe you're trying to save money, or perhaps you simply do not need any extra clutter in your home.

In response the person says to you: "oh well, we don't send out gifts because we expect anything in return." And doesn't really listen to your decision not to swap gifts. Perhaps you stress that money is tight and you can not afford to send to everyone you wish to. Perhaps you simply are just trying to sever this ritual which has become less of a desire to do and more of an obligation. At the end of the discussion it is understood no gifts will be swapped.

Then a week or so later you get a knock at your front door and FedEx speeding off and you *know* you haven't ordered anything on-line, to expect delivery. So you bring the package inside and check the shipping information. And lo and behold, this package is from the person which you had the 'no gift exchange' conversation with. What do you do? What do you do?

Do you graciously keep the gift and open it on Christmas morning? Do you send them a gift in return and *oh my!* surprise! It's the same thing which they had sent you? Or do you send the gift back to them unopened with a note saying 'thank you but you know what my wishes were'?

What do you do???

Christmas Countdown Fact #1

     LOOK!!! I have a pretty new blog background. I had been trying since last night to change my background to reflect the holiday & season. But I am technology intolerant and could not do so. I had texted my BFF (and not calling her that in a sarcastic way) Michelle for help, but alas she chose to not head my call. However this morning she swore to me that she'd fix me up right and change the background. And staying true to the awesome person she is....she was very patient as I surfed the net for the *right* background and then fought the codes until she got it right for me. Thank you Michelle......you're always there for me when I need you.
     Also, today marks December 1, 2010. Which means there is only 24 more days until Christmas, and only 30 more days until the new year! Where did the time go? The house is slowly but surely getting decorated, and I still have no idea what to get my mom and aunt for Christmas. I have to get them *something*.  Anyway, to keep in the holiday spirit and to make the days until Christmas a little more joyful I've decided to blog something Christmas/winter related every day. So here we go:

Fact # 1:     Historians have traced some of the current traditions surrounding Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, back to ancient Celtic roots. Father Christmas's elves are the modernization of the "Nature folk" of the Pagan religions; his reindeer are associated with the "Horned God," which was one of the Pagan deities.

More Christmas goodies for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

So being that I feel like crap....and took a shower, it annoyed me that my terrycloth bath robe had holes in it. This spurred me to add more stuffs which I could buy myself for Christmas, but thought to post here.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Egyptian-Cotton-Terry-Bath-Robe/2994950/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&mr:trackingCode=6491652E-52C1-DF11-98FF-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

Velour Sweatsuit

 Yeah, I may have mentioned him last time...but you could never have too much Colin Farrell. <3 <3 <3

http://www.amazon.com/Indiana-Jones-Adventure-Collection-Editions/dp/B0014Z4ONE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1290457611&sr=8-5

 http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/Accessories/Keurig-B40-Single-Cup-Brewer?__utma=1.1088719714483973700.1290457834.1290457834.1290457834.1&__utmb=1.2.10.1290457834&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1290458080.1.2.utmgclid=CNLSqfuitaUCFYnc4Aod1xIxXw|utmccn=(not%20set)|utmcmd=(not%20set)|utmctr=krueger%20coffee%20maker&__utmv=-&__utmk=56538411

Christmas isn't just for kids ya know............

So I have reverted to a 14 year old girl tonight, when shopping in Wal-Mart with Mom. This is bad, because I was sooooooooo tempted to ask mom to buy me this item for my Christmas gift. Why is this bad, you may ask? BECAUSE. I am an adult. I do not *need* any thing from anyone to acknowledge the Christmas spirit. I really don't. If there is something I want, I can buy it...unless it is something out of my budget range. Which is a lot of things. But my point is....I can buy myself stuff that I want. I told mom that all I *did* want this year was the Hallmark recordable Christmas book. Because that has meaning, and that is something I will cherish forever.

So what is this item that had me regressed to a giggling, crushing 14 year old as I clasped the item to my chest and squealed 'Oh this is SO awesome!'               Here we go:
http://www.amazon.com/Buffy-Vampire-Slayer-Spike-Love/dp/B000AQN894

Which then brought me to think about items I would like for Christmas...but again don't have rhyme or reason to ask for them:
http://www.hallmark.com/online/in-stores/recordable-storybooks/?mc=T_S_G_HL_GC_RSBGOOGSCH

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/600-Thread-Count-Embroidered-Sheet-Set-with-Bonus-Pillowcases/5034356/product.html?rcmndsrc=2
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp?PID=34323&cds2Pid=35700#logo

 I don't know what web site you can actually purchase Colin, but if anyone has any connections, let me know.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/connect-ipod-car-stereo2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/automotive/connect-ipod-car-stereo3.htm&usg=__2RHVzxC1NTtqrueR-r018r3aQsc=&h=300&w=300&sz=30&hl=en&start=1&sig2=0LtdQSxLL7Cx-xJV9Jklyg&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=vKqYv8hk3qUz1M:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dipod%2Bcar%2Badapter%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1R2GGLL_en%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=B3TkTImuHIabOrHm5ZIB

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