“Our nation’s capital is really getting into the holiday spirit. Yesterday I saw Tip O’Neil with a beard and red suit, shimmying down the Washington Monument.” — Bob Hope Tip O’Neil, […]
Christmas in D.C.
Have a Finger-Lickin’ Good Christmas!
While visions of sugar plums may dance in the heads of children in most of the world on Christmas Eve, in Japan the dreams are more likely to be filled with images […]
Need Extra Days for Christmas Shopping? Move to Foula
The island of Foula in the Shetland Islands of Scotland operates off of a different calendar than the rest of the United Kingdom. When Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, […]
The Christmas Truce of 1914
On Christmas Eve, 1914, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines, and at certain points the Allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans […]
Have Yourself a Jewish Little Christmas
Many of the most popular Christmas songs were written by Jewish songwriters:
Who Wants to Spend Christmas Looking at Planets?
For the Voyager space exploration program, engineers plotted around 10,000 potential trajectories and then narrowed them down to find the optimal mission objectives. They chose trajectories that would reduce or eliminate planetary […]
Making a List of Who is Naughty, Nice, and Who Will Be Eaten
Not content with just one Santa Claus, Iceland has thirteen of them. Known as “Jolasveinar” or “Yule Lads,” they are the sons of the trolls Gryla and Leppaludi, who would eat children […]
Another First for the American Space Program
On December 16, 1965, astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra were on Gemini 6 when they transmitted the following message: “Gemini VII, this is Gemini VI. We have an object, looks like […]
I’m Dreaming of a Best Seller
“White Christmas”, written by Irving Berlin and sung by Bing Crosby, is the best-selling single song of all time. With estimated sales in excess of 50 million for the original version and […]
No Tree for Teddy
President Theodore Roosevelt banned Christmas trees from the White House in 1901 out of concerns for protecting the environment. source
And THAT is a Symbol of Kissing?
Mistletoe (Viscum album) is from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan, which means “little dung twig” because the plant spreads through bird droppings. source
Spinning a Web of Christmas Blessings
In Poland and Ukraine, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas trees decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish people consider spiders to […]
All of the Other Reindeer Used to Mock His Nasal Microcirculation
Scientists studying the origin of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s most-distinctive feature believe they have figured out why his nose is so bright. The short story is that it is due to an […]
Escape From POW Camp? It Might Be In the Cards
Escape maps were printed on Bicycle playing cards and distributed to Allied prisoners of war during World War II. The deck of cards was created specifically to help Allied prisoners of war […]
Perhaps They Will Find That Part About “Thou Shall Not Steal”
The most shoplifted book in the United States is the Bible. Nationwide, bookstores net about $16 billion in sales every year, according to the American Booksellers Association. Stores estimated that they lose […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 