Merry Christmas

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

This is something I have been involved with in the past through BoardgameGeek.com. It has been a lot of fun and I have received a lot of cool games. To get involved click here.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas to all. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and even better 2010.

Merry Christmas

This year marks the 20th anniversary of a true Christmas and Holiday classic. Christmas Vacation.

It's here!! It's here!!

If you are a member of Board Game Geek the 2009 Secret Santa has begun. I participated in this last year and it was a blast. You are given an unknown "target" and you are their Secret Santa. They can be anywhere around the world so be prepared for shipping costs. Everyone has a wishlist of games to choose from and you get something from the list. Last year I got two really cool games. Check it out here if you want but I really recommend it.

Christmas Trivia

How do you say "Merry Christmas" around the World?

* Glædelig Jul -- Danish
* Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan -- Chinese, Mandarin
* Joyeux Noel -- French
* Nadolig Llawen -- Welsh
* Mitho Makosi Kesikansi -- Cree
* Buon Natale -- Italian
* Kala Christouyenna! -- Greek
* Nollaig Shona Dhuit -- Gaelic (Irish)
* Shub Naya Baras -- Hindi
* God Jul -- Swedish
* Boldog Karacsonyt -- Hungarian
* Feliz Navidad -- Spanish
* Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom -- Russian
* Sung Tan Chuk Ha -- Korean
* Frohliche Weihnachten -- German
* Gesëende Kersfees -- Afrikaans
* Hyvaa Joulua -- Finnish
* Kurisumasu omedeto -- Japanese
* Mele Kalikimaka -- Hawaiian
* Suksun Wan Christmas -- Thai
* Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia -- Polish

Christmas Trivia

Which Cities are Easiest for Santa to Visit?

Those with snow, of course! According to the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the average snowfall each December in the following locations is more than two feet:

* Valdez, Alaska
* Yakutat, Alaska
* Blue Canyon, California
* Marquette, Michigan
* Muskegon, Michigan
* Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
* Mount Washington, New Hampshire
* Syracuse, New York

Christmas Trivia

Celebrating the season is a month-long event in Germany, with festivities culminating on Christmas Eve, when the Christmas tree is unveiled. Children are not allowed to see the tree until a bell rings to signify that the Christ Child has been there.

Once the tree is revealed, fully decorated with tinsel, lights, and ornaments, families place presents underneath and sing Christmas carols. The night later gives way to a feast so lavish that the evening is often called dickbauch, or "fat stomach."

It is believed that those who do not eat well will be haunted by demons during the night. Nuts, fruits, marzipan, greenery, candles, and adorable carved, wooden figurines of angels, trees, and Santa are placed around the table.

Expand your Christmas traditions trivia knowledge: the typical German feast features goose, yams, and marzipan.
In Germany, the typical Christmas feast
features roasted goose instead of turkey.
The night's delights include:

* Roasted goose
* Ham or suckling pig
* White sausage
* Sausage and cheese bread
* Roasted potatoes
* Green beans
* Yams
* Macaroni salad
* Rice porridge
* Biscuits and marmalade
* Fruit salad
* Apple cider
* Christstollen (bread with nuts, raisins, and dried fruit)
* Lebkuchen (gingerbread)
* Marzipan

Christmas Trivia

Mexicans celebrate the birth of Jesus with las Posadas, nine days of preparation during which the story of the Nativity is reenacted each day. These days lead up to Noche Buena (Holy Night) or Christmas Eve. Most families go to mass, then head home for dinner with family and friends. The highlight of the evening is placing Baby Jesus in the manger in the Nativity scene.

To prepare for the celebration, the house is decorated with pottery; bowls of fruit; brightly colored paper ornaments; colorful confetti; tinsel-trimmed maracas; star-shaped piñatas filled with oranges, tangerines, peanuts, and candy canes; red, green, and silver tablecloths; small lanterns and candles; and, of course, a Nativity scene.

The spread for Feliz Navidad includes:

* Roast turkey, ham, or suckling pig
* Biscayan cod
* Tamales
* Stuffed chili peppers
* Wild greens in mole sauce
* Atole (beverage made from corn)
* Chili con queso with chips
* Guacamole with flakes of red bell pepper "confetti"
* Ensalada de Navidad (Christmas fruit salad)
* Sidra (sparkling cider)
* Chocolate atole (cinnamon hot chocolate)
* Ponche con piquete (hot punch of fruits and cinnamon sticks)
* Bizcochos (holiday cookies)
* Sweet Christmas fritters
* Flan

Christmas Trivia

What parade was first held January 1, 1886?

Weird Christmas Song of the Week

This is our last entry and it comes courtesy of the United States military.

Christmas Trivia

What two Sesame Street characters were named after characters in "It's a Wonderful Life" ??

Christmas Trivia

What is Charlie Brown's complaint about Christmas?

Christmas Trivia

What were Frosty's last words? Hint - It's not "I'm melting"

Christmas Trivia

How many gifts are given in the 12 Days of Christmas?

The Guys From F.E.A.T.

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Christmas Trivia

On this date in 1965 the first song was broadcast from space. In a Christmas-themed prank by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra sent Mission Control this report:

Gemini VII, this is Gemini VI. We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit…. Looks like he might be going to reenter soon. Stand by one…. You just might let me to pick up that thing…. I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit.

The astronauts then produced a smuggled harmonica and sleigh bells and broadcast a rendition of "Jingle Bells" The instruments are on display in the Smithsonian.

Christmas Trivia

Can you name the only female reindeer to pull Santa's sleigh?

Christmas Trivia

In the latter part of the Nineteenth century various German entrepreneurs began to make ornaments that were mass produced and sold strictly as Christmas ornaments.

The area around Lauscha, long known for its glass making, was the hub of the glass ornament trade in Germany. Firms which had been making glass barometers, canes, ointment bottles, goblets, bulls-eye glass window panes, eyes for stuffed animals and brilliantly colored marbles discovered that they could diversify into making molded glass ornaments. Initially replicating fruits, nuts and other food items, they soon branched out and began to manufacture hearts, stars and other shapes that had been created out of cookies but now had the added dimension of a wide color palette enhanced by the luminosity of the glass itself.

Soon the glass blowers of Lauscha were creating molds of children, saints, famous people, animals and other forms – and discovering that there was no apparent end to the market for this new type of Christmas ornament. Nearly everyone in the town was involved in some way in the creation of Christmas ornaments with whole families working either in a factory or in a home-based foundry.