Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Dec. 26 is National Candy Cane Day.
It's National Candy Cane Day, which seems fitting given that you likely have a surplus lying around at this point in the holiday season. We visited the National Confectioners Association website to gather the questions and answers for a quiz dedicated to the striped peppermint candy synonymous with the season. The quiz is available as a PDF so it's easy to print off and share with friends or family gathered at your house for the holidays. Or just test your knowledge below: Candy Cane Quiz 1. Legend places the origin of the candy cane in the: A. 1900s B. 1800s C. 1700s D. 1600s 2. According to legend, candy canes began as a means of: A. Rewarding shepherds for successfully guarding a flock. B. Bartering for the Christmas ham. C. Keeping …
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Many businesses are closed today.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Banks: Closed Town Offices: Closed Recycling and Transfer Station: Closed Senior Center: Closed Schools: Closed Restaurants: Open at owners' discretion Retail stores: Open at owners' discretion Post Office: Closed Liquor stores: Closed (open on Monday) Gas stations: Open Movie theaters: Open Supermarkets: Closed
Share your stories, be they funny or touching, about some of the best gifts you have ever given to others.
Conventional wisdom dictates that "it is better to give than to receive," and the adage is repeated often during the holidays. Sometimes giving is incredibly rewarding, as a number of law enforcement officers who recently made a trip to Virginia may attest. Sometimes, it's kind of funny, as in an experience I had a few years ago: The summer of that year, my mother, sister and I had taken a trip to visit family in England. While there, The BBC aired a film from the Carry On series,low-budget comedies made between the '50s and '90s which my mother had loved when she lived in England. Some quick research on Amazon turned up a boxed set of those movies; the perfect Christmas gift, I thought. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face. …
How much will we spend this year? And what's the best-selling Christmas song of all time? Find the answers below.
We know that there were three Wise Men, 12 days of Christmas and that Santa delivers all his presents around the world in one night. But did you know... $23,439.38 How much it would cost to buy your "true love" all the gifts in the 12 Day of Christmas . 12.9 billion hours, $447 billion How many hours Americans were expected to spend shopping, wrapping and returning gifts last year. That was about 42 hours and $688.87 per person. Get your postman/postwoman a gift According to Hallmark, Christmas is the largest card-sending occasion . Nearly 1.5 billion cards are sent to friends and family every Christmas Season. (That's actually down 400 million cards since 2004.) $983 million The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from …
Monday, December 24, 2012
The North American Aerospace Defense Command has a website that now offers a Santa tracker mobile app to follow the jolly man's magical flight.
They sent him their wish lists, sat on his lap, and left cookies and milk for his arrival. Now the only thing left for children to do is track Santa's progress as he delivers gifts around the world on Christmas Eve. Thanks to the folks behind the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) website, families worldwide can now follow Santa's Christmas journey in real time. The tradition started in 1955 after an advertisement for Sears Roebuck & Co. misprinted a telephone number for a special "Santa hotline." Instead of reaching Kris Kringle, the number put kids through to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Commander-in-Chief’s operations, according to a description on the NORAD Tracks Santa Facebook page, which has more than …
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Scan and share your awkwardness.
Everyone's got them — those awkward family photos that are a hoot to look back on here in 2012. Many old holiday photos also fall into the awkward category. I was looking through some old holiday photos from our family gatherings of yesterday-year recently, and came across some funny ones of me and my cousins when we were young. What about you? Do you have '80s hair on display in a holiday photo? What about fashions from the '70s? Post your awkward family holiday photos by clicking the upload button below the photo at right. Can you outdo your neighbor?
We're looking for photos of the most unique, quirky, or memorable trinkets that you hang on your tree for the holidays.
Holiday decorations do more than glitter and sparkle — they give a hint about the personality of their owners. Whether it's a trinket showing loyalty to a favorite sports team, cartoon character, or store [did you get your mini coffee cup from Dunkin' Donuts this year?] ornaments run the full range of sizes, shapes, and colors. And when it comes time to deck out the tree, it's the ornament that gets the best spot — the perfect place for the ornament to function as a conversation starter. Other folks prefer original, handmade decorations — especially if they were created by the kids when they were younger. Whatever the style, one thing's for sure: favorite decorations are unique. Here's your chance to share photos [or video] of the most …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Or are you a last-minute gift-getter?
This year, for the first time, I took advantage of Cyber Monday to get a few gifts knocked off my list. The sales on things I was looking at for family and friends weren't incredible, but the 10 percent off here or free shipping there certainly helped. What also helped me out this year was going as simple as possible when it comes to gift giving. Instead of buying my sister and brother-in-law individual gifts, I proposed that my husband and I get them one gift, and they get us one, with a $30 limit. We also instigated a Yankee swap with my inlaws this year, so we don't end up with a ton of gifts that we really don't need. So it'll be a pared-down holiday for us. The best part of holiday giving, I think, is watching a loved one's …
Friday, December 21, 2012
The North American Aerospace Defense Command has a website that now offers a Santa tracker mobile app to follow the jolly man's magical flight.
They sent him their wish lists, sat on his lap, and left cookies and milk for his arrival. Now the only thing left for children to do is track Santa's progress as he delivers gifts around the world on Christmas Eve. Thanks to the folks behind the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) website, families worldwide can now follow Santa's Christmas journey in real time. NORAD's mission is to detect any incoming threats to the USA & Canada. But that gives them the capability to track Kris Kringle's sleigh. The tradition started in 1955 after an advertisement for Sears Roebuck & Co. misprinted a telephone number for a special "Santa hotline." Instead of reaching Mr. Kringle, the number put kids through to the Continental Air Defense …
My new favorite is a chocolate chip cookie with extra goodies inside.
The favorite holiday recipe in my family is for my mother's chocolate chip cookies. She only makes them for the holidays, handing out tins to relatives and good friends. They're so good, my sister and I still count to make sure we get an equal number of cookies. The problem is, my mom's recipe is a few twists off the Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe. And she won't share what her twists are. I've come close to duplicating her cookies, but they still fall short. I'm anticipating seeing my mom this weekend and claiming my tin, but in the meantime I came across a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies that has it's own little twist of added toffee and hazelnut goodness. Enjoy this recipe, which I found on www.foodnetwork.com, and share …
M C Stringfellow
11:19 am on Tuesday, December 25, 2012
That would have been the DVD I gave my husband in 1998. "Shakespeare in Love". Cost me $2700 by the time the end of January 1999 came along. Not to long a story. It was a surprise, since we did not have a DVD Player. That was the second part of the gift. One week later, after trying to make the thing work on our TV set, I came home to find him in front of THE BIG SCREEN TV w/ beer , chips, and 5 … more ›