Join me every day around 4:20pm for the Daily Dee-straction!
We’ll cover something you didn’t know about OR something you did know about and are about to find out MORE about! If you missed it, here is this week’s round up!
Dec 18 – History of stockings
Do you know why we hang up stockings? Okay, there are no written records of the origin of the Christmas stocking, BUT there are some legends! According to the Smithsonian, one of the most popular legends is the tale of a poor widower who was worried that his three daughters couldn’t find suitors for marriage because of his lack of wealth. But St. Nicholas was wandering through the town where the man lived and heard villagers discussing the family’s problem. He wanted to help so he slid down the chimney of the family’s house and filled the girls’ recently laundered stockings, which happened to be drying by the fire, with gold coins! Santa, if you’re listening right now, I’ll just be leaving some socks out to dry tonight no big deal!
Dec 19 – KFC in Japan
Did you know… In Japan, it’s tradition for people to enjoy a Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas? What started as a marketing campaign in the seventies has evolved into a widely adopted tradition of eating a bucket of KFC chicken to celebrate Christmas. Many people even place their KFC orders well in advance to secure their Christmas chicken dinner. Orders for buckets of deep-fried drumsticks and breast can be placed from early November!! It’s actually a brilliant idea! No slaving in the kitchen over a huge holiday meal, no holiday dishes and Colonel Sanders DOES bear a striking resemblance to Mr Claus, especially when given a Santa hat!
Dec 20 – Winter Solstice
Did you know… the shadow you cast on the winter solstice is the longest you can make all year. That’s because the sun is at it’s lowest angle, especially noticeable in the early morning and late afternoon. When is winter solstice this year? Tomorrow at exactly 7:27pm PST! As we know, it’s not always Dec. 21. It can also be the 20th or 22nd, and occasionally the 23rd. The last time the solstice was on Dec. 23 was in 1903, and the next will be 2303.
Dec 21 – Rudolph’s Name
Did you know… Rudolph almost had a different name?? The creator, Robert L. May, was considering Rollo and Reginald before he finally settled on Rudolph. By the way, he created Rudolph in 1939 as an assignment for Chicago-based retailer Montgomery Ward. But how did he come up with the story?? He was staring out his office window downtown one day and a thick fog blocked his view—giving him a flash of inspiration. “Suddenly I had it!” he recalled. “A nose! A bright red nose that would shine through fog like a spotlight.” Thus Rollo, I mean Rudolph was born!
Dec 22 – New Year’s
Did you know…. New Year’s wasn’t always celebrated on January 1st. The earliest New Year festivities date back about 4,000 years. At that time, the people began their new year in March. They would have an 11-day festival to celebrate the beginning of spring! It was introduced only until 400 years ago when Pope Gregory the 13th declared once and for all that January 1st should be New Year’s Day.
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