Christmas Trivia and The Reason For The Season The word Christmas originated as a compound word, meaning “Christ’s Mass”. It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. “Cristes” is from Greek Christos, and “mæsse” is from Latin missa (the holy mass). While it marks …
Tag: December
Christmas Eve: December 24 in History
December 24 in Pop Culture History December 24th is… Christmas Eve Eggnog Day Last-Minute Shopper’s Day 1801 – Richard Trevithick publicly displayed his “Puffing Devil,” or “Puffer,” the first steam-powered passenger vehicle. The steam engine was a prototype of steam powered trains. 1814 – The War of 1812 ended between the British Empire and the …
The Gift of The Magi
The Gift of The Magi By O. Henry One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such …
December 23 in History
December 23 in Pop Culture History December 23rd is… Festivus National Pfeffernusse Day National Roots Day 1823 – A Visit From St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, was published. Clement Clarke Moore acknowledged authorship in 1837. 1888 – Suffering from severe depression, Vincent Van Gogh cut off the lower part of his left ear …
December 22 in History
December 22 in Pop Culture History December 22nd is… Abilities Day Date Nut Bread Day Forefathers Day – December 22 (Unless on Sunday, Then it is the following Monday, 23rd) National Cookie Exchange 856 (Earthquake) Damghan, Iran 1666 – The French Academy of Sciences was founded. 1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Symphony No. 5 in …
5 Staves of A Christmas Carol. Day One
5 Staves of A Christmas Carol. Day One “Marley was dead, to begin with.” These six words may be, at least, one of the most famous lines in all of literature. In 1843 Charles Dickens was short on funds. In order to help himself make the money he needed, he came up with the idea …
First Day of Winter December 21
Winter means many things different people. For some it is the best season of the year. The thoughts of snow and cold, ice and winds bring smiles to many a face. For others those same thoughts bring a feeling of melancholy. The cold weather and the short days, as well as the snow and ice …
Celebrate Short Fiction – December 21st
(PCM) Does life imitate art? If the sales of fiction for our e-readers, smart phones and – oh yeah, books – tell us anything, it’s that it might be the other way around: life in the information age moves fast, and art (including literature) needs to keep up. In recent years, short fiction has become …
December 20 in History
December 20 in Pop Culture History December 20th is… Cathode-Ray Tube Day Games Day Go Caroling Day Mudd Day Sacagawea Day Sangria Day December 20th is National Sangria Day. We’re not sure why, other than “because the internet says so,” but if you’ve made it this far into December, cheers! Who needs a better reason …
December 19 in History
December 19 in Pop Culture History December 19th is… National Hard Candy Day Holly Day Look for an Evergreen Day Oatmeal Muffin Day 1732 – Benjamin Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanac in Philadelphia. 1843 – Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol was published. 1871 – Samuel Clemens received a patent (# 121,992) for “An Improvement in …
December 18 in History
December 18 in Pop Culture History December 18th is… Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day Bake Cookies Day Flake Appreciation Day Ham Salad Day National Roast Suckling Pig Day National Twin Day The Thirteenth Amendment Section 1 Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have …
December 17 in History
December 17 in Pop Culture History December 17th is… National Maple Syrup Day Wright Brothers Day Saturnalia Begins Saturnalia: December 17th – December 23rd In ancient Rome, the period between December 17th and December 23rd was known as the Saturnalia, a festival to honor the god Saturn. Saturn ruled over such things as abundance, destruction, …