Christmas Day
December 25
Christmas Day is a sacred religious holiday dedicated to the birth of Jesus Christ. In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday and the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Pope Julius the First chose December 25 primarily to coincide with the winter solstice which had been part of the Saturnalia festival, a celebration held by Romans to honor the god Saturn and established hundreds of years prior to the birth of Christ.
On the festive side of Christmas here are some interesting facts. The image of Santa Claus flying his sleigh was created by Washington Irving in 1810 the same author who dreamt up the Headless Horseman. The Montgomery Ward department store created Rudolph the Reindeer as a marketing gimmick to encourage children to buy their Christmas coloring books. If you gave all the gifts listed in the Twelve Days of Christmas, it would equal 364 gifts. Almost 28 sets of LEGO are sold every second during the Christmas season. More than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. alone, every year.
National Kiss the Cook Day
December 25
The theme of the day says it all. Show your appreciation to those who have put a great Christmas dinner on the table with a loving kiss.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Humphrey Bogart – Actor – passed at age 57 – born in New York City, New York
Sir Isaac Newton – Mathematician – passed at age 81 – born in Lincolnshire, England
Jimmy Buffet – Singer – 73 – born in Pascagoula, MS
