monthly planning

since rudolph day for june 2009 is only 10 days away, i wanted to finalize my plans. it is also a thursday so i will be working and will have less time to work on things.

right now i am planning on watching "elf" the movie and working on my christmas notebook and figuring out which crafts i'd like to complete for gifts this year. i have some bracelets to work on and luckily i have all the supplies for those.

hopefully i will get a chance to test out another recipe next month!

trivia thursday: christmas songs edition

i have always wondered about the 12 days of christmas. here is what i found:

One of the holiday's best-loved songs, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," marks the longest holiday in the Christian calendar -- the time between Christmas Day and Epiphany, celebrated on January 6.

The song's origin is unknown, but some believe the song was written to help Catholic children remember various articles of faith. These are:

True love
God

A partridge in a pear tree
Jesus

Two turtle doves
Old and New Testaments

Three French hens
Faith, Hope, and Charity

Four calling birds
Four Gospels

Five golden rings
The first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, which records the history and laws of ancient Israel

Six geese a-laying
Six days of Creation

Seven swans a-swimming
Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the Seven Sacraments

Eight maids a-milking
Eight beatitudes

Nine ladies dancing
Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit

Ten lords a-leaping
Ten Commandments

Eleven pipers piping
Eleven faithful disciples

Twelve drummers drumming
Twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed

[source: http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/christmas-trivia2.htm]

tasty cookies for christmas

mmm even though i am gluten free, i have some favorite cookies. here are the top ten:

10. macaroons

9.  almond butter cookies

8.  sugar cookies

7.  chocolate chip cookies

6.  maraschino cherries cookies

5.  oatmeal raisin cookies

4.  peanut butter cookies

3.  potato chip cookies

2.  white chocolate cranberry macadamia cookies

1.  lemon cookies

200 days!!!

just 200 more days until christmas! what a wonderful day...

trivia thursday: the santa edition

just about 200 days left until christmas... a little santa trivia for you on this friday eve.

• Santa Claus began life as a sort of Christian version of Poseidon, Greed god of the sea and all waters. Poseidon became known as the giver of all good things and festivals were held to celebrate his existence in December in the third century B.C., the event officially becoming known as the feast day of St. Nicholas in the fourth century B.C. Later Christian in Rome gave him the name of Nicholas and claimed he was a bishop who gave anonymous gifts by night.
• St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of pawnbrokers.
• Our current vision of Santa Claus came from an illustration by Thomas Nast in 1863 made for Dr. Clement Moore’s tale A Visit from St. Nicholas

christmas in chicago: the lions

it is a tradition in chicago to drape the lion sculptures outside of the Art Institute of Chicago with beautiful christmas wreaths, green and lovely.

The Art Institute's famous western entrance on Michigan Avenue is guarded by two bronze lion statues created by Edward L. Kemeys. The sculptor gave them unofficial names: the south lion is "stands in an attitude of defiance," and the north lion is "on the prowl." When a Chicago sports team makes the playoffs, the lions are frequently dressed in that team's uniform. Evergreen wreaths are placed around their necks during the Christmas season.

there is a ceremony where the wreaths are added to the sculptures.

aloha friday

today i give you the history of mele kalikimaka, for a very happy and joyous friday.

The Hawaiian people did not celebrate Christmas prior to the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. It was, however, the protestant missionaries from New England who first arrived in 1820 who first introduced Christmas to the Hawaiian people.

The missionaries reduced the Hawaiian language to written form, enabling the Hawaiian people to read and write in their own language. Many words for which there were no clear Hawaiian language equivalents were translated phonetically.

Mele Kalikimaka - Merry Christmas. The words "Mele Kalikimaka" are a phonetic translation. When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing Merry Christmas and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues.